“Solar, anybody??!” – “Yes!!!”

Like most of us, my wife and I feel the urge to reduce our footprint and do our tiny part to help minimize man-made climate change.

We live in the desert in a big community with a few hundred houses. A lot of the neighbors are members of a WhatsApp group for things “that matter”. Recently one of the members wrote in that group: “I want to put solar panels on the roof of my house and looking for others in the community to maybe create buying power and save costs on planning.”

Immediately the group went on fire, with many members exchanging info and views. Quite soon, it was clear: If we put solar panels up, even if we draw all of our power from them, the investment will only pay back from reduced bills after about five years. Also, soon, a new group just for the solar panel discussion was formed. And to my big surprise, even when looking at these less-than-convincing economics, more than 50 neighbors joined within minutes! It gives me hope that people understand: We each need to do something NOW!

Originally published on August 26, 2021.