A Plan for the Solar Revolution

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Visitors to the 2008 UN climate conference in Poznan, Poland.
Visitors to the 2008 UN climate conference in Poznan, Poland.
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President Obama is very supportive of renewable energy and action on climate change. But is the U.S. government ready to act quickly enough to solve our energy problems?
President Obama is very supportive of renewable energy and action on climate change. But is the U.S. government ready to act quickly enough to solve our energy problems?
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Maps showing rapid Arctic ice loss. This consequence of climate change will ultimately lead to rising sea levels around the world.
Maps showing rapid Arctic ice loss. This consequence of climate change will ultimately lead to rising sea levels around the world.
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Wind turbines are a good alternative to carbon dense fuels such as coal.
Wind turbines are a good alternative to carbon dense fuels such as coal.
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Among its benefits, the solar revolution will provide a source of labor-intensive jobs, such as installing PV panels.
Among its benefits, the solar revolution will provide a source of labor-intensive jobs, such as installing PV panels.
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Engineers are developing advanced batteries for new hybrid-electric vehicles.
Engineers are developing advanced batteries for new hybrid-electric vehicles.
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Climate activists form the number 350. Many scientists estimate 350 parts per million as the highest safe level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Current levels are about 387 parts per million.
Climate activists form the number 350. Many scientists estimate 350 parts per million as the highest safe level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Current levels are about 387 parts per million.
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An energy-efficient train in Japan. The United States could benefit from a highly efficient light rail system.
An energy-efficient train in Japan. The United States could benefit from a highly efficient light rail system.
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Can we reduce greenhouse gases enough to avoid the worst effects of global climate change? Scientists warn that we don’t have much time to act.
Can we reduce greenhouse gases enough to avoid the worst effects of global climate change? Scientists warn that we don’t have much time to act.

Today, the United States lags behind Europe and Japan in establishing the building blocks for a carbon-neutral future. Once the world leader in renewable energy, America has ceded its place to nations whose governments have made the transition to low-carbon energy a priority. But change is coming. The solar revolution is coming.

Those of us who, for the past 30 years, have urged sweeping changes in the nation’s energy posture have always understood the power of the interests aligned against change. We were challenging the oil, coal, electric utility, and automobile industries, all of which were profiting handsomely from the status quo. We thought we needed a crisis — an energy “Pearl Harbor” or “Sputnik” challenge — to mobilize the public behind such a far-reaching change. We thought we might have had it in a war in the Middle East, a Chernobyl meltdown, or an Exxon Valdez oil spill. But these crises came and went without producing discernible improvement in national energy policy.

Instead, the opportunity now has come in an unexpected form: a global economic crisis coupled with the election of a new president with an unusual willingness to take a fresh look at everything, as well as a House and Senate dominated by his political party and a robust mandate for change from the American public. Already, President Obama has begun working to promote renewable energy, boost energy efficiency, combat climate change, reduce our dependence on foreign oil, and create green jobs. All of these changes are desperately needed, and better yet, investing in these areas has the potential to heal the economy and the environment at the same time.

But most importantly, we need to understand the scale of the effort that is needed to solve these problems. We need a national commitment to solar and renewable energy comparable to our mobilization for World War II, when the United States unleashed its scientific creativity and its industrial power to support the war effort. We need what Jimmy Carter referred to during the energy crisis of the ’70s as “the moral equivalent of war.”

A National Commitment

  • Published on Feb 16, 2009
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