From: Mark Duwe
Columbus
There is a lot of talk this campaign season about ‘climate change,’ as there should be. It’s getting so bad that some countries are wrapping nearby glaciers in ‘solar blankets’ to keep them from melting so fast. The question for Columbus, Indiana is: “What can we do as a community to help reverse climate change and set our path for a 100% renewable future?”
We should take a bold initiative and build a large solar farm near Columbus. It wouldn’t have to be physically close, somewhere in Bartholomew County. The large solar array should be enough to power most city and county buildings including City Hall, the Bartholomew County Jail, the County Courthouse and the County Office building on 4th and Franklin.
Cummins has some experience in this and has recently announced that its power plants will have net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. We should partner with Cummins on the solar farm so that it could provide 100% solar power for it’s world headquarters here in Columbus. We should also set a goal as a community to be 100% renewable by 2050. We will have no more need for coal-fired electricity. As long as it’s environmentally safe, we could still dig coal out of the ground and save it for a rainy day.
We would not pull off the grid, not yet anyway. Solar supplements our electric needs and provides electricity for less than current methods. Most solar panels come with a warranty for at least 25 years, and most provide 80% of their original performance long after that. I would like to see some of the young architects here in town do some work on ‘passive solar units’ that are used to heat water that require almost no energy whatsoever. These could be installed on every apartment complex and home in town and save people a lot of money in their monthly bills.
Solar is not for hippies and unicorns anymore. It’s happening now and it’s the future. If we don’t begin now, then when? This is a conversation we need to have nationally as well as locally. Being the home of Cummins, great architecture and one of the most progressive small cities in terms of energy will gain us at least national attention, and all of it good. Stay on top of what is happening with climate change and make sure that every candidate for public office knows how much you care.
