Taking a moment here to think about the solar power purchase agreement today from the point of view of the “mindful ecological citizen.” I want to understand how our democratic system allowed it to take shape. It would be (maybe will be) fascinating to retrospectively examine how the working group and project management team moved … More Three sets of questions about the solar PPA
If we want to decarbonize our communities, one of our best pathways is to decarbonize the electricity generation sector. But who gets to plug in and in what order? That’s why we have grid operators who regulate which sources of power–solar farms, wind farms, natural gas power plants, nuclear power plants, battery facilities, hydropower plants–get … More Do natural gas & nuclear get to jump the line?
Let me start by saying this: hypocrisy is a killer. If we don’t keep our promises to ourselves, we can’t keep promises to the Creation. Where climate action is concerned, we need to do right, do it well, and do it consistently. If we are consistent as individuals and work well together, we can effect … More Climate change is…about each of us.
Tomorrow night, the State College Area School District will be the first of Centre County’s local governments to vote on whether we enter into a 15-year solar power purchase agreement (SPPA). As the project’s instigator, a member of the working group over its five years, and its first and last Chair, I am excited to … More A major step for solar power in Pennsylvania’s local governments
“A second Trump term is game over for the climate – really!” That’s what Michael Mann told The Guardian. “If we are going to avert ever more catastrophic climate change impacts, we need to limit warming below a degree and a half Celsius, a little less than three degrees Fahrenheit. Another four years of what … More We have to get s*** done for the climate regardless of who is in the White House.
The State College Area School District has been pursuing building excellence for over 15 years. The first push for more sustainable design and construction came when the Board passed a resolution in 2008 committing the District to a minimum LEED Silver standard. Ever since, the District has incorporated sustainable design, energy, and procurement in its … More Fifteen years of sustainable design for our schools
Today, Spotlight PA ran an excellent story on how “local governments can struggle to work together in Pennsylvania even when they have a common and seemingly mundane goal like saving money on electric bills.” I’ve written about this project here pretty extensively. In the next month, ten local governments will vote to adopt affordable, carbon-free, Pennsylvania-supplied … More An inspiration — or a cautionary tale? Definitely an inspiration.
As readers of this blog know, ten of Centre County’s local governments will soon vote to adopt affordable, carbon-free, Pennsylvania-supplied solar power. Brought together in 2019 as a special working group, we set our sights on two primary goals: being more responsible as fiduciaries with our energy dollars and playing a positive role in reducing greenhouse … More A power purchase agreement or something else?
Some members of our community are wondering if the State College Area School District will be accessing funding from Pennsylvania’s Solar for Schools program. The answer is, “YES!” As I posted yesterday in “Make action on climate change part of everyday life,” we have a lot going on in the District to support climate action. … More Solar for (our) Schools? Definitely.
“When more schools adopt solar, it becomes mainstream and no longer viewed as “something revolutionary or confrontational.” This is what I told Cipher News, an outlet that “covers the technological innovations we need to combat climate change and transform our global energy systems.” In our work to act on climate change, its drivers and impacts … More Make action on climate change part of everyday life. Make it part of what schools do.
Peter Walks for Democracy 