How Home Solar Contributes to Revitalizing and Renewing our Planet
By Mary Sauer
At Modernize, we believe deeply in the vision of REVITALIZATION. We desire to see our planet revitalized and renewed through the efforts of individuals all over the world. We love to create homes that make people feel comfortable and inspired, but we really get jazzed when that space is also green, running on solar power and built sustainably.
The revitalization of our planet may seem too overwhelming or too big a picture for a single person or household to making a lasting difference, but that is simply not true. Change in our world will only occur when individuals come together, making small changes over time to live in an environmentally conscious way.
[Photo credit: Modernize]
Home Solar Contributes to Power Grid Renovation
Renewal of our planet hinges on our ability to step away from our reliance on unsustainable methods of producing energy through fossil fuels. This method of generating energy is disaster-prone—recently, we have seen a well explosion in Pennsylvania and an oil spill in North Carolina. Additionally, fossil fuels are single-source, making them an unsustainable approach to generating electricity. Eventually, these sources of energy will be depleted, so it is time for our society to take steps toward a more sustainable way of life.
A greater shift to reliance on solar power would allow for renovation of power grids and an increased focus on making renewable energy available to homeowners.
Home Solar Used to Revitalize Neighborhoods
Before Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, the St. Thomas Housing Project in the southeast part of the city was a run-down housing project. Since then, the area has been revitalized with a focus on sustainable and renewable technologies. Today, this neighborhood is the largest solar powered neighborhood in the country. Through the use of solar power and other energy efficient components, these rebuilt homes have brought an average savings of $50 a month on utilities for each resident of the neighborhood.
The possibilities for neighborhoods all over the country is so exciting, and we believe solar power could be used in areas of any city that needs to be revitalized. As solar power becomes the new normal for energy generation, we hope to see a push for bringing new life into neighborhoods through the installation of solar panels and substantial utility savings, which could ease the financial burden of low-income households. Additionally, bringing solar into new areas of the country provides more entry level jobs with great potential for growth.
[Photo credit: Modernize]
Solar Power Used to Renew Public Parks and Power Outdoor University Spaces
In the future, we would love to see a greater reliance on solar power in outdoor spaces. Universities and public parks across the United States have set a great example, installing solar charging stations for cellphones and laptops. We believe there is potential to revitalize public parks with solar power, attracting a generation more reliant on their devices than ever, and powering RV parks, street lights, and more through solar power.
Each year, we are one step closer to creating a more sustainable way of living in our world. We hope to see home solar power become the new normal, allowing for further revitalization of our planet and economy through the renovation of power grids and renewal of neighborhoods and run-down parks.
[Mary Sauer is a writer who has been published by Babble, Mom.me, and What to Expect. She lives in the Midwest with her husband and two young daughters.]