nytimes.com— Solar power is a status symbol, a glamorous mark of personal responsibility in Cali. Celebrities, including Leonardo DiCaprio, Alicia Silverstone, Carlos Santana and Tom Seaver, have installed solar systems.
Jan 6, 2007View in Crawl 4
"His pragmatic concerns were also informed by broader issues. ?I?m not a hippie greenie,? he said, pointing out that with a background in nuclear engineering, he strongly supports nuclear power. ?But solar is certainly a way to get off foreign oil.?"Sigh. You would think he would know better. Very little electricity in the U.S. comes from oil - about 1-2% nationally - and most of that is from on-site generators and the like. Using solar energy to produce electricity does next to nothing to reduce the use of foreign oil; it's main benefit is reducing pollution from coal and natural gas plants. Now if he was using the solar power to charge an electric vehicle, then he could say that, but he's using it to power his huge mansion and water fountains.
Closed AccountJan 6, 2007
"His pragmatic concerns were also informed by broader issues. ?I?m not a hippie greenie,? he said, pointing out that with a background in nuclear engineering, he strongly supports nuclear power. ?But solar is certainly a way to get off foreign oil.?"Sigh. You would think he would know better. Very little electricity in the U.S. comes from oil - about 1-2% nationally - and most of that is from on-site generators and the like. Using solar energy to produce electricity does next to nothing to reduce the use of foreign oil; it's main benefit is reducing pollution from coal and natural gas plants. Now if he was using the solar power to charge an electric vehicle, then he could say that, but he's using it to power his huge mansion and water fountains.