If only the sun could shine effectively
The article, deep in the daily newspaper, was akin to a bank of clouds overhead on an otherwise sunny day. In our city, due to a municipal regulation aimed at saving me from myself, the installation of solar panels is forbidden. No shadow of a doubt like in other cities where “out of sight, out of mind” is the policy. Here in the Capital, the idea of a green alternative to Hydro (owned by another level of government) is enough to see you declared an outlaw.
Unless you’ve been collecting collectors every time they’re on sale at Canny Tire (like me) this wouldn’t mean very much. Even in a practical sense, the lowly solar panel is not too practical, since cleaning a roof as well as a driveway and a walkway during the six snowy months of the year is really too much work for the power it requires. But I had a dream; that one day (not night) I could transform my home into an oasis of “freedom” from the tyranny of the electrical company.
A quick tour of the city’s web site shows some ambivalence in the policy; there is a firm intention to equip our various fire stations with solar panels (even if it is against municipal regulations). Perhaps the city council, when they are no longer distracted by the human resources issues surrounding our glorious 400th will approach other issues (say, global warming) with an eye more open to alternative energy.
Meanwhile, I’ll continue to “virtually” wire up my array; by my calculation I already have about 18 watts of potential available for a future deployment. Some day, when the sun is shining brightly, I’ll be able to light a single bulb (12 volts) as proof of the practical nature of solar energy. And if the city has a sudden change of policy, my roof that enjoys a certain amount of exposure will wear its panels proudly. I can wait.
