The AQI index is under 100, and I was able to get out and putter around the yard this morning, until I started coughing, then time to come in.
Nevertheless, mental health requires that we think about possible positive futures, and the video above does a nice job of that, with some real-world examples of a “Solar Punk” esthetic that at least gives pointers to a better world that still could be.
Despite this rapid growth, we’ve barely scratched the surface on America’s immense potential to generate clean energy on our rooftops. America could produce the equivalent of 45% of the electricity we currently use from rooftop solar, yet, in 2022, rooftop solar provided only 1.5% of America’s electricity.
According to National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) analysis in 2016, there are over 8 billion square meters of rooftops on which solar panels could be installed in the United States, representing over 1 terawatt of potential solar capacity. With improvements in solar conversion efficiency, the rooftop potential in the country could be even greater. Residential and other small rooftops represent about 65% of the national rooftop potential, and 42% of residential rooftops are households with low-to-moderate income.
NREL estimates that an average of 3.3 million homes per year will be built or will require roof replacement—representing a potential of roughly 30 gigawatts (GW) of solar capacity per year. If even a small fraction of these new roofs had solar installations, it could have a significant impact on U.S. solar power generation.