It’s always disappointing when people who disagree with you question your sincerity. Mark Williams does so to the dozens of One Cowichan supporters working to make Cowichan the solar capital of B.C., who are doing so in part because of these considerations.
First, Cowichan households will send well over a billion dollars out of the Valley in the next decade to pay for energy — money that could be invested in local jobs and the local economy if we generated more of our electricity here and began to switch to electric vehicles.
Second, all energy, including solar, has impacts. Just ask the farmers in Peace River now fighting the massive Site C proposal how benign they consider hydro power to be.
It’s a matter of weighing these impacts, and demanding they be reduced, as we must also do with solar manufacturers who are now moving to implement recycling programs for panels.
Third, the future of energy is electric as we move off fossil fuels.
We will need more diverse electricity sources, a more decentralized and resilient system, and more smart technology applications to reduce emissions, as other countries are now doing.
The time has come for solar to play its part in a low carbon energy mix, and Cowichan can be a leader in this regard.
If you agree, sign the petition at OneCowichan.ca
Matt Price
Director, One Cowichan
