A Million Green Ideas

Question by Ashtyn: How can we bring solar power energy to our streets?


I was having a debate with my friend about ways to make the environment better and to have a better energy reliance than oil. One idea that was floated was to have every street lamp based on solar power (with backup electrical grid power in case it rains or something) anyway, here was the debate which we need your answers to: Is it better to have a solar panel on each street light OR Is it better to keep the street lights as they are and just install solar panel hubs around the city that feeds into the electrical grid?

Best answer:

Answer by Jeana
Until compact onsite electrical storage becomes practical, it’s better to have centralized solar power stations feeding power to the electrical grid, because 1) the wiring to the lamps are already in place and/or are necessary anyway for times of no sun, and 2) greater efficiencies and easier maintenance is possible at large solar power installations than with thousands of small solar collectors. However, independent “off the grid” solar powered devices is the trend. For example, through fuel cell technology, compact solar energy storage may become possible and practical, in which case high efficiency street lamps may go off the grid, thereby reducing wiring needs.

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Add your own answer in the comments!

My boss is always taking about how pro-environmentalists are just liberal socialists, but to me it seems that conserving the environment would be, um, conservative.

How do we get people to be more environmentally conservative, without making this a big and stupid socialist versus capitalist or liberal versus conservative debate?
Thanks for the answer about Free Market Environmentalism…

It’s a shame that mainstream religion has not addressed this issue more directly. Let’s get out in the streets people!

Best reply by LibertarianMPA:

FREE MARKET ENVIRONMENTALISM!!!

Don’t think it exists? Is Clorox making environmentally safe bleach? Does Whole Foods pack in the consumers? Is Macy’s selling “green” clothing?

“Free-market environmentalists are environmentalists who believe that in many–though not necessarily all–situations, markets will do far more to protect the environment than regulation or bureaucracy.”

“Like all environmentalists, free-market environmentalists believe that we face serious environmental problems, including pollution, habitat destruction, toxics, and endangered species. Unlike some environmentalists, free-market environmentalists believe that decentralized tools such as user fees, incentives, and markets will solve those problems better than centralized tools such as subsidies, bureaucracy, and regulation.”

Read the original question here
How do we conserve the environment without becoming socialist?