Apr 17, 2008
Flipping the switch on energy:
Panelists say children, new technology will pave the way
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Michael Lindberg, chair of the Energy Commission, believes the youth of Wilton are a fundamental part of the solution to the nation’s energy crisis.
“Your enthusiasm and leadership are just absolutely wonderful,” said Mr. Lindberg to members of the Middlebrook Recycling Club at the commission’s meeting on Wednesday. And his message continued into the next night, when the library hosted a panel speaking on alternative energy as part of the League of Women Voters’ Hot Topics series.
Members of that panel included students from the high school’s Grease Monkeys, who are building a car designed to run on vegetable oil, a student from the high school’s recycling club, and the founders of Little People, Big Changes, a Cider Mill school group that tackles issues such as global warming.
“These young leaders see the need for change,” in our energy use, said Mr. Lindberg.
Jordan Reichgut and Alex Scaperotta, the founders of Little People, Big Changes, said the time was now for residents to cut down on carbon emissions.
“Arctic sea ice is melting faster than originally expected and sea levels are rising faster than predicted,” said Alex, a fourth grader.
The measures that Alex and Jordan advocate are:
• Stop idling cars, noting that keeping a car idling for 10 seconds or more uses more energy than starting the car up again,
• Sign up for Connecticut Clean Energy Options, a program that allows households to opt to have 50% or 100% of their energy come from clean energy sources rather than fossil fuels. While the power that program participants use does not directly come from clean energy sources, clean energy is put into the power grid in an amount equal to the energy the participant uses,
• Participate in National Hanging Out Day on April 19, where residents are encouraged to hang their laundry to dry rather than use a dryer,
• Eat natural, locally grown foods because it cuts down on the amount of fuel used in transportation.
Jack Field, a member of the Wilton High School Recycling Club, said the club had successfully expanded the school’s recycling throughout this year. He said the school only used to recycle corrugated cardboard, and it now recycles a variety of materials.
Mr. Lindberg said while the town has done a good job with recycling, it needs to do more. He said the town needed to find a way to allow residents to safely dispose of their compact florescent light bulbs, which are more energy efficient but also contain a small amount of mercury.
Drew Brown and Bill Essen, high school seniors and members of the Grease Monkeys, said they were working diligently on a car designed to run on vegetable oil and they hoped to go to cafeterias besides the high school’s to get the oil they need.
“It’s a form of recycling,” said Drew. “We’re hoping to use this as a learning tool and a practical vehicle.”
He also said he had higher aspirations for what began as an independent study project.
“Maybe we’ll see school buses running in the future on vegetable oil. Maybe we’ll see snow plows,” he said.
Drew said the vegetable oil fuel wasn’t any more efficient than the diesel fuel, but it wasn’t any less either. He also said there was a 70% reduction in carbon emissions and the waste product is “almost like purée mash potatoes.”
Solar energy
In addition to the students, Ron French, an 18-year Wilton resident and member of the Energy Commission, talked about solar energy and the opportunity it represents for the future.
Mr. French is president of Solarworks Inc. He said in recent years, interest in solar energy has been increasing, in part because the energy source represents a cleaner alternative to fossil fuels.
He said solar energy is emission free, silent and requires no fuel.
“In one hour’s time of sunshine, there’s enough energy delivered to power the whole Earth for one year,” said Mr. French, noting the challenge was harnessing that energy. Because solar energy is intermittent, it doesn’t represent a total solution, but can be part of the answer to the energy crisis, he said.
“Solar is expensive. But that will come down over time,” said Mr. French. At the moment a 5KW system costs $45,000, with the state paying for $23,000 of that and a federal tax credit of $2,000 available, and such a system would save about $1,100 a year and environmental certificates can be sold by the homeowner for $189 a year, he said.
The total savings over the 25 year life of the system is $52,707.
“It’s not financially irresponsible. There is a value there,” said Mr. French.
One of the questions from the audience was what would happen if the roof, where the solar panel would rest, needed to be replaced. Mr. French said they wouldn’t put a system on a roof that was more than five years old, and they hadn’t run into the problem yet.
Another member of the audience asked why Westport was ahead of Wilton on some energy issues, such as vehicles using biodiesel. Mr. Lindberg said Thomas Thurkettle, director of public works for the town, was open to using biodiesel, but that Mr. Thurkettle said Westport was currently experiencing some problems with vehicles using such fuel.
Looking to the future, Mr. Lindberg said ultimately the energy crisis will be solved by both new technology and action.
“We will respond to the need with technology, but we also have to cut back,” on our energy consumption, said Mr. Lindberg.
© Copyright 2008 by Hersam Acorn Newspapers
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