2008 Year in Review

Editorial

By Ben Wolf – Editor Morrison Post

In the article this week from the city council meeting, one thing that was perhaps minor to the decisions made in the meeting, has larger implications pertaining to energy conservation in this country. The council was considering some very nice light poles for the sports complex. One of the options being considered was L.E.D. light fixtures for the poles. These are light emitting diodes, grouped together to produce a large amount of light. The nice thing about them is that they require very little electricity to run, they run cool, put off a very white light, and they last a very long time. Unfortunately, they are also expensive. L.E.D.’s are not new technology, but using them for large scale lighting is. City administrator, Tim Long worked the payback, and it was ridiculously long, and that calculation didn’t even consider the eventual replacement of the fixtures as they burned out. Tim also pointed out that L.E.D.’s are bound to get cheaper as they become common place, and they could be retrofitted onto the poles when it made sense. I think the decision that the council made makes them good stewards of taxpayer money. The unfortunate part of this story is that the payback didn’t make sense. It’s the same way for a lot of technology that should make sense, but doesn’t.

Take solar energy. What could make more sense than getting free energy from the sun? Promoters of solar said more than 20 years ago that the price of panels and technology would drop to the point where it made sense for everyone to go solar. Those prices haven’t dropped to that point. It’s still cheaper to burn fossil fuels than it is to install and use solar. The same goes for wind, and sometimes even geothermal. One breakthrough technology recently has been compact fluorescent lighting. They are becoming commonplace in homes now, and the prices are now down to the point where they make a lot of sense.

I don’t know what the solution is for other technologies. This may be one of those places where the government needs to step in to push it along. It’s easier to be green when it makes sense money wise.

When you read this, I will be enjoying the great outdoors during my first vacation in a long time. It’s a real opportunity to have fun with my son and wife, and you can bet I will not squander that opportunity. I may even avoid televisions all together.

Thanks for reading, and have a great week.

by Ben Wolf, Guest Columnist
September 3, 2008