Switching to regionally based energy looking better than ever

Balcony solar panels

Adapted from Robert Whitcomb’s “Digital Diary,’’ in GoLocal24.com 

Anything that New Englanders can do to achieve more regional energy independence would be most appreciated! As I have written, one such way is to promote use of those small  “plug-in’’ solar-energy devices in rapidly growing use elsewhere, notably on European balconies. The units range from 200 to 1,200 watts.

Unfortunately, such solar is not yet widely legalized or standardized in Rhode Island, though there’s been legislation this year to do so, which would involve adjusting to utility codes and local regulations. Rhode Island does have a streamlined permitting process for larger, mounted systems for roofs and yards.  Small-scale solar is in a legal gray area in Massachusetts, too.

Stop sending so much of our energy dollars to Pennsylvania and points southwest for polluting and Earth-cooking fossil-fuel companies! Let’s cut our electricity costs and reduce the stress on the regional grid – especially in cold waves and heat waves. Oh yes,  and revive nuclear energy. With ever more efficient solar and wind power, and rapidly improving battery storage, the urgency to move from dirty and expensive fuel is ever more obvious.

And those New Englanders who havw lost power in this week’s historic southern New England blizzard might consider how much better off they’d be if their dwellings had solar power today,