by Sharon Abercrombie
Bad news about the environment is as plentiful as junk food -- readily available for our consumption.
Overdosing can be bad for our spiritual and mental health, prompting despair, causing a “What’s the use?” bout of resignation. This is understandable.
But do not cave in. Don’t give fossil fuel corporations the satisfaction of thinking they will continue to have the upper hand, into perpetuity. They are living on borrowed time.
Good news, like organic food, is also available. Some particularly nourishing, timely morsels have appeared recently online, particularly one recent report from EcoWatch.com highlighting unique solar arrays sprouting in places across the planet.
Titled “The 7 Solar Wonders of the World,” the report features seven solar projects either in the works, or already up and running.
One such project, from IBM and scheduled to debut in 2017, is shaped like a sunflower. What’s not to like about a sunflower-shaped solar panel? But there’s more: “The sunflower operates by tracking the sun, so that it always points in the best direction for collecting the rays -- just like a real sunflower!” EcoWatch reports. As an added bonus, it can desalinate water for sanitation and drinking.
Meanwhile, in New Caledonia, a climate-vulnerable Pacific island, construction will begin next year on a new power plant that will produce enough electricity to power 750 homes. It, too, will have a distinct shape: a heart, to honor a nearby area of wild mangroves that grow into the same shape.
A third plant highlighted by the EcoWatch report is a plant that can generate power at night. Located in Seville, Spain, the Gemasolar tower generates power at all times of day by means of a molten salt technology. It allows the plant to store energy for up to 15 hours.
A further cause for rejoicing: EcoWatch reported that last year, renewable energy was responsible for 42 percent of Spain’s power demand.
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