A bright investment

The air crackles with the smell of burnt barbecue sausages, pop tunes with the depth of a rain puddle in the Sahara desert are climbing the singles charts, and the neighbour’s children are gushing out the kind of screams that soundtrack a cheap horror film – all unmistakable signs that summer is here.

The rather more obvious sign of the season is the heat that has us wheezing like an ancient bus going up Saqqajja Hill in first gear.

Yet despite the heat, and in the face of years of vigorous health campaigns, many of us are already surrendering our glaringly white bodies to the mercy of the sun.

Of course, there are more healthy ways of using the sun. This brightest of stars is a precious source of energy, and rather than using its heat to get yourself burned around the edges, you can use it to score a decider against high water and electricity bills. And no one will be voting against that.

The link between climate change and the burning of fossil fuels has by now been widely accepted by the scientific community, governments and decision makers.

Climate change is no longer a probability which we can debate or belittle with counter-arguments – it is a reality.

In the past two centuries, we have excavated and burned enormous amounts of fossil fuels, releasing ancient stored carbon and upping the levels of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.

As a consequence, global average temperatures are heating up. This has already been witnessed in freak weather conditions that have hit the world, from floods, droughts and storms to the melting of the northern polar ice cap.

Moreover, scientists have raised their heads from their supercomputers to point out that the climate change and related effects that we are witnessing now are a result of emissions made more than two decades ago – this generational time lag before the climate catches up with the pollutants already present in the atmosphere means there is a lot worse to come before we can hope to make it better.

The Armageddon scenario of supplies of carbon fuel running out and widespread blockades at the petrol stations is not a nightmare fuelled by Hollywood special effects but the breaking news of the near future.

Of course, a lot is being done by governments worldwide. The EU has set strict targets on all its members. Abu Dhabi is building Masdar City, which is set to become the world’s first zero-carbon, zero-waste city. Private industry is also doing its bit.

French oil company Total, which has been raking in huge profits from the soaring price of oil, has just invested more than a billion dollars in Sun Power Corporation, which is the second biggest solar panel manufacturer in America.

Internet giant Google has also invested millions in a Mojave Desert facility which is set to become the world’s largest solar power tower plant.

Yet these efforts are not enough. Attempts to limit the use of fossil fuels have been restrained due to the political and economic interests in oil. The fact that renewable energy sources like sun and wind are free and available to all implies the elimination of existing political and financial control revolving around oil transactions. This explains the folly of old, accident-prone tankers still plying the seas with dangerous cargoes.

Before it is too late, we should all turn to solar power. The surging oil prices shouldn’t be taken as an opportunity to nudge up water and electricity tariffs. Rather, they should be read as an overdue reminder to industrialised countries of just how dependent our economies are on a single source of energy.

And we shouldn’t wait for governments or private industry to do something because on an individual level, we can all take advantage, in a positive way of course, of the sun.

Using renewable energies like solar power no longer requires us to retire to some Earth-friendly community in Buskett, let our hair down, take up flute-playing and generally adopt a hippy lifestyle.

Rather, making a move to low carbon living should be a mainstream, accepted effort. After all, we scarcely have to do anything – we don’t need to move out of our homes or make massive investments.

Solar power, in the form of photovoltaic systems and solar water heaters, is available to all.

That goes hand in hand with learning – we need to correct some of our preconceptions. Will solar power work in the dark or on cloudy days? Of course.

Just do a bit of research and spend a couple of minutes reading the information leaflets that you receive at home, rather than using them to line your garbage bin.

Also, investing in solar power needs to be complemented with a general effort to cut down on consumption. It’s uncanny how terribly energy-leaky our houses are and how just a few simple measures will help you cut down on your electricity usage.

Install low-energy light bulbs, don’t leave appliances on stand-by, invest in A++ rated appliances and opt for those small yet mighty solar-powered lights to brighten up your outside spaces.

For your garden or courtyard, you can also find solar powered fountains and deck lights. We’ll draw the line at solar-powered garden gnomes on account of this being a serious, double-legged tackle on taste.

And the advantage we have in Malta is that most houses have flat roofs, which facilitate the installation of photovoltaic systems and solar water heaters.

Moreover, there’s no shortage of sun and heat. We use our wonderful weather to sell our country to tourists – now let’s start using it to elbow our bills in the stomach. That should be a good enough incentive.

Because, let’s be honest here, we need to do something not for the sake of Earth’s survival – the truth is that Earth, with or without us, will ride the storms out and outlive us by millions of years.

Rather, it’s our fate that we shouldbe looking out for, ensuring thatwe maintain the conditions that enable humanity to persevere.

Hot technology that lights the way

Solar power uses energy from the sun to pre-heat your water, create electricity and save you money.

Photovoltaic panels use sunlight and daylight to generate electricity. The power you generate can be used immediately or linked back into the power grid. You’ll also get paid for the extra energy you generate.

Solar water heaters are a cost-effective way to generate hot water for your home. The technology is pretty simple – you have a solar collector to capture the sun’s energy and a storage tank for pre-heated water. It’s free hot showers all year round.