Ladies and Gentlemen: Wear Sunscreen (When in Pursuit of Solar Panels!)

I had a thought recently, something that may be a little absurd, but an idea I gave some attention to regardless: It is summertime in NYC. The sun is at its hottest and the UV rays are coming at us harder than ever (let's blame that on the hole in the ozone layer). While being tan is still the hottest thing since Coco Chanel, people are still lathering on the SPF 15 in attempts to thwart the most prevalent cancer in the United States. It struck me then that these people are all heading to spots where the solar potential is highest: the shore, the baseball fields, stadiums, and most importantly the urban community pools. All spots prolific in the smelly tannins of sunscreen and all spots that would be equally prolific as viable locations for solar installations.

And then I remembered the aesthetic pleasure that drives our society and how solar panels in any of those places could be shunned and exiled as an ugly invention of future that should be kept in the closet until we can come to our own moral terms with it because having solar panels produce renewable clean energy is so wrong, right?

Slightly disillusioned, I put away my beach PV blueprints and set to work on a more feasible urban green/social good project. And then, two weeks ago, an amazing tool was introduced- the NYC Solar Map, eliminating the need to follow beach-goers to sun heavy spots.

The NYC Solar Map is an online mechanism that calculates the solar potential for any building in the five boroughs for one of the best spots to capture the sun's energy- on your roof. Using the dimensions of the roof and some other factors, the solar map will give you an estimate on how large of a system you can install (in kilowatts), the cost of the system, rebates you can get for the installation, how much carbon dioxide you would be reducing, and the equivalent amount of trees planted. Now that's really putting solar on the map! In addition to presenting the solar potential, current installations and statistics can also be found on the map. The power of the sun is now in any NYC building owner's hands. With the ability to see your immediate ROI, there's really no argument against the solar synergy. Just make sure to wear sunscreen when hanging out with the panels on the roof!

Check out the NYC Solar Map at www.nycsolarmap.org. Type in FCI's NYC HQ address at 37-18 Northern Blvd to see how much solar energy we'd be generating if we didn't have an organic farm on our rooftop which is just as awesome.

Battling Climate Change in the East Coast's Largest Urban Epicenter

Michael Bloomberg, current Mayor of New York City, is a man of innovation. Many people know him as the first Mayor to be elected for three consecutive terms in NYC, or as the founder of Bloomberg LP (an influential financial news and services media company), but few know of his remarkable efforts at battling climate change in one of the world's largest urban epicenters. 

Mayor Bloomberg enacted PlaNYC in 2007 as a very ambitious plan that aimed to ultimately improve the quality of life in NYC through green efforts. The past four years have led to the environment being returned to a healthier natural state through a definite paradigm shift throughout the city in all aspects of sustainability. Energy efficiency standards have been advanced while energy systems are becoming cleaner and more reliable. Public transportation is being cultivated to reduce emissions, and is providing a reputable way to travel. Waterways and public spaces are becoming more accessible, and traditional food systems are being overhauled to achieve a fresher standard that accommodates many.  

The most recent addition to PlaNYC will be the installation of solar panels on five city owned sites. This project should yield enough energy to power just less than 700 homes, or the equivalent of 3 megawatts. This effort is partially in response to NYC lagging behind other cities with solar efforts, but momentum is expected to pick up with the greater federal support of clean energy.

Another venture that Bloomberg actively pursues is the C40 Cities, where he functions as Chair. The C40 Cities is an organization of cities around the world that attempt to battle climate change through multilateral efforts. The C40 Mayors Summit was held last week in Sao Paolo, Brazil, and addressed many of the growing issues with climate change in cities. The outcome of this conference was a partnership with the World Bank, which will likely bolster financial efforts at sustainability in cities around the world, and especially New York, which is leading the way in the urban fight against the changing climate.