The University of California Board of Regents should take a look
at going solar because it provides a host of benefits for the UC:
financial stability, environmental friendliness and the opportunity
to become a national leader in a worthwhile cause.
The Go Solar campaign, which advocates the installation of solar
panels on new building projects, would provide a clean, cheap,
renewable energy source for the university. Considering the recent
debacles of the California energy crisis and the pending UC-led
class action lawsuit against Enron Corp., the opportunity to lessen
dependence on non-renewable energy sources should be seized.
Fortunately, UCLA has already started pioneering a transition
toward using solar energy in some of the residence halls. But the
UC has a unique chance to incorporate a more thorough solar program
since its tenth campus ““ in Merced ““ is currently under
construction, and as such, can still be oriented so it’s
largely solar powered.
As an institution of research and learning, it is the UC’s
responsibility to explore and experiment with alternatives to the
norm. Once the success or failure of a program is determined by a
university, other institutions and the public can make a
determination about whether or not they should use them.
Power, or the lack thereof, has become an issue of national
proportions. The minimal consideration given to renewable energy
sources such as solar power as replacements of, not complements to,
oil has allowed many politicians to continue advocating for
earth-unfriendly measures such as increased drilling.
The UC has led the nation in other areas of debate, such as in
admissions policies and standardized testing. By adopting a more
intensive solar power policy, it can also lead the way with
environmentally-friendly, non-oil-dependent approaches to energy
consumption that will ultimately benefit others, as well as
itself.