When I moved to Vermont years ago I knew I needed to find a way to affordably heat my Leicester home. At the time fuel oil was my only option but just recently I learned of this virtuous combination of having a heat pump and solar panels heat your home.
I love the idea that these two work together to create renewable heating. The affordability of solar heat was enticing but more than anything I wanted a way to reduce my carbon footprint, to help reduce my contribution to climate change. But, my plan hit a snag. My home is too shaded for solar.
Luckily, Addison County is home to several community solar arrays. Fellow residents have chosen to host these arrays on their land, allowing many of us to access solar for the first time. I joined a community array in Waltham. Solar is a tried and true technology, and is now an affordable option for me to power my future.
While not every parcel of land is suitable for a solar array, many parts of our landscape are. To halt the forward movement of these arrays would be a big step backwards. Change in our landscape is inevitable — we’ve seen it before with the introduction of electricity and telephone service — but this is a change that furthers our working landscape with clean, green technology.
Kate Williams
Leicester