Are Solar Panels Cost Effective? The Proof is In the Poppies
Are Solar Panels Cost Effective? The Proof is In the Poppies
Well, who would've thought that the poppy fields of Afghanistan could teach us about the cost-effectiveness of solar panels? I mean, if the farmers in Helmand province can corner the heroin market from growing poppies with solar energy, maybe there’s a lesson to be learned here for farmers of less socially destructive crops which are still produced using polluting & expensive fossil-fuel-powered practices. Farmers get a more efficient & sustainable source of income, & we get a reminder that sometimes the most unexpected circumstances can lead us to more effective agricultural & industrial innovations.
In this video, Afghan farmers who started using solar panels were reported to have seen an increase in their crop yields while lowering their fuel & maintenance costs for diesel-powered generators used to pump irrigation water into their poppy fields. Hosts Zach & Jesse discuss how these farmers were able to adopt solar panels without being influenced by misinformation or politics fueled by the oil & gas industry, which allowed them to see the benefits of the technology objectively. However, there is concern that the new crops & water supply are depleting the local aquifer at an alarming rate, showing how astonishingly effective solar panels have been for these farmers & their crop yields. If solar can completely upend the heroin industry. Imagine what they could do for your bottom line while fulfilling your home’s need for clean & cost-effective power generation.
The video continues to the broader topic of solar energy & its potential benefits. The hosts argue that solar energy is cost-effective & accessible to even the poorest people, as shown by these poppy farmers in the arid deserts of Afghanistan. They criticize the emphasis on fossil fuels in the US & the fear, uncertainty, & doubt (FUD) spread about solar energy. The hosts also discuss the history of solar energy in the US, including President Jimmy Carter's installation of solar panels on the White House in the 1970s & President Reagan's subsequent removal of those panels in the 1980s. The hosts suggest that the real reason for this removal was due to competition by fossil fuel companies & the lobbying efforts they employ even to this day to spread false information about solar energy to protect the interests of their soon-to-be disrupted industry.