SUPERSTORM SANDY follow-up

Join Us April 16-20, 2013 in Baltimore!

Flooded homes in Tuckerton, N.J., on Oct. 30 after Hurricane Sandy made landfall on the southern New Jersey coastline on Oct. 29. (US Coast Guard via AFP/Getty Images)

In April, the American Solar Energy Society’s National Solar Conference will convene in Baltimore, near the most vibrant markets for renewable energy in the Eastern United States.

Distributed energy (solar and wind) will be key contributors to emergency preparedness in the years to come. Learn what you need to know about uninterrupted power for mission-critical facilities, when the grid goes down.

Join researchers from across the U.S. and around the world who have submitted abstracts on renewable energy technologies.

SOLAR 2013 will examine how mainstream renewable energy technologies are saving money today for small and large businesses, homeowners and utility companies. We’ll look at policy initiatives that can streamline permitting and financing for large and small projects, and explore the road forward as renewable installations double annually. SOLAR 2013 is the best opportunity all year for investors, businesses, policy analysts and other renewable energy researchers to exchange ideas and explore new concepts.

For more information CLICK HERE or visit solar2013.org

Leading for more than 50 years: Established in 1954, the nonprofit American Solar Energy Society (ASES) is the nation’s leading association of solar professionals & advocates. Our mission is to inspire an era of energy innovation and speed the transition to a sustainable energy economy. We advance education, research and policy.ASES leads national efforts to increase the use of solar energy, energy efficiency and other sustainable technologies in the U.S. We publish the award-winning SOLAR TODAY magazine, organize and present the ASES National Solar Conference and lead the ASES National Solar Tour — the largest grassroots solar event in the world. ASES is the U.S. section of the International Solar Energy Society.

Contact Seth Masia  smasia@ases.org 303.443.3130

Post Hurricane Sandy, the East Coast and the country realizes how much work needs to be done to clean up after the disaster. Electricity has been slowing coming back, but a solution to the electricity problem has been partly addressed. Solar One, SolarCity, and Consolidated Solar partnered up to help rebuild communities post-Sandy, called the Solar Sandy Project. Their plan is to install mobile solar generators throughout community’s gathering places. The benefits of these stations come because clean and quiet power can be generated without the need of refueling. The mobile panels help charge phones, power tools, laptops, heat up food, and run other types of needed equipment.

The Solar Sandy Project needs YOUR help! You can help out by donating to the project. If you are an installer/equipment provider, there are more things you can do than just donate. See ways you can help out with the Solar Sandy Project here!

Photo Credit: CBS News

With such a massive superstorm happening, of course the question of climate change came up. Many reports were released immediately following the storm about whether or not this massive storm was fueled by climate change. Out of all these reports, one report from TIME Magazine  written by Bryan Walsh talked about the possibilities of linking the Hurricane to climate change but makes the point clear that there is yet to be enough scientific data to determine the definite connection. Walsh starts off his report by talking about the lack of climate change throughout the presidential election, something that has disappointed many environmentalists and Americans. He then proceeds to explain that it is too early to blame powerful storms on climate change, but we also can’t deny that climate change is happening, because that has been scientifically confirmed. Instead of focusing on the actual climate of the storm, Walsh turns the argument around to no matter what the climate is, it is fact that sea-levels are rising and a majority of the world’s population lives on coasts. With so many people living on coasts, their lives and homes are threatened especially when superstorms take place like Sandy, leading to the idea that in order for a community to thrive and prosper it needs to be in a location that is resilient to extreme weather cases like this.

Some facts were presented that relate climate patterns to the intensity of this specific storm, though. The conditions were perfect to allow this storm to have the power it did and even though the evidence isn’t fully there yet, it sounds like climate change definitely played a role for this dangerous storm. Sea water off the East coast was warmer than usual for this time of year, and that is definitely related to the fact that air temperatures for the past year have been one of the hottest on global record. Warm water is connected to more intense tropical storms because it provides more power for the cyclone. Warm air also holds more moisture than cool therefore when it’s warmer outside, more rain gets dropped during a storm. But even with those two facts, it is still thought to be too large of a stretch to blame strong hurricanes on climate change.

Photo Credit: Telegraph

All and all, Hurricane Sandy was devastating to the victims of the storm and to the areas where it hit. Billions of dollars will be spent on cleanup for the destruction. Climate Change is happening but it is too early to blame climate change for the intensity of the storm. Hopefully, with more research, answers will be made to this question. Until then, people need to realize the reality of the changing climate and work to find solutions so that our world is protected against whatever forces, natural and unnatural, hit the people living here. Walsh’s last point was the most promising:

We don’t demand absolute certainty before we take action in foreign policy, the economy, or health. We’d be fools to wait until there’s perfect scientific consensus on the role that global warming may be playing in tropical storms before we take action to prepare for both.”- Bryan Walsh, TIME

Source: TIME Climate Change and Sandy: Why We need to Prepare for a Warmer World