According to Adam Lovelady of the NC School for government, North Carolina is 2nd in the nation for solar photovoltaic capacity added in 2013 where "solar energy systems are filling pastures and cladding rooftops" and yet Greensboro has almost none of it.
Again, one of North Carolina's fastest growing and most profitable industries is passing us by.
Now I'm no fan of solar farms per say. The idea of using up vast quantities of land for the production of energy will turn out in the long run to be every bit as destructive and disruptive to the environment as drilling for oil but there are ways Greensboro could be leading the world in solar energy production. And as pointed out in Incentives In Greensboro: Part 39: One Man's Dream, Greensboro's young professionals like Kate Dunnagan, Development Director/ Community Organizer at Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League, are suggesting Greensboro look towards solar as a means of economic development as well as to make the city the type of place where young professionals want to live.
But Greensboro has lots of rooftops and the University of North Carolina has published a guide (PDF) to help cities. Greensboro could be leasing the space above city owned parking lots as solar farms. Imaging the parking lots at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex all covered overhead with solar panels-- no more long walks in the rain after a summer concert. Imagine solar arrays covering the roofs of those downtown parking garages and parking lots. Imagine awnings on buildings that double as solar collectors.
Imagine if the City leased the area above the medians on roads like Wendover, Cone and Holden Rd-- huge solar farms could be built without doing any more damage to the environment than has already been done. Or entire roads could be housed under solar arrays leased to solar energy companies by the City. And the side effect is less ice, snow and water on the road to clean up and cause accidents and reduced road maintenance cost.
Yes, there are issues with solar. They're covered in the guide I linked to. Greensboro's "leaders" need to be reading it and thinking about solar as an economic development tool.
But as is always the case, Greensboro will be last, we always are.
