Photo | Dennis Schroeder, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
By Mimi Moffat, Sierra Club Kansas Chapter
The question now is a personal one but one which others may be asking. Can I afford to commit to the substantial expense of a home battery backup and solar installation?
Warning! I'm heading down a snark bypass.
My latest project proposal, from the company I want to use with my preferred manufacturer (not Tesla), is about $61,000. This installation would offset an estimated 98% of my electricity consumption and provide enough power to handle normal use. Exactly what I want. More next time about the environmental benefits of the project.
If the project is completed this year, meaning we get the Permission to Operate (a/k/a PTO) from Evergy, then next year I could claim a 30% tax credit on my federal income tax returns. Maybe. If I can figure out how to pay for it. And assuming that the disastrous Trump administration and its craven Congressional followers don't find a way to eliminate these credits.
The Trump cult is all in on protecting the oil and gas industries with Drill, Baby, Drill policies that will permit fossil fuel leasing and drilling in formerly protected waters. Sierra Club is joining other green organizations in challenging these and many other actions including the drastic cuts to the National Parks Service.
Sierra Club Executive Director Ben Jealous commented on the lawsuit against the NPS cuts.
“American families are already feeling the effects of Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s careless and illegal cuts to our federal workforce. Firefighters and forest management staff have been dismissed as families remain on edge from the threats wildfires pose. Families wanting to enjoy our national parks, forests and monuments are being welcomed with closed signs, long lines, and unmaintained trails–before the parks’ busiest season has even begun. Without the workers to staff and support our public lands, communities will face more dangerous and deadly fires, park visitors will face unsafe conditions, and local economies that rely on national parks will struggle. Only Trump and Musk would try to threaten America’s best idea. We are taking DOGE to court to defend Americans’ ability to safely and freely access the landscapes that unite us.”
A corrupt president and his wealthy supporters are shredding our democracy, destroying our economy, and placing our lives and our livelihoods at risk. Let's follow the courageous example of Senator Cory Booker, who ended his historic Congressional speech by reminding us of the wise counsel from civil rights hero John Lewis.
"Get in good trouble, necessary trouble, and help redeem the soul of America." John Lewis