To Inform, Provoke, Dispel, and Inspire—Ideas and actions for life in Worthington, Ohio
Ideas, Actions, People, and Commentary in the City of Worthington

Solar, Worthington, and Climate Change

Written by David Robinson on . Posted in City Council, Household Impact, Sustainability, Uncategorized

If you think Worthington ought to make it easier for its residents to install solar on their homes, then you may want to come to Tuesday night’s City Council meeting (11/12, 7:30 p.m., or watch live-streaming online: http://worthington.org/1885/Live-Stream-Video-Archives).  We’ll be hearing an initial public presentation on Residential Property Assessed Clean Energy (R-PACE), from Caleb Bell of Bricker & Eckler.  We’ll get a general description of how the program works for homeowners, why Ohio is moving in this direction in 2020, and address questions about consumer protections, etc.

I wrote an earlier blog post about R-PACE (https://davidrobinsonblog.com/2019/09/solar-for-worthington-homes-residential-pace/) and how it can enable residents to affordably install not only solar generation systems on their homes, but also a wide range of energy efficiency upgrades.  R-PACE can do this by streamlining the administrative tasks and by providing property assessed financing (in many cases with a positive cash-flow from the outset).  It is not a panacea, but it is a very valuable tool of which we ought to avail ourselves.

I view R-PACE as a meaningful step that we may take to address climate change, both in terms of actual impact on emissions as well as our city serving as a role model for other communities.  I would note that Bexley has already passed their R-PACE ordinance and that Columbus appears on track for commencing their own program at the beginning of 2020.

If you have doubts about our need to decisively act, on all fronts, to confront climate change, perhaps this article will sufficiently jar you: https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/2019/11/05/more-than-scientists-around-world-declare-climate-emergency/

“A new report by 11,258 scientists in 153 countries from a broad range of disciplines warns that the planet ‘clearly and unequivocally faces a climate emergency,’ and provides six broad policy goals that must be met to address it.”

A handout aerial photo made available by the Mato Grosso state government shows an area of forest burning in the Pantanal, Brazil, Oct. 31, 2019.

David Robinson

David Robinson lives in Worthington with his wife, Lorraine, and their three children—two who attend Phoenix Middle School, and one who is a graduate of the Linworth High School Program and Otterbein University. David is President and co-owner of Marcy Adhesives, Inc., a local manufacturing company. David has served on Worthington City Council since January, 2018, and is deeply committed to 1) advancing resident-centered policies, 2) supporting responsible development that enhances our unique historic character, 3) endorsing environmentally sustainable practices for both residents and city operations, 4) promoting the safety and well-being of all residents, and 5) preserving the walkable, tree-filled, distinctive, friendly nature of our neighborhoods.