by Ifesinachi Egbosimba, Wednesday, December 7th 2016
We’re starting to see interest all over the world in solar power. At Economic Democracy Advocates we believe that solar energy is a resource that should be available to anyone and everyone. In theory, solar energy is all around us – all we need is the technology to convert it into a usable form. This energy resource is being used now all over the world where there is a need, like the remote region of the world in the photo above, to a more politically well-known area like Standing Rock.
This article offered by Nebraska.tv shows how solar energy can be leveraged in these somewhat remote parts of the world to provide real solutions to the energy issues of people that need help. It is interesting to see advocates protecting the commons water resource are making use of another commons resource in solar.
OMAHA, Nebr. (NTV) — Protecting the environment from man-made dangers, that’s the reason thousands of demonstrators have organized at the Standing Rock Reservation, and why millions more around the globe have joined the fight.
While most of us spent the day after Thanksgiving digesting or shopping, two brothers from Omaha were loading up solar equipment to take to Standing Rock to allow activists to share their experiences with the world.
“Everybody recognized right away — ‘wait a minute, we can charge our devices with this?’ And so about a dozen people just sort of showed up all of a sudden and said ‘hey, can I plug in my phone real quick and get a charge off that,'” shared Scott Williams, a volunteer with BOLDNebraska.
Twin brothers Scott and Eric Williams drove nine hours from Omaha to the Standing Rock Reservation in North Dakota, to use their skills to help demonstrators document their fight.
“Everybody is interested in communicating and telling people about their experiences at Standing Rock, and our communication devices all need to continuously be refilled, with electricity, with energy,” said Scott.
Not just any kind of energy — clean energy collected through a solar panel they installed.
“We were there to support them. The solar equipment provides light in the tiny barns. It’s got USB ports to help charge phones and other devices,” said Eric Williams, volunteer with BOLD Nebraska.
The duo even created a video showing other volunteers how to install the panels.
“So that anybody else could pick up where we left off and carry forward that work,” said Eric.
A simple task to them, it provides comfort and a sense of normalcy to activists fighting a battle in plunging temperatures, hundreds of miles away from home.
“He was really excited about that, because in the evenings he’s been holding a flashlight in his mouth, and he said, ‘this is great. I’ll be able to read in the evenings, because there’s light. Use stored solar energy at night, I won’t have to read with a flashlight in my mouth’,” said Scott.
“It was great to be a part of that, it was great to be there in person and to be a part of that message. It was great to see how many other people were dedicated to protecting the water and protecting the land,” said Eric.
In a way, the brothers are helping bring worldwide attention to a fight that for many, is rooted in defending the environment.
“Clean energy, in particular solar, is here right now. The technology exists, it is practical, it can be installed in lots of locations, it is cost effective, and most importantly, it empowers people to be in control of their own energy,” said Eric.
Eric and Scott are dedicated to supporting the use of clean energy in Nebraska too. Eric is the president of Nebraskans for Solar, a nonprofit committed to helping get you access to solar energy.
For more information on Nebraskans for Solar, click here.
Scott and Eric partnered with BOLD Nebraska and BOLD Alliance for this project.
For more information on BOLD Nebraska, click here, and for more information on BOLD Alliance, click here.
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This article originally published by Nebraska.tv
