Author, Affiliation, Date:
Matthew Burrows, Straight.com, 30 March 2006
Body:
Solar power will get its day in the sun, according to Day4Energy chairman and CEO John MacDonald.
“Solar energy could enter the mainstream of electrical generation in 10 years,� MacDonald told the Straight from the company’s Burnaby office. “Wind, tidal, biomass are all possible alternatives, but we’ve got to start now.�
MacDonald, cofounder and former CEO and chair of Richmond-based MacDonald Dettwiler and Associates Ltd., enters a photovoltaic solar-powered technology market that currently has a 0.03 percent share of total world energy production. Factory space for the company’s solar panels is under construction in South Burnaby and should be complete in June, he said.
“Energy is a fundamental resource,� MacDonald explained. “Human beings have fought for resources for the longest time. This is a big one. The U.S., as we know, is heavily reliant on a politically unstable part of the world [for its oil supplies], so this is a very dangerous situation. But to me it’s so damn obvious that we have to do something.�
MacDonald said he believes it won’t happen overnight but “will take a number of decades� for alternative, renewable energy to come on-stream, go through trouble?shooting, and then come down in price sufficiently for Canadians to take it on as a primary energy source ahead of oil, gas, and coal.
The BC Sustainable Energy Association has invited MacDonald as one of the guest speakers Friday (March 31) for the BC Solar Summit 2006 at the SFU Harbour Centre. The eventâ€
Matthew Burrows, Straight.com, 30 March 2006
Solar power will get its day in the sun, according to Day4Energy chairman and CEO John MacDonald.
“Solar energy could enter the mainstream of electrical generation in 10 years,� MacDonald told the Straight from the company’s Burnaby office. “Wind, tidal, biomass are all possible alternatives, but we’ve got to start now.�
MacDonald, cofounder and former CEO and chair of Richmond-based MacDonald Dettwiler and Associates Ltd., enters a photovoltaic solar-powered technology market that currently has a 0.03 percent share of total world energy production. Factory space for the company’s solar panels is under construction in South Burnaby and should be complete in June, he said.
“Energy is a fundamental resource,� MacDonald explained. “Human beings have fought for resources for the longest time. This is a big one. The U.S., as we know, is heavily reliant on a politically unstable part of the world [for its oil supplies], so this is a very dangerous situation. But to me it’s so damn obvious that we have to do something.�
MacDonald said he believes it won’t happen overnight but “will take a number of decades� for alternative, renewable energy to come on-stream, go through trouble?shooting, and then come down in price sufficiently for Canadians to take it on as a primary energy source ahead of oil, gas, and coal.
The BC Sustainable Energy Association has invited MacDonald as one of the guest speakers Friday (March 31) for the BC Solar Summit 2006 at the SFU Harbour Centre. The eventâ€
Comments
June 1st, 2006
Solar power is the way to go
I totally agree with this guy. Solar power is finally starting to get more recognition. I saw a good article here Solar Crystals that talks about how solar crystals are now doubling in capacity.