The quarantine has uprooted life as we know it. It has been a curse and a blessing. Lives have been lost and life as we know it has changed, forever. Some call it the ‘new normal’. We’ve been distancing safely, but in many ways we have come together like never before.
The age of information has really stepped up to the plate to keep us all connected at a safe distance. Innovation in energy technology has also come to the fore and knocked it out of the park. If resilience in challenging times is an ideal, we have nailed it.
There is inspiration calling out for our attention with pleasant reminders every day. We see the light shining through at the end of the tunnel. The solar revolution is a great example. In the span of a few challenging months, we have witnessed a merger between the age of information and the age of renewable electricity. It is fired up and will continue.
Electricity is man’s greatest scientific achievement. The age of information, it’s baby. Grand babies are on the way. We are in the midst of a revolution. The beginning stages, nonetheless. At our fingertips and staring us in the face are the pieces and the people to light up the world.
We see other challenges other than COVID-19. In California, public safety power shut offs are also the ‘new norm’. Clearly, our skies are choking and our children breath toxic fumes with no choice in most regions of the world. Corona raised our awareness that we are all in this together.
The human race raced like never before, in a global effort to contain only one of our challenges. In joining hands across the world, virtually, we have all for the first time found that we can flatten a curve. We can win. We can do this. We can beat back the virus. We can also overcome much of the laundry list of our global problems.
Fear is a powerful force. It motivates out of necessity, invention. The daily reminder that we could die or our loved ones, put the fragility of life front and center. Subsequently, we experienced a new found desire to live to the fullest. Many people and industries stepped forward and took their ideas off the shelf.
We’ve seen solar events go virtual, power plants pop up to build testing centers practically over night. Software helped us keep the solar revolution going. Zoom zoomed into our lives like a genie that magically appeared. Never forget what it was like before mass conferencing. We are connected like never before.
There may have been shortages of toilet paper. There may have been a feeling that an invisible enemy had conquered our spirits and exposed our short comings. There may have been moments of uncertainty and doubt. Fear and anxiety. Sadness and despair.
Some of us were fortunate to have the tools and support of our fellow men and women to get by, one day at a time. We bought bikes, planted gardens, talked to our neighbors over the fence. We made extra effort to be kind and smile with a wink. We adapted.
No matter what we did to get by, the driving force was hope and faith. Our work continued as it must. Crazy innovations happened and are well on their way to explosive disruption and continued progress.
I am proud to be a part of the solar revolution where many leaders turned concepts and pipe dreams into a new reality. The spirit, passion and enthusiasm of many fueled me along the way. I had the pleasure of speaking with dozens of thought leaders across the world. I was seeking inspiration and found it. Did you?
That is the solar silver lining.
