A Clean Energy Musical Interlude
A Clean Energy Musical Interlude
The lighter side of electrification and renewables
The state of the Earth is a serious topic these days. But if you read my April Fool’s post last week, you know that I believe talking about climate solutions doesn’t always have to be serious or heavy.
I’m not the only one who feels this way. My friend Tor “Solar Fred” Valenza is doing a great job at making clean energy — specifically, solar — fun with his Probably True Solar Stories podcast. With his background in both solar and writing for TV, Tor has the kind of creativity that I can only admire from afar. Check out his solar ghost story, a murder by solar drone mystery, and my personal favorite, an 11-part solar heist story. There are many more, ranging from solar Winnie-the-Pooh to a solar fable to a solar State of the Union.
With his podcast, Tor is seeking to make solar more mainstream. As he says, “solar energy is increasingly part of daily life, but we never hear about solar’s real heroes, villains, legends, pets, pests, and politicians who are changing U.S. culture and lives. They’re too busy.” So he’s telling their “probably true” (but mainly fictional) stories.
It’s important to do this, because what we see in popular media matters in our real lives. The TV show Will and Grace, for example, is often credited with helping change attitudes toward same-sex marriage. Sex and the City may have opened people’s eyes to the fact that women think and talk about sex more than was previously acknowledged. I’ve noticed that seeing more women depicted in movies and TV shows as scientists, doctors, lawyers, and politicians makes me think of those roles as gender-neutral.
We need to do the same for clean energy. Not make it gender-neutral, though we do need to support more women entering the industry and feeling comfortable there. But I’m talking about using popular media to increase awareness of solar as a common part of our lives.
So, to continue on a lighter clean energy note as Earth Month progresses, I’d like to share with you the latest production of the Probably True Solar Stories media empire: Probably True Solar Songs. One of Tor’s songs was inspired by my Valentine’s Day post about breaking up with fossil fuels and starting a new relationship with clean energy. Give a listen to “Bye Bye Utility Bill. Hello, Solar Thrill!”
In true Probably True Solar Stories form, with its fictional bent, the song was created by AI, not a real band — as were the other songs in the series, “The Solar Coaster Life” and “A Ballad for Greta T.” I have feelings about that. But the songs are pretty impressive. And in his show notes, Tor also links to some solar songs performed by real human solar bands — though you may not have heard of them. Here are a couple:
Those songs remind me of the days when a big solar conference, Intersolar, was held in San Francisco every summer. Several of those years I scored tickets to the conference’s most fun event, Solar Battle of the Bands, where solar companies formed bands that competed for glory in one fabulous evening of music, drinking, and dancing. There was nothing like letting loose with the director of a statewide solar advocacy agency — a whip-smart and highly effective woman — after a long day of learning and networking at the conference. Till my first Solar Battle of the Bands, I’d had no idea what partiers solar pros were!
Most of the songs at Solar Battle of the Bands were covers that had nothing to do with solar or other clean energy, but one has remained in my mind after all these years: “Mr. Coal.” It was performed eight years ago by The Original Suntracks, of the French solar tracker company Exosun (since then, gone into receivership) — not the event’s winning band, but it’s well worth listening to them telling Mr. Coal, the godfather of fossil fuels, to go home in their French accents. I managed to find a video of the song:
I’m in the audience somewhere!
As you can see, solar-related songs aren’t totally new. What Tor is trying to do, though, is to take the fun beyond the industry and popularize solar with the general public in both stories and songs — and who knows what else the future holds!
I’ve noticed climate change being incorporated into more movies and TV shows, including some of the British murder mysteries that Rafael and I watch. But solar is rarely mentioned, though it’s popping up everywhere in real life. Tor is right that we need more depictions of solar in popular culture.
This effort doesn’t have to be confined to solar, of course; it should extend to all renewable energy and electrification. A Berkeley musician recently dropped this excellent tune about heat pumps, “(I’m Your) Heat Pump,” definitely one of the best climate action songs ever written. If you didn’t think heat pumps were sexy before, you will now:
For now, I’ll leave you with two more of my favorite solar song productions, from SolarEdge, a solar inverter company that has a tradition of making very creative and elaborate holiday videos:
That’s right, folks: Solar can be fun, solar can inspire “Probably True” stories, and solar can inspire songs. Now, we just need to make it more mainstream.
Have you heard any good solar-related songs? Have you seen solar or other clean energy sources depicted in movies or TV shows? Let me know in the comments!