Common Sense Award #5

Hi Everyone,

Again I have shelved, temporarily, my planned topic for this week in order to inform you of what I believe is an even better topic.

Yesterday, my family and I spent time with family members in New Jersey. When we were outside, I noticed something that I have never seen before. As we were standing outside, I happened to look at a telephone pole across the street and saw a solar electric panel near the top of the pole. I then asked who put it there? I was told that their electric company, Public Service Electric and Gas had installed them. I was then shown another one down the street and still another one further down another street. It seems that during the past 12 months or so, PSE&G had installed some 5,000 solar electric panels, (photovoltaic systems) on certain poles. They obviously only used the ones that get the best southern exposure.

During sunny days, the solar panels produce clean green electricity that goes directly into their grid. When you think about it, electricity usage is always the highest during the summer months. So during the long summer days, the extra electricity created by these solar panels must help out a lot. For this reason, I am awarding PSE&G my Common Sense Award. This is only the fifth time I have given out an award. The last award I gave out was back on 3/20/11. PSE&G should definitely be commended for their thinking outside of the box and using great common sense by installing the panels on individual telephone poles. PSE&G also didn't have to buy an unknown amount of land to install the same number of panels. They already owned the poles, so it just makes great common sense to install them on their own poles.

I have never seen solar electric panels on any telephone poles in New York state. Maybe the NYS power companies should take a short drive to NJ and see for themselves. It doesn't take a lot of imagination to come up with new and exciting ways to increase electricity output. It just takes initiative, money and of course common sense. I don't know if PSE&G is planning to install more panels, but I sure hope they do. Congrats to PSE&G!!!

Til next week.

Peter