Ok, so I’m not a Millennial, sadly I missed the cutoff by 2 weeks. I’m a part of Generation Z, the iGeneration, the Post-Millenials, the Tide Pod eaters, face-palm. My generation begins at 1995 and ends at 2010. To reiterate, I’m 23, not 8, and I only eat Gain Flings. Joking.

You have seen us. My generational cohorts include the insufferable, virtue signaling, lying, David Hogg who’s posterior is currently being used as an entry point of human puppetry by the hands of leftist media — gross. It also includes Kyle Kashuv, who utilizes statistics to bolster his arguments, rather than ad hominem attacks. Kyle also has the magical ability to utter “I don’t know” when he doesn’t know something. WOW.

Kyle, people like you give me hope for the future of our generation. Why? Because while some of your classmates were being prostituted by the liberal news media in the wake of horrible tragedy, you had the courage to speak up and say “Speak for yourself.” You know it is possible to care for the victims of tragedy. It is possible to mourn with the families of those brutally gunned down by a maniac. It is possible ALSO to simultaneously disgree with liberals moaning “gun control” like a hoard of zombies groaning for brains.

Guys, I’m concerned, but not particularly shocked. We’ve seen free speech being slowly manipulated for a while now. We’re at the point where conservatives are being intentionally suppressed on social media, looking at you Twitter and Marky Zberg.

See Steven Crowder, Ben Shapiro, and Milo Yiannopoulos being unfairly targeted by media for being conservative. (Ya don’t have to agree with em, ya just can’t punish diversity of thought. Mmkay? Mmkay Twitter? Facebook algorithms? Got it? We, consumers, choose that).

I see a developing instinct to flinch away from facts and truth in the effort to not hurt feelings. I see the dissolution of agreed upon morality, and tribalism taking its place (ahem, identity politics). “If you don’t agree with my non-truth, unfriend me, don’t comment, ect.” This blatant refusal to have a discussion, to acknowledge statistics that interrupt the comfort your feelings, is a dangerous slippery slope.

Intellectually honest conservative speakers are forced to jump through hoops of hellfire to speak on public college campuses, while the left are allowed. Fishy? Anti-first amendment? Anti-American? Yes, yes and yes.

Why do I care? After all I’m only 23. I care because it is important to speak freely, not on behalf of your identity politics, but on behalf of yourself, as a person. I will not be forced to lie for the sake of feelings, and I will not sit by and watch as conservatives are out-shouted by leftist arrogance and zeal. We shan’t be scared of the left because they are overwhelmingly loud and obnoxious. Did I major in journalism, feminist studies, or any form of liberal arts? Nope, nope and nope. I, and you, reader, have a unique skillset that we can use to disarm the America-hating democrats. It’s time to start. We have to stop letting the left out zeal us.

Hi, my name’s Cecilia, I have an Engineering degree. I love data analysis, and failure analysis; and, I have an unsatiable hunger for truth, rather than tide pods. I love America, and I believe our freedom of speech makes us truly free. I am supremely disturbed by what I am seeing happening to civil discourse in pursuit of a leftist dystopia. Without the freedom to offend, there is no freedom of speech. Without freedom of speech, society’s ability to problem solve is terminated. I became an engineer because I love problem solving. I will not stand by with my metaphoric d**k in my hand while the left works fervently to destroy the foundation of what I hold dear. Facts are not inherently offensive. We must study up. Be bold, be honest and don’t be scared. Ok, maybe be a little nervous at first, but do it anyway. We have a problem, young conservative America, let’s speak up and SOLVE IT.

How on earth can solar energy be the world’s cheapest energy source, highly efficient and also so “green?” To answer this question, we need look at some other questions. Questions like: What materials are required, and how does manufacturing play a role in the “green-ness” of photovoltaic (PV) panels.

What materials are in solar panels?

Silicon. Silicon dioxide to be exact. That’s the raw material we collect from nature to create the PV grade silicon semiconductors used in solar panels. I guarantee you have seen, walked on, or played with this interesting and abundant material before… Because it’s actually just sand! Silicon is the second most abundant element in the earth’s crust, making it a plentiful resource helping to sustainably advance technology.

Other materials used in the PV panels are the aluminum frame and glass casing. Aluminum is also highly abundant in the earth’s crust, and glass, like silicon is made from common elements in sand… So far, so good.

Another important consideration is recyclability. When a solar panel has finished its long life and needs to be deconstructed, what happens to all that material? Aluminum, glass, and thermoplastic polymers are recyclable, giving solar panels an overall high recyclability of about 95%.

What about manufacturing?

Energy used to manufacture the panels creates a “dirty energy” output, right? Well yes, but it has already been offset by the “clean energy” of the solar panels.

Researchers in the Netherlands found that when the capacity for solar installation doubles, the energy used to manufacture each individual panel decreases by 12–13%. Furthermore, greenhouse gas emissions also drop by 17–24%. As a result of this, in 2011, Nature Commissions, found that solar energy has paid off its carbon debts. The implications of this are two-fold. Since the creation of the PV panel industry in 1975, it has prevented more emissions than it has emitted while producing more energy than has been originally expected.

Solar panels are 200 times cheaper today than they were 40 years ago. A typical house can now eliminate their electric bill with a $20–30k system. If someone had tried to do that 40 years ago, it would have cost them more than $500k. This has allowed solar to be an affordable and environmentally beneficial solution for both individuals and all of society.

How Green Are Solar Panels and Why? was originally published in Sprightful on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.