To the Editor:
After living on Martha’s Vineyard for more than 20 years, I have come to believe that because we are an island, we have the unique ability and now, a window of opportunity, to become self-sustaining by creating our own electrical power. Which is one of the reasons why I originally become a member of the newly formed cooperative called Vineyard Power, last December. Much has happened since then, and rather than continue the volatile debate on wind power, I would like to offer an alternative. It’s called Bloom Energy, and yes, it is new and yes, it has not been proven (other than Wal-Mart and FedEx being technological guinea pigs), but then, neither was the electric light bulb when Edison originally invented it. Bloom Energy is a clean, cheap, green method of providing reliable, renewable, and affordable energy with negligible CO 2 emissions. The “power in a plant” is basically a box containing fuel cells that soak up oxygen on one side and fuel on the other side. When combined, the two create a chemical reaction that produces electricity. We are presently spending huge sums of money (the exact amount I was unable to obtain from the Steamship Authority) to ship our trash off-Island. Why not use this money (in the millions) to create landfills that would then produce the fossil fuel that would power the “Bloom Box”? I am told that both former President Clinton and President Obama would support and encourage this type of renewable energy, and since Gen. Colin Powell is on the board of Bloom Energy, he also might be of assistance. For anyone seeking more information, the web address is www.bloomenergy.com.
June Parker
Vineyard Haven
