UNIT 10: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
My name‿ is‿ Ivan,│ an(d) we installed solar panels‿ on‿ our roof two years‿ ago. In summer,│ we generate more‿ electricity than we use,│ an(d) the extra goes‿ into the network. Our‿ annual‿ energy bills have fallen by fortyfor-dy percent.
Renewable‿ energy is growing fast‿ in my country,│ mainly wind‿ an(d) solar. The government‿ offers‿ a subsidy,│ and‿ a win(d) farm now stands‿ on the hill│ where‿ I played‿ as‿ a child. Not‿ everybody is happy about│ that;│ my uncle says‿ it has ruined the landscape. However,│ the air‿ in‿ our cities‿ is cleaner than ten years‿ ago,│ an(d) carbon‿ emissions have finally started to fall.
The problem‿ is‿ infrastructure. My neighbour lives‿ in‿ a flat‿ an(d) cannot‿ install‿ anything,│ an(d) the electricity network was buil(t) for coal,│ not for millions‿ of small producers. Fossil fuels will not disappear nex(t) year‿ either,│ because we still need them‿ on windless days. If‿ I had tohadda choose one policy,│ I would put panels‿ on‿ every public building first. It‿ is visible,│ it‿ is cheap,│ an(d) children learn│ where‿ electricity comes from.