Fox Business reports that Prince Andrew is lending his name and presence to the launch of a solar energy system in California. The system installation is for the firm British Telecommunications. While his role as Special Representative for International Trade and Investment for the United Kingdom obviously leaves such appearances well within his job description and area of expertise, this nonetheless feels a lot like a celebrity endorsement for solar. And that’s fantastic.
It took Al Gore’s documentary to demonstrate the reality of climate change to much of America. His endorsement of fighting global warming, his adoption of it as a “cause,” changed a lot of the public perceptions surrounding the contentious rhetoric, and will be a significant part of why whoever takes over in the White House in 2009 will have a wide base of popular support for carbon reforms. Awareness of the Toyota Prius, as well, was assisted invaluably by the number of Hollywood celebrities who drove it. Now, to even my surprise, the Prius is outselling the Ford Explorer.
Solar is going to succeed on its own merits. No amount of publicity or advertising matters if the product itself is weak, and in that regard the solar industry has little to worry about; the quality and economy of solar power will ensure its adoption. But every piece of positive publicity helps, and any time companies like BT associate a well-known person with solar, one more step is taken on a very promising road.
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