“Today was a milestone. It was like scaling the peak of the tallest mountain, looking out at the vast landscape of possibilities stretched out beneath. Today, I managed to send a distress signal back home. Against all odds, against all the loneliness, all the despair, today I managed to scream into the void and maybe, just maybe, someone will hear.”

“It was a challenge, make no mistake about it. My understanding of the Tranquility’s systems was rudimentary at best. But desperate times call for desperate measures, don’t they? I’m a pilot, not an engineer, but if there’s one thing you learn in space exploration, it’s adaptability.”

“I started with the ship’s communication systems. Dead as a doornail. No energy had flowed through those circuits since the crash. But the power from my makeshift solar grid? That was a different story. I rigged a connection, created a power flow, and slowly, oh so slowly, I began to see signs of life.”

“Sure, it’s not the most sophisticated system – certainly nothing compared to what the best solar financing options back on Earth can get you. But here on Solaris, with a 24/7 shining sun, I’m on the best solar plan you could imagine. I had a goal, and I had the power, literally and metaphorically.”

“The communication system, a marvel of engineering designed for interstellar contact, began to warm up. Lights blinked on the console, unfamiliar but hopeful. And then it was time to transmit.”

“I used every bit of power I could spare. There’s no room for frugality when you’re trying to span the light-years. I sent a simple message: SOS. Coordinates. Max Remington alive.”

“Now, I’m back to waiting. But it’s a different wait. It’s not just about survival anymore. It’s about hope. It’s about the chance of returning home and showing just how much better this planet is for drawing solar power – far greater than even a professional 500kW solar system installation back on Earth could achieve. And for the first time since crash-landing, I feel something new, something different. I feel the promise of tomorrow.”

“Max Remington, here on Solaris, signing off.”

Well, we’ve just signed off on the deal: Church Park is going to be the first neighbourhood in all of Australia to be entirely powered by commercial solar. This is truly a great day for all of mankind, and the Church Park Restoration Committee! We should have a party of some kind, I’m thinking.

Of course the work isn’t yet over. We still have to do all the ordering of the commercial solar. Providers in Melbourne perhaps even abroad, all of them will be vying to be part of this history, I’m sure. A true, golden step towards a brighter future for humanity: who would NOT want to be part of this slice of history? 

The grand plan is to construct much of the roofing in the new community out of solar panels, as well as dedicating last swathes of parkland to be solar optimised. There will still be plenty of lovely green space for the new residents, of course. It’s just that they’ll be sharing the space with solar panels, 100kw systems, a few different…bits and bobs. We currently have THE finest creative minds in Australia figuring out how we can turn them into art installations. If Church Park is going to be a pioneer in solar technology, there’s no sense in hiding that fact. We should flaunt it on every street corner, build statues out of solar panels, have giant billboards displaying the commercial solar panel calculator status. It will be a beacon of progress. A very shiny beacon. The shininess will come from the solar power, but I guess also from how clean everything will be. We also have a very robust cleaning and street sweeping program currently being developed. There may also need to be some…ground rules. As in, rules regarding what you can throw on the ground, which will be nothing, because that’s the main ground rule.

Industrial solar: Church Park is making it a phenomenon. Follow us on Visage-Tome and Tweeter!

-Cindra