War, Oil, and a Solar Farm on Weibel Avenue
What a local project reveals about the future of energy
Yesterday, while returning from the Wilton Mall, I passed by the Weibel Avenue Solar Park, sitting atop what was once our city’s landfill.
Given the current war in the Middle East, now pushing gas prices toward $4.50 a gallon, I couldn’t help but think: what if our country finally embraced a rapid, full-scale transition to clean energy?
If this war drags on, ironically, the Trump administration may help tip the scales in that direction, not through a strategic embrace of renewables (Trump hates renewables), but through simple price signaling. Even before this conflict, renewable energy was already more cost-effective than fossil fuels. Now, with fossil fuel prices rising sharply, that advantage has only grown.
A Local Idea That Became Reality
For kicks, I decided to take a closer look at the clean energy output from our Solar Park—but first, a bit of background.
The idea for the Solar Park was conceived by Sustainable Saratoga back in 2012. The concept was embraced by the City, and in particular, Michele Madigan, then Commissioner of Finance, led a Request for Proposals (RFP) process to identify the right partner.
After a competitive bid, the City awarded the project to SunEdison. The Solar Park became fully operational in 2017 and has been generating clean energy for our City government ever since.
The City’s website even hosts a semi-live dashboard tracking its performance.
What Has It Actually Produced?
Assuming the dashboard is reasonably current, here are some numbers that put things in perspective, especially at a time when the zero-sum nature of fossil fuels continues to create geopolitical tension:
The Solar Park has generated 22.9 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity since going live in 2017.
So what does that actually mean?
🏠 Homes Powered
That total production could supply about 2,180 homes for an entire year.
On an annual basis, the Solar Park currently powers roughly 240 to 280 homes per year.
🚗 Electric Vehicles Powered
The total energy produced to date could power approximately 6,500 electric vehicles for a full year, depending on driving habits and efficiency.
Based on current yearly production, the Solar Park can support about 750 EVs per year.
A Model in Our Backyard
Right here in our own backyard, we have a working example of what’s possible when a community commits to something bigger than itself.
This isn’t theoretical. It’s not aspirational. It’s already happening.
The Bigger Picture
The argument for clean energy has expanded beyond climate—it now sits at the intersection of economics and global stability.
At the moment, the United States is not leading a coordinated transition toward renewables. In fact, it’s doing the opposite. Yet despite that, the transition continues to gain momentum.
Why? Because price signals matter.
As geopolitical tensions push oil prices higher, the relative advantage of renewable energy becomes more pronounced. Markets respond. Investment follows. Behavior changes.
In contrast to fossil fuels, which are finite and geographically concentrated, clean energy is widely distributed and locally controlled. That difference has profound implications—not just for the environment, but for long-term stability.
In that sense, the shift to clean energy may not be driven by strategy—but it is being driven forward nonetheless.