The Pitt News
T h e i n d e p e n d e n t s t ude nt ne w spap e r of t he U niversity of Pittsburgh | PIttnews.com | December 5, 2018 | Volume 109 | Issue 74
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SGB PUSHES FOR STRICTER LAWS ON FIREARM SALES Emily Wolfe
Senior Staff Writer
Students construct gingerbread houses at Pitt Program Council’s “Gingerbread House Making” event Tuesday evening. Knox Coulter | staff photographer
SOLAR ENERGY SHINES IN THE CITY Emily Drzymalski Staff Writer
Renewable energy in Pennsylvania has a cloudy past. But the future of the state’s solar energy pursuits is bright — and Pitt plans to contribute, projecting that 50 percent of its energy will come from solar and other renewable sources by 2030. But Pennsylvania will undertake its solar project first. As a result of a twoyear award of $550,000 from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Sunshot Program, the Commonwealth plans to reduce solar energy costs by 50 percent from 2020 to 2030 in a project called “Finding Pennsylvania’s Solar Future.” “Sunlight is [a] plentiful source of en-
ergy,” Paul Leu, a Pitt associate professor of engineering, said in an email about the importance of solar power. “More energy from sunlight hits the earth’s surface in one hour than all of humanity uses in one year.” According to Leu, harvesting solar energy is simple. But factors such as accessibility and cost prevent many people from embracing solar. “Solar cells absorbs [sic] sunlight. The absorbed sunlight [creates] charged carriers that separate and create DC current flow. An inverter converts the DC electricity to AC electricity, which you can use [in] your house,” Leu said. But according to Solar Power Authority, the cost of installing solar panels was
between $7 and $9 per watt, meaning installing a standard five-kilowatt system, which can produce up to 850 kilowatt hours of AC power per month, could cost between $25,000-$35,000. The average American household uses more than 800 kilowatt hours per month, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. “[The] biggest obstacle is probably the economics of people purchasing solar,” Leu said in an email. “Obstacles in PA are low electricity prices, limited state support for solar, the decreasing federal solar tax credit, and not as much sunshine.” According to Pennsylvania Solar Energy Industries Association, Pennsylvania See Solar Energy on page 2
After more than a month of trying to help Pittsburgh heal from the Tree of Life shooting, Pitt’s Student Government Board has set its sights on making change in Washington. In an open letter to representatives and lawmakers, the board called for stricter laws surrounding the ability to purchase assault weapons to prevent similar tragedies. At SGB’s weekly public meeting Tuesday night, President Maggie Kennedy said the board will deliver the statement to legislators early in 2019. “Action must … be taken by our lawmakers to create policy that actively prevents future tragedies,” the statement read. “It is time for our lawmakers to put aside partisanship. This is not a matter of Democratic or Republican affiliation, but rather of safeguarding the most fundamental principles upon which our nation was built.” SGB’s statement called for legislators to pursue “stricter regulation on the sale of assault weapons,” including the expansion of background check requirements, closure of the “gun show loophole” and the ban of bump stocks. The last of these, at least, is likely already on its way — the Trump administration has announced its intent to roll out a ban on bump stocks in the near future. Kennedy cited other comments from Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., and President Donald Trump that echo the measures detailed in SGB’s statement. See SGB on page 2