Being outdoors is as good as it gets, whether it’s biking, kayaking, camping, hiking, fishing, hitting the beaches of Lake Michigan or just taking a leisurely stroll on the St. Joseph Riverwalk here in South Bend. I enjoy going outside and observing the diverse flora and fauna of North America. Adventuring in the wilderness and being surrounded by pristine environments puts me at ease and refreshes my mind—an experience I hope to preserve for future generations.
I believe that fulfillment in life can be achieved when we live in harmony within our society and with nature. My love of nature and desire to preserve it are the inspirations behind my arboreal-themed solar poster, Naturally.
As a solar project engineer, it’s important to know all the factors before starting the design of a PV power plant, whether it’s the idiosyncrasies of the project site, local insolation, system configuration, energy yield variabilities, or utility interconnection concerns. Oftentimes though, it’s easy to forget that nature also has its own design that should be taken into consideration before we begin altering or neglecting it.
For thousands of years, civilization has had to protect itself from the powerful forces of nature, but now we are at a point where civilization has to protect Mother Nature from the excesses of humankind. As a species, most of us have begun to realize that the way we treat the natural environment has serious consequences. We all live on this strange and beautiful planet, and we need to treat it with care and respect.
Technology has improved our quality of life, but it has also made things more complex, both for ourselves and for the environment. We need to continue to implement and harness technologies—like solar and other clean power—in ways that benefit our lives as well as sustain our planet.
My enthusiasm for solar and other renewable energies is a big reason why I love working for a company like Inovateus, which is promoting many opportunities to move further away from fossil fuels and toward a cleaner, more brilliant future where we can all live in harmony—naturally.
By Jonny Rienks, project engineer, Inovateus Solar
