By Anneli Fogt

Editor

Vashon Allied Arts is kicking off its yearly science series Sunday afternoon with a lecture on solar power and its varied uses. The presentation, titled “Our Solar Future,” will be given by solar advocate, lawyer and author Philip Warburg.

Warburg will discuss how solar power has become more mainstream and will also discuss ways to make it more accessible to all Americans. The Harvard Law School graduate’s Massachusetts home is solar powered, and he has done work in renewable energy legislation, environmental advocacy and legal reform. His newest book, “Harness the Sun,” published earlier this month, traces the history of solar energy and is what his Sunday lecture will be based on.

In a Friday afternoon interview with The Beachcomber, he said that he feels as if solar power has been “marginalized,” and he wants all people to understand the many uses that it has.

“People have historically marginalized solar power,” Warburg said. “There’s been a lot of people saying, ‘Ok, well, it’s a cool resource, but can we really look to it to be a reliable and constant source of energy to replace what we have?’ With my research and work, I can say ‘Yes. It can be.’”

He said that is what his book addresses: the development of solar power as a replacement to fossil and nuclear fuels, and the creative thinking that it takes to get there. Warburg said that we have been “relying complacently” on the available fuels and need to think about wind and solar power.

“I took more of an investigative journalistic approach (in my book),” Warburg said. “I’m hoping to give people a three-dimensional, grounded sense of what to expect looking at a variety of solar applications from residential to commercial. Developing a renewable energy-based economy requires more work and creativity to store the energy and manage the energy demand.”

He said he is “very excited” to be coming to Washington to speak and said that he wants to de-bunk the myth that solar would not work in the “very gray” environment of the Pacific Northwest.

“It’s possible,” he said. “Germany is actually the most successful solar country and I believe they have less sunny days there than in Washington.”

The 4 p.m. lecture is the first of four in a series that will run through February and address a variety of subjects from vaccines to octopuses. VAA Director of Performing Arts Stephen Jeong told The Beachcomber that the science series began last year as a “natural extension” of the VAA’s Arts and Humanities lecture series.

“It’s a service we provide in terms of bringing speakers with real topics that impact us here on Vashon,” Jeong said. “The lectures are very relatable and understandable, and the speakers are experts in their fields.”

The lecture will be held at 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 27 at the Blue Heron. Tickets for the lecture are $16 for VAA members and students, $18 for seniors and $20 for general admission. Tickets to the series of four lectures are $60 for members, $70 for seniors and $75 for general admission.