Green energy is trendy, politically correct and, more importantly, far less destructive than the old-fashioned, fossil fuel-reliant technologies. Great on paper, not so great in practice, especially when it comes to the image-conscious residents of the Cape. They have been battling the installation of a wind power generating farm for nigh on seven years now. I see their point. I may not agree with it, but I can see where they are coming from.

While wind power may work on the Cape, with its wide open space and plenty of well, wind, it could never be practical in the center of Boston. Fortunately, the city will not be left in the petroleum dust, according to an article in today’s Boston Globe. What the city lacks in open space it makes up for in rooftops. What better place then, to install large, efficient solar panels? That is the undertaking of John Rosenthal, a developer with plans to build a large complex of apartments, offices, and stores near the Mass Pike in Fenway, which will be powered, in part, by large solar panels installed on the roof of one of the buildings.

From the Globe article:

“The solar farm would be installed on the roof of a parking garage that Rosenthal would build over the turnpike by Brookline Avenue. … Rosenthal said the solar farm could produce up to 450 kilowatts of electricity, enough to power about 100 of the 330 apartments he wants to build on land between Brookline Avenue and Beacon Street.”

No one can object to an un-obtrusive, independently funded, efficient and green source of energy, can they? Let’s hope not. The project is yet to be approved by city officials. Here’s hoping that all new buildings in Boston will come equipped with soon-to-be trendy rooftop solar farms.