Umaru was born and raised in Guinea-Bissau in West Africa and spent many years in Egypt and Israel for his initial higher education before coming to the United States as a student. He holds a Bachelors degree in Languages and Translation and a Masters degree in Philosophy & Comparative Religions from Al Azhar University in Egypt in addition to a B.A. in Political Science (Social and Behavioral Science) and a M.A. in Higher Education Leadership from the University of Northern Iowa. He is currently a Ph.D. candidate. Mr. Balde is employed by the City of Portland, Maine and holds the position as the first Director of the Department of Justice, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Prior to this role, he worked as Director of the Multicultural Family Center in Dubuque, Iowa and as a Civil Rights Investigator with the city of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Mr. Balde is a former child slave who is now a husband and father of two beautiful children. He is a civil rights and social justice advocate and a former board member of the ACLU and the United Nations Association.

Fred shared his view that solar power is the most important option for energy sustainability. Why solar? It is the most abundant energy source on the planet. There is no cost for fuel. It is the only alternative energy that permanently lowers costs and that can sustain and grow the economy. The more solar energy that is utilized, the lower the prices become. He pointed out that the cost of panel construction is decreasing. It can take less than two years of operation to pay for the panel and a panel can last for 25 years.

 

How can we use solar energy? We can put panels on our roof to service our homes; we can put panels in the yard to service the home; and/or we can support solar farms which supply the public energy grid which in turns services our homes. The future of solar is now a storage question. As battery development progresses, the more we will be able to capture and store solar energy for when we need it. Fred pointed out that there is great investment in battery technology around the world as many countries view it as the best future option since solar has no fuel cost.

 

Fred advocated for more investment in solar development in Maine. Instead of paying to import fossil fuels we can harness energy that is already here. Maine has high energy costs that need to be addressed. When the nuclear power plant was shut down, it was replaced with natural gas plants. If we add more solar, we will need less gas and lower the cost of energy. Once battery technology is improved, we can eliminate the need for gas altogether.

 

One of the questions centered on the trade implications of solar, especially with China, as that is where most of the manufacturing and battery development is happening. Fred acknowledges the trade implications and lack of domestic production; however, he pointed out that the recently passed Inflation Reduction Act creates tremendous investment to support domestic manufacturing. One benefit of China’s involvement in solar development is that it is giving other countries access to the technology and supporting a global shift to solar.

 

Fred encouraged us to learn more about solar energy. He also put in a plug for the District’s sustainability efforts and to become an environmental ambassador. FMI you can click for the Sustainable Practice website.