Lead the way, Stanford.

It is well understood that the appointment decisions and climate science-denying rhetoric that accompany our nation’s recent political upheaval bode ill for the success of sustainability efforts in the near future. The corporate conflicts of interest are more frightening still. Enter Stanford, strengthening our flickering hope for the future of our planet with a strong — and solar-powered — beam of innovation.

Last month the university publicly revealed the Stanford Solar Generating Station in southern California. According to a University press release, the station aims to provide electricity for 53 percent of campus. This equates to a 65 percent reduction in fossil fuel consumption on campus and a 68 percent decrease in release of greenhouse gases. What is more, the panels are kept clean by robots that use a shockingly small amount of water to do their job.

The project was brought to completion in collaboration with SunPower.

In addition to the project itself, what we know of its execution is exemplary as well. Only five months were spent on the station’s construction, and thus far it has been a success.

I am sharing this news in an effort to laud the obvious foresight that went into the project. It is a well-timed step forward and a joyful refusal to heed the unfounded — and puzzlingly self-righteous — denial that threatens our future and that of our children. It is as symbolically energizing as it is literally, if not more.

Contact Alizeh Ahmad at alizeha ‘at’ stanford.edu.