Robert Stayton

Solar Dividends Robert Stayton

Imagine a world where poverty has been eliminated and global warming has been brought under control. Imagine this can be done via a single program. Imagine that we can start on this today.

That's the world envisioned by Solar Dividends, which puts forth a bold new plan--use solar energy to pay for unconditional basic incomes for everyone on the planet. The idea is simple: we set up solar panels for each person, sell the electricity the panels generate, and deliver the money as solar dividends to the person as their basic income, for the rest of their life. This program won't require tax money because the solar panels pay for themselves through the money they earn by generating electricity. The money won't run out because the panels are maintained and replaced as needed. And we don't have to wait for an international treaty because every country receives enough raw solar energy to set up their own program. Solar energy gives us a new way to pay for basic incomes, and basic incomes give us a new reason to build solar energy. Combining these two big ideas will lift everyone out of economic insecurity, reduce the carbon emissions that drive climate change, and assemble a clean energy system that can sustain us indefinitely into the future--all with one program. Solar Dividends makes clear the practical steps to bring about this positive future.

Part A describes a fictional future where solar dividends have been fully implemented and have largely solved the problems of economic insecurity and global warming. Part B outlines the specific steps that can be taken starting today to bring about this bright future. This is a realistic utopian plan based on real hardware generating real money. It does not require international treaties or radical changes to our current economic systems. By making people economically self-sufficient without using taxes, it will appeal to both liberals and conservatives.