--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When you have solar panels, your…" description: "\"When you have solar panels, your electricity gets there for free, no one's figured out how to meter the sun yet. And that's good.\" — Bill McKibben" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/980/bill-mckibben-1057_electricity_when-you-have-solar-panels-your-electric_2232595.jpg" --- # When you have solar panels, your electricity gets there… ![“When you have solar panels, your electricity gets there for free, no one's figured out how to meter the sun yet. And that's good.” quote by Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/980/bill-mckibben-1057_electricity_when-you-have-solar-panels-your-electric_2232595.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/980/bill-mckibben-1057_electricity_when-you-have-solar-panels-your-electric_2232595.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/980/bill-mckibben-1057_electricity_when-you-have-solar-panels-your-electric_2232595.jpg) > “When you have solar panels, your electricity gets there for free, no one's figured out how to meter the sun yet. And that's good.” [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. It humorously notes that solar energy is free and unmetered, implying a future where sunlight can be harvested without cost. **In simple terms:** Sunlight is free and not yet measured. Key Takeaway Explore renewable energy. Themes environment technology economics Mood optimistic lighthearted Type environmental technological When to use this quote - home energy - grid planning - policy debate Key Concepts sustainability energy policy Questions to Reflect On - Will free solar power disrupt markets? - How can we manage unlimited energy? A Different Perspective Potential technical and regulatory challenges remain. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Climate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climate/) [Electricity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/electricity/) [Solar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solar/) [Solar panels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solar-panels/) [Sun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sun/) ## Related quotes > [With each month that passes, a solar panel gets 2 or 3 percent cheaper. So while we're holding the fossil fuel industry in check,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/with-each-month-that-passes-a-solar-panel-gets-2-or-3-percent-cheaper/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) > [The roof of my house is covered in solar panels. When I'm home, I'm a pretty green fellow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/the-roof-of-my-house-is-covered-in-solar-panels-when-i-m-home-i-m-a/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) > [My house is covered in solar panels, I'm a great believer in all this - we all should be doing this.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/my-house-is-covered-in-solar-panels-i-m-a-great-believer-in-all-this/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) > [I've got no advice. You guys know where you are and what will work. Just know that there are people all over the place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/i-ve-got-no-advice-you-guys-know-where-you-are-and-what-will-work/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) > [The roof of my house is covered in solar panels. When Im home, Im a pretty green fellow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/the-roof-of-my-house-is-covered-in-solar-panels-when-im-home-im-a/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) > [“array of between 10 and 20 solar panels to rely solely”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devin-wraight/array-of-between-10-and-20-solar-panels-to-rely-solely/) Devin Wraight > [“Thousands of solar panels lift and tilt at the same time, in the same way. I clutch at Dad's arm: "Why are they doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/thousands-of-solar-panels-lift-and-tilt-at-the-same-time-in-the-same/) [Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/) > [I live out of my van, which gives me a first-hand appreciation for power and lighting. A few years ago, I rebuilt the interior…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-honnold/i-live-out-of-my-van-which-gives-me-a-first-hand-appreciation-for/) [Alex Honnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-honnold/) > [Sunlight and wind are inherently unreliable and energy-dilute. As such, adding solar panels and wind turbines to the grid in large quantities increases the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shellenberger/sunlight-and-wind-are-inherently-unreliable-and-energy-dilute-as-such/) [Michael Shellenberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shellenberger/) > [“Net Metering in Maharashtra: How It Works & Why It Matters Net metering is one of the biggest reasons rooftop solar has become financially…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/net-metering-in-maharashtra-how-it-works-why-it-matters-net-metering/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It's really kind of cool to have solar panels on your roof.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/it-s-really-kind-of-cool-to-have-solar-panels-on-your-roof/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [It doesn't matter how many solar panels you install if you don't simultaneously shut down coal and gas burners.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-monbiot/it-doesn-t-matter-how-many-solar-panels-you-install-if-you-don-t/) [George Monbiot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-monbiot/) > [Make your next car electric, put solar panels on your roof, and go vegan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leilani-munter/make-your-next-car-electric-put-solar-panels-on-your-roof-and-go-vegan/) Leilani Munter > [Shortly afterwards, I did a third one to repair the robotic arm of the station. This arm plays a very important role in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-perrin/shortly-afterwards-i-did-a-third-one-to-repair-the-robotic-arm-of-the/) [Philippe Perrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-perrin/) > [I would love to get solar panels installed to help us work towards generating our own energy supply.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-bowman/i-would-love-to-get-solar-panels-installed-to-help-us-work-towards/) [Edith Bowman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-bowman/) ## More by Bill McKibben > [I try not to be either optimistic or pessimistic. I try not to think about outcomes on that scale. My job, it seems to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/i-try-not-to-be-either-optimistic-or-pessimistic-i-try-not-to-think/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) > [Oil companies are radical because they're willing to alter the chemical composition of the atmosphere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/oil-companies-are-radical-because-they-re-willing-to-alter-the/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) > [Whenever anyone challenges anything, the powers that be try to paint them as extremists or radicals or whatever. And I think that's actually nonsense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/whenever-anyone-challenges-anything-the-powers-that-be-try-to-paint/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) > [My guess is that liberating the fossil fuel industry to frack anywhere they want will drive down the rate at which we're converting to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/my-guess-is-that-liberating-the-fossil-fuel-industry-to-frack/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) > [What makes us different? We're the creature that can decide not to do something that we are capable of doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/what-makes-us-different-we-re-the-creature-that-can-decide-not-to-do/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) > [“The snow was coming down so hard. It looked like the flakes were hurrying to get out of the sky so the next ones…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/the-snow-was-coming-down-so-hard-it-looked-like-the-flakes-were/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) > [Most of the men and women who vote in Congress each year to continue subsidies have taken campaign donations from big energy companies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/most-of-the-men-and-women-who-vote-in-congress-each-year-to-continue/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) > [“I’ve sat behind a microphone and listened for decades as Americans learned to stop talking with each other and start shouting instead. No discussions,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/i-ve-sat-behind-a-microphone-and-listened-for-decades-as-americans/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) > [People in low-lying countries like Bangladesh with almost 140 million people who are managing to feed themselves, whose carbon emissions can't really be calculated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/people-in-low-lying-countries-like-bangladesh-with-almost-140-million/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) > [We're putting more carbon into the atmosphere than the atmosphere can absorb. And everybody told us when we started, coz we knew nothing when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/we-re-putting-more-carbon-into-the-atmosphere-than-the-atmosphere-can/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) > [Everything that the administration has done has been counterproductive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/everything-that-the-administration-has-done-has-been-counterproductive/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) > [We use the web to help people organize in the flesh, and then we take the images of those events and put them back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/we-use-the-web-to-help-people-organize-in-the-flesh-and-then-we-take/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) > [everyone knows, at some level, that the sharp line between "good weather" and "bad weather" is a fiction, that we need rain as surely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/everyone-knows-at-some-level-that-the-sharp-line-between-good-weather/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) > [The thing about global warming is that you can address it on a great number of levels - in fact you have to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/the-thing-about-global-warming-is-that-you-can-address-it-on-a-great/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) > [Where people aren't as deeply reliant on fossil fuel as in the United States, it's far easier for them to imagine change on this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/where-people-aren-t-as-deeply-reliant-on-fossil-fuel-as-in-the-united/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) [Explore all 299 Bill McKibben quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) ## More Climate quotes > [Irish research will contribute to global progress and have the potential to help all countries realise the potential of their land sectors in addressing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enda-kenny/irish-research-will-contribute-to-global-progress-and-have-the/) [Enda Kenny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enda-kenny/) > [In the current climate, things that are true, brave human stories become political.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-blanchett/in-the-current-climate-things-that-are-true-brave-human-stories/) [Cate Blanchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-blanchett/) > [Windmills and solar cells are carbon-free sources of electricity. But they are costly. If you've been investing in those, give it up. That game…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-fisher/windmills-and-solar-cells-are-carbon-free-sources-of-electricity-but/) [Kenneth Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-fisher/) > [Society understands the architecture of academia and knows there are relevant qualifications in different fields, and the media accepts the idea of specialisations and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-griffiths/society-understands-the-architecture-of-academia-and-knows-there-are/) [Jay Griffiths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-griffiths/) > [There are many more traits that the climate deniers share with the creationists and Holocaust deniers and others who distort the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-r-prothero/there-are-many-more-traits-that-the-climate-deniers-share-with-the/) [Donald R. Prothero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-r-prothero/) > [Some would call me an environmentalist. I don't know why. I reuse the water that falls in my backyard in the winter. I reuse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-begley-jr/some-would-call-me-an-environmentalist-i-don-t-know-why-i-reuse-the/) [Ed Begley, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-begley-jr/) > [I talk to fashion designers and say I want some money to save the rainforest, and they say, 'Oh, I agree with you completely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivienne-westwood/i-talk-to-fashion-designers-and-say-i-want-some-money-to-save-the/) [Vivienne Westwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivienne-westwood/) > [Assuming normal winter weather, we currently anticipate the coal markets to remain difficult through 2015; while we always strive to operate a full capacity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-craft/assuming-normal-winter-weather-we-currently-anticipate-the-coal/) [Joe Craft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-craft/) > [Climate change poses clear, catastrophic threats. We may not agree on the extent, but we certainly can't afford the risk of inaction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-murdoch/climate-change-poses-clear-catastrophic-threats-we-may-not-agree-on/) [Rupert Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-murdoch/) > [Fossil fuels, including oil, are running out and supplies are getting harder to find. If we do nothing, prices will continue to rise and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-powell/fossil-fuels-including-oil-are-running-out-and-supplies-are-getting/) [Lucy Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-powell/) > [Local and state governments have outrun the federal government. The EPA has served notice that it will enact a rule requiring CO2 reductions by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/local-and-state-governments-have-outrun-the-federal-government-the/) [Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/) > [I am sympathetic to developing countries’ concerns: because of our emissions it’s their crops that will disappear; because of our inaction, it’s their fields…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kerry/i-am-sympathetic-to-developing-countries-concerns-because-of-our/) [John F. Kerry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kerry/) > [We live in a state with a wonderful climate and plenty of natural beauty, from the shores of Cumberland Island to the Chattahoochee River…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-barnes/we-live-in-a-state-with-a-wonderful-climate-and-plenty-of-natural/) [Roy Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-barnes/) > [Right now, the government is spending billions of dollars supporting the problem-makers in the U.S. economy - the polluters, despoilers, incarcerators, and warmongers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/right-now-the-government-is-spending-billions-of-dollars-supporting/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [All of the barriers to innovation in the energy sector are arguments for a big commitment to public investment. Only the public sector can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nordhaus/all-of-the-barriers-to-innovation-in-the-energy-sector-are-arguments/) [Ted Nordhaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nordhaus/) [Browse all 8,549 Climate quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climate/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When you have solar panels, your electricity gets there for free, no one's figured out how to meter the sun yet. And that's good.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bill McKibben" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/when-you-have-solar-panels-your-electricity-gets-there-for-free-no/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Climate" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/when-you-have-solar-panels-your-electricity-gets-there-for-free-no/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/980/bill-mckibben-1057_electricity_when-you-have-solar-panels-your-electric_2232595.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/980/bill-mckibben-1057_electricity_when-you-have-solar-panels-your-electric_2232595.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/980/bill-mckibben-1057_electricity_when-you-have-solar-panels-your-electric_2232595.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When you have solar panels, your electricity gets there for free, no one's figured out how to meter the sun…” — Bill McKibben", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Bill McKibben", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When you have solar panels, your...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/when-you-have-solar-panels-your-electricity-gets-there-for-free-no/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/when-you-have-solar-panels-your-electricity-gets-there-for-free-no/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```