More than a few people were taken in by a guy peddling a coal/solar hybrid system at Solar Power 2007. "But, smokestacks on the roof — that just doesn’t make sense," said a government bureaucrat, who shall remain unnamed pending resolution of my grant proposal.

Indeed, it doesn’t. As the less credulous might have predicted, it was a marketing spoof by Sharp Solar:

Grist relies on the support of generous readers like you to cover the stories that matter most. Thank you for donating.
Secure · Tax deductible · Takes 45 Seconds

Did this article feel meaningful?

Make others like it possible: Give now in under 45 seconds.
Secure · Tax deductible · Takes 45 Seconds

This, fight fans, is textbook campaigning in the YouTube era. Come up with a shtick that makes your points judo-style, make it funny, post it on the internets and watch your message spread.

To support our nonprofit environmental journalism, please consider disabling your ad-blocker to allow ads on Grist. Here's How