Some of us have been sounding the climate change alarm bell for decades. Initially a relatively small group—eventually grew into a global ethos of concern and action. The momentum continues despite significant headwinds posed by a resurgence of emphasis on oil and gas in the United States. There is also plenty of skepticism about the reliability of renewable energy sources.

Purists gravitate to conservation, reducing the demand for energy, and the immediate scaling up of renewable energy sources for all types of energy consumption. Society, however, does not see things in the same way. At best the sentiment of an “all of the above strategy” addresses both the need for renewables within a “strategy” along with other, more familiar sources. Others, who are not paying attention, simply want to return to the mid-20th century outlook of drilling our way to having enough energy to fuel society’s needs.

The resulting energy mix is appearing in surprising ways. Gas stations, with affiliated convenience stores, sell gasoline, and a cold drink and a snack to car and truck drivers who periodically pull in to “fill up” their tanks. More of these facilities are now using solar energy to reduce their electricity costs. Many of them operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Lighting, store heating and cooling, refrigeration, and pumping the gasoline all require electricity. Solar energy from panels on the pump island and sometimes also on the convenience store building roof reduces the electricity bills by thousands of dollars per year at every location that is outfitted with a solar array. The Return on Investment, known as ROI, is just a few years and is driving a significant investment in solar at gas stations.

The irony of this is not lost on the “all renewable now” crowd. But some version of solar taking on some of the existing demand, is far better than the status quo. Some solar power usage is better than no solar power; more solar power installations with direct reductions in fossil fuel usage is better. Frequently exposing gasoline vehicle drivers to solar—at the gas station—is the slower route but may be an effective method for finally getting society to open their minds to widespread use of renewable energy sources.