A ‘Property Brother’ sheds light on solar energy in doc

NEWYORK— As half ofHGTV’s “Property Brothers,” Jonathan Scott is all about transforming interior spaces. Nowhe’s revealing a massive space he’d like to transform— the Earth.

“Jonathan Scott’s Power Trip” is hisnewdocumentary about solar power and why this clean, renewable source of energy is being stifled by what he calls an “archaic, old boys system” that’s financially addicted to fossil fuels.

“It’s just so frustrating when you see howrigged the game is,” he says. “I’ve always been willing to be the person that stands up and speaks and says something.”

The film, which premieredNov. 16 as part of “Independent Lens” on PBS stations across the country, contains interviews with environmentalist and formerVice President Al Gore and Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont. It takes Scott fromGeorgia farmers sufferingwith skyrocketing energy bills to coal miners inKentucky with black lung.

Scott, whodirected and co-wrote the film, argues that utility companies have fed disinformation about renewable energy and purposely frustrated consumer choice with a government-mandated legal monopoly.

In an interview, Scott discussedwhy he believes solar isn’t a partisan issue andwhy he’d like to install more solar panels on “Property Brothers.” Answers have been edited for brevity and clarity.

What’s fascinating in thefilmis that pro-solar voices canbe foundfrom die-hardDemocrats like AlGore to tea party leaders likeDebbieDooley.

I intentionallywanted to make sure that both sides of the political aisle were represented in the voices because what I discovered during the journey is it’s not a partisan issue. It’s just there are a lot of very powerful corporations that have realized if they can try and make us think it’s a partisan issue, they’re more likely to succeed in slowing things down and keeping the status quo.

You’re alsopassionate about climate change, but it barely gets a mention in the film. Why?

There’s a large contingent of the population who as soon as they hear ‘climate,’ they tune out and they’re not interested because they think it’s just a bunch of hubbub. I didn’twant that with the film. ... Iwanted to create a film that starts a dialog and lets people listen long enough that it piques their interest and thenmaybe they’ll start to take a new interest in renewable energy or change their opinion.

Why don’t youdo more solar installs on “Property Brothers”?

I’d love to. We’ve done a few episodes of our shows wherewe have put solar in, but that’s a far cry fromthe 400 episodes thatwe’ve done. And the reason is most of the homeowners on ’PropertyBrothers’ usually have next to no budget for everything that theywant to accomplish. Sowe’re trying to get them the things thatwill functionallymake their life work now.

NEILBERKELEY/INDEPENDENTLENS Jonathan Scott from“Property Brothers” installs solarpanels on a rooftop in his new documentary“Jonathan Scott’s PowerTrip.”