|
Dan O’Brien
October, 2007
Solar power: Invented by Apollo, the Sun God, it can be used to cook eggs on the hood of your SUV or fry ants on the sidewalk. If one were so inclined, one could own a solar powered car with bicycle wheels and enough interior space for one seat and a can of soup. All made possible by harnessing the power of the sun's ubiquitous rays. That was my understanding until recently. Then I did a little research into the growing market for residential solar power applications. Solar power panels have progressed from your wacky neighbor’s dilapidated, roof-mounted albatross to one of the most sophisticated components of a growing supply of renewable energy in the US power grid. Those big gray panels used to be ugly, but not so much anymore; at least not as ugly as my last electric bill.
The renewable energy market has been hurt in the past by a crisis of identity firmly rooted outside the mainstream. Logical folks are weary of the promise of free energy – you don’t get something for nothing. Then there are the jokes about con men selling, among other things, the solar powered laundry dryer for $49.95 – it’s a high quality length of clo thesline. This undercurrent of negativity is fed by outlandish looking prototypes like Alan Freeman’s solar powered car. Find me one person that wants to drive that thing to work every day (The first solar car built by Alan Freeman in England in 1979. Photograph: Electrick Publications © 1991.).
Naysayers prey on this inherent negativity with books, websites, and pamphlets - all dedicated to debunking the ability to harness, store, and utilize solar energy. Renewable energy advocates play the opposite end of the argument with their own publications. At times, it is little more than a shouting match. Here’s the truth: The best solar cells available have an efficiency of about 10 percent – they capture about 10 percent of the solar energy that strikes the cells. Other than the capital investment in photovoltaic equipment, the electrical power generated is free – and in the US, tax deductible. The US Dept. of Energy predicts a 40% increase in worldwide renewable energy consumption over the next thirty years. Tax incentive programs for homeowners in the US will be cornerstones of this growth.In the private sector, energy efficient mortgages (EEMs) will allow consumers to build renewable energy upgrades into their mortgage financing. EEMs provide special benefits for energy efficiency products in new homes, or for efficiency improvements in existing buildings. The other plus for this type of loan is that home owners with lower utility bills can afford a higher mortgage. Recognizing this surplus, banks can allocate a larger overall home loan for the buyer. Legislation currently under review in the US will expand these types of EEM programs. Already trailing the Chinese in many world markets, the US government will be well served to expand support for renewable energy incentives. Example: In Beijing, there are plans for entire city blocks of buildings, streetlights, and other features that will operate on solar energy. A second project in a Beijing city recreation area will utilize solar power for lighting, heating, and refrigeration. Both projects reflect a larger government commitment to dramatically increase China’s use of renewable energy in the near future.Because of complicated topographical conditions, many Chinese burghs are situated in such isolation that they have no access to electrical production facilities save for small diesel generators – so their government responded by opening two of the largest solar power plants in the world to provide electrical power to hospitals, homes, and public facilities in these areas. In the US, there is no such thing as inaccessible territory. We don’t have an outer fringe of the country pleading for power with nowhere to get it. Right now, the availability of power in the US is not an issue for any segment of the population. In fact, the biggest proponents of solar power here in the States are the wealthiest homeowners.I read stories about the richest American families using renewable energy to power their homes - at an added cost as high as $40,000. “Some of our high-end clients literally never see their energy bills,” says Steven J. Strong, president of Solar Design Associates in Harvard, Mass. “They are putting a higher value on having more control over their energy destiny. This is a hedge against uncertainty.”From this I conclude that these so-called zero energy homes are great – if you can afford them. The success of these installations proves two things: one, that you can build a home that is nearly independent of outside energy sources, and two, it’s damn expensive.Powering your home with solar energy can be successful once you get the equipment. The good news is that the prices are coming down – just like when that first run DVD player was in the $1,000 range. Now we get them for one tenth that price. I say, same goes for solar. The price will drop – and the evidence shows it’s dropping already. Right now, the average residential installation costs less than $18K. Well, I’m encouraged. Really, I am. With decreasing supply costs, increasing efficiencies, and specially tailored home mortgages, I could afford the same system as Leonardo’s solar powered mansion in California in no time. Fact is, if you build a solar energy system for your home and you produce a net surplus of energy, you will get paid to feed the grid. That’s nice, but the overwhelming plus is that solar energy is not a finite supply. The sun’s not going anywhere. And if we did lose the sun, our primary concern would not be what to do with that solar panel we just bought. As for oil? Well, despite all the benefits of oil, the elephant in the room is that fossil fuel supplies are running out. To make matters worse, the people who control the most abundant supplies of oil are not the friendliest group you ever met. We can all agree on the compelling reasons to develop a future for renewable energy. I say we start with the solar powered home. I could be a homeowner with no electric bill, or better yet, I could be a homeowner getting paid by the electric company to supply my surplus power to the grid. Will Rogers’ famous advice was “buy land, they’re not making any more of it”. Well, here’s my famous advice: buy solar power, it’s free.
|
