Warming up to solar

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — 2010 just might go down as the year solar energy gained mainstream acceptance.

Stores that sell solar products are seeing major boosts in sales compared with last year, some as much as 40 percent.

The sun-powered momentum is fueled by less expensive products that are made more affordable through federal tax credits and rebates at a time when utility prices are rising.

Another contributing factor to the rising interest in renewable energy is the recent BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

PROS

o Free source of electricity after initial investment.

o No pollution produced. The only pollution is from their manufacturing, transportation and installation.

o Can harness electricity in remote locations that aren’t linked to a national grid.

o Reduces dependence on the world’s fossil fuel supplies.

o Tax credits and rebates are available.

CONS

o Initial cost is high.

o Can be a bureaucratic hassle. Although most cities and homeowners associations have no problem with them, some do. Some stipulate using solar shingles for roofs, which are more expensive and less effective.

o Weather and pollution levels can affect efficiency. This comes to play in densely populated urban areas, which tend to have high pollution levels.

Source: www.clean-energy-ideas.com, Energy Savings Store

“It’s made the masses realize the difficulty of getting fossil fuels,” says Rita Norton, a retired schoolteacher who invested in a solar panel electrical system several years ago for her Kansas City, Mo., Cape Cod-style home. “More people are talking to me about solar, which is simply free energy from the sun.”

The biggest hurdle with solar power is the initial cost of equipment and installation. The 12 panels for Norton’s 1,400-square-foot home, which she bought before today’s major incentives, were a hefty sum. Still, she finds her investment paying off.

How do I determine what size photovoltaic system my house would need?

Review your last 12 months of electric bills. Square footage is not necessarily related to energy usage.

What types of permits are involved to install a solar system to generate electricity?

All cities and most counties require an electrical permit be obtained before a system is installed. Also, the local utility will require an interconnection and net metering agreement. Your system will be inspected for local codes, by the utility’s licensed engineer or electrician, and sometimes by the fire marshal.

What is my payback period for a solar PV system?

It’s dependent upon net metering, costs of electrical energy, incentives and real estate market for sustainable features. For a 3-kilowatt system, it’s typically a 12- to 15-year payback period. Solar hot water and air heating have much shorter payback periods.

How can I heat my home or water with solar power?

Solar air and water panels capture heat from the sun on their surface and transfer the heat to a holding tank or vent.

How big of a solar hot water system do I need?

The size of a system is based on the size of the household. The average person uses 20 gallons of hot water per day. So for a home of four, an 80-gallon system is needed.

Source: Energy Savings Store

The panels on Norton’s roof convert sunlight into direct current electricity, which travels through a wire-filled conduit to batteries in the basement. Her system is connected to the city’s electric grid but also can run independently with the exception of the clothes dryer (she prefers line drying anyway) and air conditioning.

“I’m a wuss when it comes to heat, so I use air conditioning,” Norton said. “Last summer, my top bill was $85. I suspect I will always have low bills (between $30 and $40) for taxes and service charges.”

Although solar panel prices are likely to continue to decrease, not everyone can afford them. But other solar options are available.

The Argentine Neighborhood Development Association in Kansas City, Kan., recently built several affordable energy-efficient homes. Although these aren’t fully solar-powered homes, they have several solar features. And they are popular.

“The houses were sold before they were finished,” said Ann Brandau-Murguia, executive director of ANDA and a commissioner of Wyandotte County, Kan.’s Unified Government. “We liked how these features make utilities affordable for residents in the neighborhood. It’s important because it’s populated by people with middle to lower incomes.”

Isabel Reyes, Rocky Orozco and their three daughters moved into one of the houses, a blue two-story with a wraparound porch. You have to go to the backyard to tell the house has solar features. In their case, it’s a framed black panel, a solar air heater, attached to the back of the house. The panel can be mounted on the roof.

“It’s attractive, almost elegant even,” said Reyes, who works in nutritional services for the Kansas City, Kan., school district. “It’s like a black mirror.”

The heater worked well, too, Reyes said. In winter, hot air comes out two circular vents, similar to dryer vents. A thermostat can be set to blow the warm air into the house. In the summer, the vents are closed, and Reyes and Orozco conceal them with a tall houseplant.

Upstairs, they have solar daylighting tubes, which provide natural light sources from ceilings like small round skylights. “It’s nice because you don’t have to turn any switches on,” Reyes said. “It’s always as bright as it needs to be.”

The house also has a solar attic vent-fan, which cools the attic and lowers the temperature in the upstairs living quarters.

Residents learned about the features in their houses at an informational meeting with the systems’ installers. A common question was about the efficiency of solar on cloudy days. They learned the power still charges. “If you consider a home a car, this is a 2010 Cadillac,” said Orozco, a postal service mail handler. “It’s got different styling and updated functions, so occasionally you have to get out the owners manual.”