| Residential Solar |
Terra Terra,Can you do an article on residential solar panels?Thanks!Matt B.Um, sure. When you say solar, Matt, you probably mean solar electric (or photovoltaic or just PV). But other solar solutions are generally cheaper and easier. So let’s look at those first… Passive solar is merely taking the sun’s direct power into account. Using trees to shade summer sun and, when leaves are off, to allow winter sun through; sizing roof overhangs so that low winter sun shines into a home and high summer sun is kept out; and window shades (duh)…are all examples of passive solar. Passive solar techniques can obviate the need for much mechanical heating, even in our climate, and should always obviate the need for mechanical cooling here. The next no-brainer for our climate is solar hot water (solar thermal if you’re solarly hip). Solar thermal systems cost a small fraction of PV (electric, remember) and in many ways are less complicated. Hot sun makes hot water. Done. Finally, the solar everyone loves to say but no one wants to pay for – photovoltaic. The haute, sciency name says it all (in latin, of course) – light to electricity. Is that not the coolest thing ever? Of course anything that cool’s gonna cost ya. More on that later. The questions you probably have, Matt, are can I get solar? Should I? Who’ll do it? How much? Good questions, all. First, let me lighten your load, and in so doing, begin to answer some of those questions. Load refers to how much you use. The number of panels you need depends on your load. And since every solar panel costs money (lots of it, in the case of PV), you would ideally make your load as small as possible. Remember this: the cheapest energy is the energy never used. Would you spend $100 to save $1,000? Then first turn your efforts to using less energy and water. Typical households can save 20%-50% on their utility bills just by improving the efficiency and efficacy of their home. Change regular bulbs to fluorescent. Buy energy- and water-efficient appliances. Fix air and water leaks. Weather-strip and seal. Insulate. None of these changes sacrifice lifestyle or comfort, many improve them, and many cost little to implement but pay big in lower utility costs. After all that, now look at how much solar will satisfy your reduced load. For a quick, dirty and very rough guess at what you’ll need, try www.findsolar.com. Don’t make your decision based on what it tells you, though. What this site does more importantly, is help you to find a local professional who can answer all those earlier questions more accurately. In my opinion you should choose a solar professional who will examine your load and help you reduce it before even talking to you about panels. He/she should also be able to answer the net cost question with all available rebates, tax credits, discounts and other incentives. (To do that dirty work yourself, see www.dsireusa.org.) You’ll find that after rebates and all, thermal will typically pay for itself in just a few years. PV takes longer. Usually paying for your system with a deductible home equity loan makes the most sense.
Your solar pro will also be able to
tell you whether your site and home make solar a good decision (shade, for
example, can be a deal killer for PV). No authority in Both Xcel and Holy Cross provide “net meter” billing if your PV system is tied to theirs. That means your meter will actually spin backwards when you produce more power than you use. Grid-tied systems will not function if the grid goes down, but trust me when I say you do not want to get into a battery backup system. Whew! So, Matt, given our current energy, security and climate predicament, there is huge renewed interest in solar these days. Many believe it to be the salvation of humankind. But if we’ve learned anything from our current predicament (have we?), it’s the peril of keeping all our energy eggs in one basket (carbon, in the form of oil and coal). Even if solar could be the sole answer (it can’t), it shouldn’t be, anyway. We will need a diverse energy portfolio to meet our future needs. And we should first stop being so dang needy.
Sunnily, Terra |