The Good Human » solar

Is Solar Right For Me? – Part 1.

david — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 14:30:47 +0000

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This is part 1 of “Is Solar Right For Me?” from Neil Kaminar, author of Solar Basics. Part 2 will appear next week.

The answer may be no. There are many factors that determine if solar is right for your home, including your motivation, how much electricity you use, the cost of electricity in your area, financial assistance available, local climate, aesthetics, roof orientation, and shadowing.

Motivation

First question to ask yourself is “what is my motivation?” Are you dedicated to renewable energy regardless of the cost? Or, are you concerned about the environment but want the solar system to pay for itself? In most cases, over the life of the system, the cost of solar is actually lower than paying the electricity bill, but not always. Your motivation might be a purely financial one. Even if you are going to install a solar system regardless of the cost, you still don’t want to be wasteful with your money.

How Much Electricity Do You Use and How Much Does It Cost?

To find out how much electricity you use, gather up your utility bills. If you have not saved them, you can call the utility company or go online to get copies. Because electricity use varies year to year, multiple years are best. Find the electricity use on the bill in KWh (Kilowatt-hour). Add up all the KWh and divide by the number of months to get the average use per month. Multiply this by 12 to get the average use per year. In the same way, total all the cost and divide by the total KWh to get the average cost in cents per KWh. It should range between about 12 and 30 cents per KWh depending on where you live and your rate structure.

Look at the rate structure. If you cannot find this, call the utility company. If you have a tiered rate structure, the more electricity you use the more the utility company charges you. It may be very economical to just install enough solar to get rid of the most expensive part of the bill.

If you have a new construction or are planning a solar system for a house or cabin without a grid connection, you will have to calculate the electricity use. Add up all the Watts that each appliance uses multiplied by the hours they are used each day. This will be the Wh (Watt-hours) used each day. Multiply by 365 and divide by 1,000 to get the KWh used over the year.

Now look at the energy efficiency of your house. Is it old with many leaky windows, an inefficient heating and cooling system, many incandescent lights, inefficient appliances? Even the most efficient house can stand some improvement. Why is this important? Because it is much less expensive to reduce energy use that to install more solar. It is also better for the environment because less resources are used. Some estimates are that for every dollar spent in efficiency improvement, four dollars can be saved in the solar system. Make an estimate on how much you can reduce your electricity use by improving the energy efficiency of your house. It may pay to get a professional energy audit.

Financial Assistance

You can get financial assistance from the Federal government, your state government, and your utility company. The assistance takes the form of tax breaks and rebates. Every state and every utility is different. Using rebates, you may be able to reduce the cost of your solar system by half. The best source for information about financial assistance is the Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency, DSIRE for short, brought to you by the good folks at North Carolina Solar Center and the Interstate Renewable Energy Council, see http://www.dsireusa.org/. Regardless of the name, the site covers Federal incentives too. Notice that incentives for energy efficiency improvements are also shown. You can get paid for saving money. The amount of incentives available to you can make the difference between your solar system being cost-effective or not.

As an example, lets take Phoenix, Arizona. The utility company is APS, http://www.aps.com/. According to the DSIRE site, at this writing, the following assistance for residences in Arizona was available:

Green Building Incentive

Scottsdale – Green Building Incentives
Town of Buckeye – Green Building Incentive
Tucson – Permit Fee Credit for Solar Energy Systems

Personal Deduction

Income Tax Subtraction for Energy-Efficient Residences
Qualifying Wood Stove Deduction

Personal Tax Credit

Residential Solar and Wind Energy Systems Tax Credit

Property Tax Incentive

Energy Equipment Property Tax Exemption

Sales Tax Incentive

Solar and Wind Equipment Sales Tax Exemption

Utility Loan Program

Sulphur Springs Valley EC – Member Loan Program
Sulphur Springs Valley EC – SunWatts Loan Program

Utility Rebate Program

APS – Renewable Incentive Program
APS – Residential Energy Efficient AC and Duct Repair Rebate Program
Southwest Gas Corporation – Residential High-Efficiency Equipment Rebate Program
SRP – EarthWise Solar Energy Incentive Program
Sulphur Springs Valley EC – Residential Energy Efficiency Rebate
Sulphur Springs Valley EC – SunWatts Rebate Program
TEP – Renewable Energy Credit Purchase Program
TEP – Residential Energy Efficiency Rebate Program
Trico Electric Cooperative – SunWatts Incentive Program
UES – Energy Smart Homes Program
UES – Renewable Energy Credit Purchase Program
UES – Residential Heating and Cooling Rebate Program

Not all of these apply. Lets look at one for further detail: the APS – Renewable Incentive Program. Clicking on the link we find that the program pays for grid-tied photovoltaic systems up to $3 per Watt, not to exceed 50% of the total cost or $75,000. It also pays for other solar systems such as day lighting and solar hot water. The photovoltaic system has to be installed by a licensed contractor. A web site and further contact information is given. Go ahead and contact whoever is giving the rebate to get the ball rolling early. You will likely have to use a licensed contractor, and can usually sign over the rebate as part of the payment. The contractor will also help you get the paper work started. Get a minimum of three quotes. Make sure the contractor factors in your energy saving from the efficiency improvements. Search the web for solar contractors and installers in your area.

To take full advantage of the tax benefits, consult a tax professional. Point them to the DSIRE site for reference. They can use the contacts from the site to obtain further information.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of “Is Solar Right For Me?” from Neil Kaminar, which will appear next week.

Photo from Shutterstock

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Heating Your Household Water With The Sun.

david — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 14:30:04 +0000

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Guest post by Joe Wright from PolarSolar

Out here in sunny California, 90% of the population pays to truck, pipe, and burn natural gas from out-of-state to heat the water used in the home (Over 85% comes from out of state, much of it coming all the way from west Texas). The conventional storage water heaters that the overwhelming majority of us use have constantly burning pilot lights that combust fuel 24/7 and that fire frequent bursts to keep the 40 to 100 gallons of water we typically store in these tanks ready-hot, day and night, at 120 degrees – whether we use the water or not. The fact that makes this so needless and silly is that the sun shines down a singularly efficient, clean, and abundant energy source for heating water almost every day.

The Romans knew this and so had many Californians. Many readers here might be familiar with this story, but essentially, the solar water heating industry started in the late 19th century in California and grew dramatically in the late 70s and early 80s until it basically disappeared in 1985. As a result of the energy crisis of the late 70s, generous state and federal incentives were introduced that led to a thriving solar market. Under President Carter, solar water heating was installed in the White House, and at that time California was the biggest market in the world with 165,000 solar water heaters installed in houses across the state from 1981 to 1984. In 1985, President Reagan declared the energy crisis over and removed the solar water heating system installed on the white house in a symbolic gesture.

Unfortunately, the incentive programs of this period had no real oversight on the quality of the units themselves or the competence of the installers, so among many of the great systems that were installed in the 1980s were a lot of bad ones that ended up failing. This gave the US solar water heating industry a big black eye that has lasted decades. Luckily, the industry continued to thrive in other countries such as Germany and China. The manufacturers in other countries continued to develop solar water heating technologies and the industry is very robust in many places around the world: Austria, with a climate similar to Minnesota, installed over 40 times as many solar hot water systems as California in 2008, despite having less than a quarter of the state’s population, and in China (the world’s largest market today) 1 in 10 homes have solar water heating. In Israel and other Mediterranean countries , the percentage of homes with solar hot water is about 90 percent.

Now that the focus on renewable energy is back in light of climate change, our state and federal governments have a renewed interest in solar water heating. A recent study undertaken by KEMA-Xenergy for Pacific Gas & Electric – one of California’s largest utilities, found that solar water heating has an unparalleled value in offsetting natural gas usage. These findings have been confirmed many times over. Compared to other home energy improvements that offset natural gas, solar water heating can save over twice as much as the next best option per dollar spent. For the average household of three people, this translates to an offset of about 76,000 pounds of carbon dioxide – that’s as much as the average sedan emits driving 70,553 miles! In terms of carbon, investing in solar water heating is like planting a grove of 1,375 mature maple trees.

Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 signed by President Obama, the Federal Government will now reimburse homeowners for a full 30% of the cost (parts and labor) of a solar water heating investment (no alternative minimum tax offset and no price cap), and in California there is now an additional state incentive program, recently made available in August, which offers an additional incentive of up to $1,500 for installing a solar water heater – But the very important part of all this is that the government has wised-up on how best to implement these programs so that only good systems are incentivized and the industry grows: In order to receive any of these incentives, the system must be rated by the Solar Rating and Certification Corporation (SRCC) and in California, the incentive is given to the certified installer, contingent on the system passing a special inspection given by the California Center for Sustainable Energy (CCSE), the solar water heating incentive program’s administrating body.

Of course people are much more aware of photovoltaic (solar electric) systems, so we often find ourselves talking to great people who had never considered solar water heating as an option (ironic when it really should be considered first in most cases: it’s generally more cost effective and performs more efficiently in a wider variety of applications – that is, orientation and shading do not negatively impact performance as strongly as these factors do for photovoltaic systems.) That’s not to say that we don’t think solar electricity is GREAT – It’s just that for most people, an investment in PV is still typically beyond their means and not as cost effective.

In 2001, John Case, our founder, wanted to update his house again to be more energy efficient. John is a long-time environmental activist and co-founder of Bikestation, which has brought free bike parking to the major transit hubs of 7 American cities. John’s renovation plans were extensive – he wanted to do everything: re-insulate walls and attic, install energy-efficient windows and appliances, photovoltaic arrays, etc. After undertaking energy audits and months of research, John’s friends at Southern California Edison and the California Public Utilities Commission confirmed that solar water heating would be the best place for him to start in terms of energy savings and carbon offset. However, John was surprised when the solar hot water providers that he sought out were a big initial disappointment: either smaller-scale plumbing operations or solar electric installers that also happened to do a little solar water heating installation. Overall, the problem was that both had limited experience with the technology and were simply not dedicated to the service line. He basically knew more than they did about what would work best for him. This is still fairly typical: Up until this point, if a homeowner wants to install solar water heating, the burden is on him or her to figure out what system will work best for them and then to figure out how to install it or have it installed. So the beginning of our company comes out of a very strong need for expert solar water heating professionals that have the skills and experience to take the mountain of research and guess-work out of the equation.

Last year, PolarSolar widened our scope with our global initiative to provide low-cost solar water heaters to some of the globe’s poorest families. Every day, 1.4 billion people must bathe and wash clothes and dishes in cold water because the energy needed to heat large quantities of water is too expensive. In fact, if done on a daily basis, heating water for bathing and cooking would be the single-most expensive energy cost for households in developing nations. We decided that we needed to do something to affect this situation because there are now ultra-affordable solar water heaters that can dependably heat water using the sun’s free energy. We are now increasing the quality of life for people that cannot currently afford the simple amenity of hot water by providing a solar water heating unit to a family in need for every system sold in the United States.

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Solar Energy Is Not New.

david — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:30:09 +0000

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The following is a guest post by Nan Fischer, a Certified EcoBroker specializing in green real estate in Taos, NM. Check out her website www.nanfischer.com, and follow her on Twitter for a daily green news feed, www.twitter.com/nan_fischer.

Greetings to all you energy conscious, eco-minded folks! I hope you are ready to read about solar energy and green building! I’d like to start with a little background, though, so you can see:

Solar has been around for a long time.
Energy efficiency is not trendy.
I’m a credible source.

Solar energy is not new. It has been around for as long as the sun! Did you ever notice that the cliff dwellings of indigenous peoples, such as the Anasazi, face south?

Over a thousand years ago, people understood the power of the sun. They built their dwellings facing south to capture the sun’s winter warmth. The rocks absorbed the heat and released it slowly after dark. Cliff dwellings were also built under overhangs to shade out the high summer sun.

The principles of solar energy have not changed in thousands of years, and we use them in building today. As energy prices remain unstable, passive solar and other energy efficient building methods are becoming more important. Many communities, such as Taos, New Mexico, where I live, are putting energy efficient requirements into their building codes.

We must incorporate more renewable energy, because fossil fuels are finite. They will not be here forever to heat and cool our homes, and as they get depleted, prices will rise. We cannot create more oil, natural gas and coal, but the sun, wind and water will always be available. Fossil fuels also cause political struggle, greed and other negative energies. No one needs to die in the battle for fossil fuels when the sun, wind and water can supply our energy needs.

Your home is the first place to begin saving energy. According to the EPA, buildings in the US account for:

39 percent of total energy use
12 percent of the total water consumption
68 percent of total electricity consumption
38 percent of the carbon dioxide emissions

It is clear that saving energy in your home will have a positive impact on the planet and your wallet. An energy-efficient home is also a buffer against fuel price increases.

Energy efficient homes are my passion. I have wanted to be an architect since I was about six years old. I played with Legos more often than Barbie dolls. My passion for homes, solar energy and all things eco drove me to become an EcoBroker®, a Realtor® specializing in green homes.

I’ve been attracted to the sun since my Lego days, too. Maybe I was an Anasazi in a previous life. Or maybe the large sunny window in my childhood room had an effect on me. My mom turned my room into a greenhouse after I grew up and moved out. Whenever I came home, I slept with geraniums and orchids without complaint.

I was always outdoors, too, running in the woods, catching frogs in the brook, or marveling at pansy faces and the multicolor sheen of Japanese beetles. I knew at a young age I was part of the natural world. At 25, I got a grounds-keeping job at a large summer resort. I was in my element, working with plants and being outside every day. This was my first experience with a greenhouse, though.

The Wentworth by the Sea in Newcastle, NH had a greenhouse where we started from seed all the plants for the hundreds of lavish flower gardens. We mixed our own potting soils, transplanted seedlings into the ground, mulched, weeded, watered, fertilized, cleaned up in fall and spread composted manure on the beds in November. After eight heavenly months at the Wentworth, I wanted to study horticulture. I enrolled at the University of New Hampshire’s Thompson School of Applied Science for the fall of 1980.

There my solar studies began.

Anasazi photo from Shutterstock

Previously published at Green Buy Guide

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Heat Your Home For Free With These Solar Heaters.

david — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 13:30:36 +0000

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My landlord just installed 2 of these solar heaters – 10 days before I move out, which stinks. But for the next 10 days, I plan on running these heaters all day long to heat up the house for absolutely no cost to me. In an effort to try to explain what my landlord did, I took a few pictures of the heaters and will do my best to explain how they work.

Each heater is basically a sealed wooden box sitting on a small cement foundation and attached to the side of my house. The front of the box is made of glass windows and right behind the windows is black tar paper, which helps to attract and absorb the heat from the sun. Behind the tar paper and running back and forth several times within the box itself is 36 feet of dryer venting, zig-zagging itself back and forth from one end to the other.

Each end of this venting goes into my house – one entrance at one of the wooden box and one at the other. (Yes, 2 small holes are cut into my house for each end of the venting to be brought inside)

Inside my home, this venting is covered with a grate and framed out with some wood that matches the trim in the house. This is a closed loop system, where the air comes from inside my house, through the heater, and back into my house through the other vent. One end has a small fan with a thermostat attached, so that once the air inside the box reaches 72 degrees, the fan automatically turns on and pulls room-temperature air into the heater, lets it work its way through the 36 feet of “heated-up” venting, and returns it slowly back into the house.

When it is sunny outside, these heaters crank out some serious hot air. So even on frigid cold days, when these heaters come on they do a great job of heating up the place, as they aren’t even using the outside air to begin with. There is one on each end of my home, and because of the open floor plan, the heat comes from these ends and meets in the middle – my living room. Sure, they don’t work at night (obviously), but they definitely put out a lot of heat during the day, so the warmth does last into the evening for a bit (especially with my concrete floors).While you still may need to run your heater at night or on cloudy days, you won’t need to during any sunny days. A few of these will keep you toasty warm on the coldest of them.

Here is the materials list in case you want to try to build your own:

- Wood frame box
- Old windows
- Tar paper
- Cement for a footing
- Foam for around the footing
- Dryer venting
- Metal grates for inside the house
- Some wood trim (if you want it) for inside the house
- A small computer fan to pull the air into the heater
- A thermostat to have the fan turn on and off automatically

I know the boxes did take my landlord some time to build, but I also know they weren’t that expensive – especially for how much they give back. Just thought I would pass this amazing idea along to you guys!

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