Solar Energy: Tell Me More

Understanding how solar power is harnessed — in addition to determining which financial incentives are available — is easier than you might think

By Nancy Kibbee

Even the Sun was intimidated when he heard the word “photovoltaic” during the Cincinnati Solar Tour a few weeks ago. But this is just a big word for producing electricity from the Sun’s light, captured by solar panels. Confusion or insecurity, as the experts in this week’s episode of Natural Interiors® TV explained, is unnatural.

In addition to collecting light for solar-electric power, solar panels are used to collect heat, which gives us solar-thermal power. 

 In a whole-building solar energy project, solar-thermal power is most commonly used to heat water or the building, while solar-electric, or photovoltaic,  is used to power everything else. Natural gas also often remains in the building’s heating equation. And there are appliances like the attic fan shown in the video, available at Greener Stock (www.greenerstock.com) though it is not a whole-building solar dealer, that operate independently of the whole-building energy system.

When there isn’t enough light or heat being captured from the Sun, the whole-building system simply relies on energy from the utility company or battery backup until there is. Even when this backup is needed, using solar energy means notable savings on monthly utility bills in addition to improving the health of the planet.

O’Brien’s Carpet One Floor & Home, 111 E. Garden of Gods Rd., in Colorado Springs, CO, is among an endless list of examples nationally (www.obrienscarpetonecoloradosprings.com). The solar energy system there was activated at the end of last year.  Based on utility bills for January through May, the store saved 229 percent on utility bills, or an average of 46 percent a month, during the system’s first five months of operation.

The store’s solar electric power saves a tremendous amount on lighting – a major expense for a retail store, says Beth Hughes, owner and vice president. The store also is cooled with solar electric power, which also powers the furnace fans, while the heating is natural gas.

“After utility rebates and federal tax credits, we figure we will recoup costs of installing the system within five years,” she says.

Commercial installations are outpacing residential installations because of the rebate and tax-credit structure and the size the job needs to be in order to recoup installation costs within three years, says John Fanselow, an expert featured in this week’s video, Here Comes the Sun. He is the senior project developer for Third Sun Solar & Wind Power, based in Athens Ohio, www.third-sun.com. (Pictured with this blog are solar panels installed by Third Sun Solar & Wind at Twenhofel Middle School in Kentucky.)

For current information by state about solar energy rebates and tax credits, you can visit www.dsireusa.org. But a professional solar company will be happy to compile this information for you, Fanselow points out.