Thanks to technological gain, solar energy may soon have its day in the sun. And solar energy experts say homeowners will soon be discovering that they can use solar energy for a whole lot more than making sun tea.
”There are many viable solar alternatives for the homeowner,” says Kerry M. Krafthefer, president of Kraftech Inc., who sells many solar-powered products at his Ace Hardware Store at Yorktown shopping center in Lombard.
”You can do everything with solar energy from powering a calculator to running the appliances in your house. And it`s a very cost-effective alternative if you look at the energy savings over the life of the product.” And, says John Lippert, project supervisor with the Conservation and Renewable Energy Inquiry and Referral Service, a Department of Energy information service, ”There are a lot of radical and revolutionary developments that will take place to make solar energy even more viable (in the next decade).”
Solar energy is used basically for two things: generating electricity and heating.
The major benefit of solar energy, the experts say, is that it is a
”clean” energy source (as opposed to energy that is produced by oil, gas or coal, which produce emissions). It is also an unlimited energy source.
Solar energy also allows a homeowner to use less energy from a utility, or break away from a utility completely in some cases. And because sunlight is free, the cost of producing solar energy is nominal or nothing once the equipment has been paid for.
Another benefit is that solar energy is in some cases portable, offering the same advantages of a battery system.
Finally, solar energy isn`t only generated on bright, sunny days.
”Even on cloudy, shady days, you generate solar electricity,” says Krafthefer. ”It`s less efficient, but there is still light coming through the clouds.”
Hot stuff
Thanks to the recent introduction of several new products for the home, solar electricity has become a hot issue.
Solar electricity is produced by using solar panels to capture the power of the sun and convert it into electricity. This process is also known as Photovoltaic (PV) power.
Most solar electricity applications are currently used for industrial and commercial purposes-everything from lighting parking lots, to powering satellites, to refrigerating medicines in the desert.
”It`s conceivable that everything in your home now could run off a solar system,” says Jim Hartley, manager of the eastern region for Photocomm Inc., a Downers Grove company that installs solar electricity systems in homes and businesses.
”But I see it becoming even more viable in the future because the cost of the technology has come down in the last 10 years,” he says. ”And the efficiency and reliability of the equipment has also improved. In addition, there are new electric appliances that consume less energy than in the past.” Hartley says that for those homes already hooked up to an electric utility, converting to solar electricity is a very expensive task: The initial investment could range anywhere from $30,000 to as much as $80,000.
Remote control
What makes more sense is using solar electricity in areas where a utility has not yet been established. For example, the most viable application now for solar electricity is to power vacation homes at remote locations. Because utility line extension fees generally run about $10 per foot, solar electricity systems can be a logistical and economical alternative, says Hartley.
”Installing solar electricity in that scenario may still be more cost-effective than running a power line to a remote home,” he says. ”And those homeowners who install solar (electric) systems can wave goodbye to the utility company forever.”
The portability slant is also proving popular for providing solar power to RVs and boats for lights, refrigerators, stereos, microwave ovens and bathroom facilities.
Light at home
But the biggest gain in solar electricity has been with solar electric products geared to the homeowner.
For example, Arco Solar, as well as other manufacturers, is currently offering a number of solar-powered outdoor lights that are proving quite popular. During the daytime, the light`s solar cell converts sunlight into electricity and stores it in a rechargeable battery. At night, a darkness sensor turns on the light.
The advantage of the lights, Krafthefer says, is that they require no wiring to install. They are simply placed in the ground in the area you want lit. And, of course, there are no electricity costs.
There are several types of decorative pathway lights, which put out a small amount of ambient light for about six to as much as 12 hours. There is also a portable Arco Solar ”Anywhere Light,” a 15-watt solar-powered fluorescent light that runs for as long as 2 1/2 hours. The light can be permanently installed or carried to a temporary location.
Prices for such lights run from about $19 to around $100.
Other solar products geared to the homeowner include solar-powered flashlights; solar-powered battery rechargers; and a solar-powered recharger for the Skil Twist cordless screwdriver.
A charge out of it
There are also solar-powered trickle chargers, which keep unused car and marine batteries charged with solar electricity over long periods of time. The trickle chargers consist of a solar panel and a cord that plugs into the vehicle`s cigarette lighter. These cost from about $20 to as much as $200.
In addition to selling solar products at his Ace Hardware Store Energy Center, Krafthefer also designs his own solar electricity products by combining certain solar devices.
For example, he offers an attic exhaust fan that is hooked up to a solar panel that sits on the roof. When the sun hits the panel, the fan operates, removing hot air from an attic. It sells for around $200.
”The system is more expensive than a traditional attic fan, but the benefit is that you don`t need an electrician to install it,” Krafthefer says. ”And you don`t need to run electrical wiring into the attic. The average do-it-yourselfer can easily install the system.”
For the enterprising homeowner, there are solar panels priced from about $50 to $500. These can be hooked up to a number of appliances, such as blenders and fans that run on DC current (battery power). ”You could take these appliances with you to the beach, if you liked, and run them off the electricity generated by the solar panels,” he says.
Krafthefer`s store also sells inverters that take the DC current of 12 volts and converts it to 120 volts AC (household power). ”Once you have that, you can power just about anything in your house by solar electricity,” he says. ”You could run a hot tub way in the corner of your back yard without running an electric line to it. Instead, you could use solar power.”
Taking the heat
Other solar alternatives receiving attention are heat systems, which, like solar electricity, cost nothing to operate once the initial equipment investment is made.
But solar heat systems are not a complete alternative to the local utility company: Solar heat will provide only about 20 to 50 percent of the heat needed to warm a home and only 50 to 70 percent of the heat needed for hot water.
Solar heating systems come in two forms, Lippert said.
First, there are the more familiar active solar energy systems, which require mechanical equipment to operate. Pumps, pipes and ducts carry heat from collectors to a storage unit and then through a home. The average space heating and hot water system costs from about $10,000 to $20,000. Most need to be installed by professionals.
”One of the most common (solar heat) applications is solar swimming pool heaters,” says Lippert. ”It`s a much more cost-effective alternative than gas and electric heat.”
Then there are passive solar energy systems, which rely on natural heat movement through convection, conduction and radiation. Passive systems use a home itself to collect and store solar heat. Large windows act as collectors and thick walls and floors store heat for later use.
Because of their low costs, passive systems make especially good candidates for do-it-yourself projects, Lippert says. The most popular passive system is a sun space, a totally glazed room such as a greenhouse or sun room. ”I can`t say (sun spaces) are done strictly for reducing energy bills,” says Lippert. ”People are turning to them for aesthetic factors as well.”
Adding such a room to a home can cost from $5,000 to $10,000, he says.
”That`s why it makes a lot of sense to consider (passive solar heating systems) when either building the house, during a major remodeling or if you`re tearing out windows to add larger windows.”
Double duty
In addition to providing heat, the sun space-which ideally faces south-also separates an adjoining room from outside air, decreasing that room`s heat loss.
Passive systems require more of a homeowner`s participation, Lippert says, such as uncovering glass areas in the morning and covering them at night.
With more gains expected in window technology, Lippert says solar energy will make even more economical sense.
”Several years ago, if you found a window with an R4 value, that was state of the art,” said Lippert. ”In January, one company introduced a window that was R8 rated. And there are three manufacturers that are testing windows that have an R10 rating.” (The higher the R rating, the more energy- efficient the window.)
He adds that eventually windows-which were always a source of heat loss-will be net energy gainers. ”Once they become net gainers, the sun`s going to play a much greater role in a home,” he says. ”By that time we`ll see solar heating encroaching upon the American public without them even knowing it.”
For more information, the Conservation and Renewable Energy Inquiry and Referral Service will answer written questions about home solar energy systems. In addition, the service will provide referrals, written information and even plans for solar greenhouses. Write to the service at P.O. Box 8900, Silver Spring, Md. 20907, or call 1-800-523-2929.
Another source is the Solar Energy Research Institute, which also offers printed materials on solar alternatives. Contact the institute by writing to Technical Inquiry Service, 1617 Cole Blvd., Golden, Co. 80401.
