March 2008

In a round up series of articles today, the New York Times featured a special section called "The Business of Green." Through several articles it focused its journalistic eye on the clean energy sector. "Millions of Jobs of a Different Collar" drilled down on the green job sector and its potential for uplifting the U.S. economy. Blue and green collar advocates alike weigh in. For more information see the Business of Green.

Excerpt from article, authored by Steven Greenhouse:

No doubt that the number of green-collar jobs is growing, as homeowners, business and industry shift toward conservation and renewable energy. And the numbers are expected to increase greatly in the next few decades, because state governments have mandated that even more energy come from alternative sources.

Federal Tax Credits are available for solar power and other energy efficiency systems…but time is running out unless they are extended in Washington! Residential and commercial solar installations must be commissioned by the end of the year to qualify for the existing incentives. There are of course also state and utility incentives available. A qualified solar integration firm can help you with these calculations. Federal Tax incentive information can be found on the Energy Star website.

This is a tip for all of you loving parents of solar panels – keep those bad boys clean! It sounds simple, and painfully obvious, but the cleaner the glass is, the more sunlight can penetrate to the system and the more energy your system can produce. There it is.

Recently the techs did a few service calls in the area and while they were out, they checked on the panels and cleaned them. They also took down readings before and after each cleaning. They also noticed whether the meter was spinning forwards or backwards before the cleaning. In many cases, the results were dramatic. Homeowners found their meters were spinning backwards again, like it was a brand new system. In fact, cleaning those panels does turn your system into something of a brand new system.

Now how often to clean is the question. And the answer: that depends. Some areas, particularly those with new construction and flying debris will need to clean their panels more often, even every other week. Other areas, may notice that their panels are always clean, and in that case, great! Either way, regular maintenance of your system will keep it running at optimum and also get you in the habit of checking whether that green light is working too. Maybe get into a routine – every time you wash your car, turn the hose on your roof and clean the panels while you're at it. For panels with caked in dirt, a squeegee and some mild soap should do the trick. Keep abrasive scrubbers and cleaners away from the panels to avoid scratching the glass.

See you in the field!

"I live in a 2000 square foot house. How many solar panels do I need?"

If I had a 200 watt panel for every time I've been asked this question, I would've solved the world's energy problems long ago. Alas, I wish there was a simple answer to this question. The answer lies not in 'how big' your house is, but rather 'how big' your appetite for energy is. A simple illustration of two identically sized houses should shine some light on this topic.

Tommy and Eric live next door to each other in identical tract homes.

To the casual observer, the only obvious difference between Eric’s house and Tommy’s is the paint color. However, if we analyze the cost of operation of each of these buildings (yes although you may not like to think of your cozy little home this way, it is indeed just a building) we’ll discover dramatic differences in both the volume and application of energy.

Knocking on Eric’s door we discover he’s a friendly bachelor who works at home as an outside sales rep. He travels a lot on business, so he often asks Tommy to feed his cat. Of course, Eric has the usual things, a 60” flat screen tv with surround sound and the latest gaming consoles of choice. As to be expected he also has a refrigerator, electric stove, dishwasher, central air, washer & dryer, and home office complete with computer, printer, wireless internet, Gibson electric guitar, amplifier, and a charging station for all of portable electronics. The lighting in his house has been almost entirely changed to compact fluorescent bulbs. Since Eric travels a lot he doesn’t get to enjoy his home theater as much as he’s like and since he prefers eating take-out his kitchen appliances (other than the fridge) are hardly touched. In addition, the local cleaner happily washes and presses most of his clothes. Eric’s annual electric bill is around $600.

Tommy on the other hand is a father of three: Jimmy (age 12), Johnny (age 8), and Sally (age 4). Tommy’s wife Molly is a homemaker and makes the best chocolate chip cookies in town. Upon entering Tommy’s house, we find many of the very same appliances Eric has, with one major difference – they actually get used!

With three kids to look after, Molly is very busy. Every morning she turns on PBS for Sally and throws in a load of laundry. It’ll be the first of many throughout the day. While Tommy and the boys take showers, she makes breakfast (and later dinner) for the family using some combination of electric and microwave oven. She empties last night’s clean dishwasher load and fills it right back up after breakfast with plates, glasses, coffee cups, utensils and pans. Then Molly runs a vacuum over the house.

Even though the sun is shining in the house’s east windows, almost every lightbulb in the house is on and they’re all incandescent! Jimmy left the bathroom lights on as he hurried out to school (he also left his computer and stereo on). Three of the bedroom closet lights are on. The lights in the family room where Sally enjoys morning cartoons and the twelve canned lights in the kitchen are always on – 24/7.

At 11:00am every morning, the pool pump kicks on. This bad boy runs for 6 hours a day everyday of the year. To make matters worse, it’s 102 degrees outside, so Molly cranks up the AC and leaves it on late into the night since the second floor gets incredibly hot and the family has a terrible time sleeping in such heat.

Can you guess what Tommy’s annual electric bill looks like? Well, I can tell you that if Tommy lives in California his average monthly electric bill is in the $500 – $600 range putting his annual nut at a whopping $6,000 – 7,000!

This financial drag would be bad enough for poor Tommy and his family, except his utility just notified him that they’ll be increasing tariffs next year by 14%. This is the equivalent of adding a thirteenth month to his bill! I hope Tommy gets a pretty hefty raise next year. He’s going to need it.

I wish I could say that I made this story up, but it’s based on the very real differences in power consumption I see every day. Are you more like Eric or Tommy or are you somewhere in the middle? You must answer this question for yourself before buying solar panels from anyone. This self analysis is critical if you’re to get the biggest bang for your solar buck.

In my next post, I'll help you determine your 'Energy Profile' and how your use of energy impacts the cost of going solar.

One of our own team, Kristin Underwood, is an accomplished blog author. She also happens to be an excellent solar power installer. She wrote up her experiences in Treehugger. This is a fact filled and personal view into how a residential solar power system is installed including photos. Kristin demonstrates how the passion for doing "green" can yield great results!

The Hebrew Academy in Huntington Beach, CA has gone green…

“It’s a move to show students the importance of conserving energy, respect for the environment,” said Rabbi Yitzchok Newman, dean of the school which educates 350 students from preschool through twelfth grade. It’s a mitzvah to conserve resources, he said, and it helps illustrate the power of the sun’s rays."

This blog is dedicated to information about solar power systems, energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies of all types. We are dedicated engineers and professionals with extensive experience in solar power and other sustainable energy technologies. We want to share information and experience from within the renewable energy industry.

We understand the passion “to make a difference.” We're passionate about about our work in the green energy field. This blog is an exciting opportunity to share information about being as energy efficient as possible, saving money on your energy bills whether you own a home, run a business or manage a facility…all to do our part in the search and implementation of environmentally positive changes. We’ve making a difference and you can make a difference too!