Solar Energy

Q: Back in the 1970's, Democratic President Jimmy Carter had installed solar panels on the White House roof. But he was defeated by Republican President Ronald Reagan in 1980, and one of the first things that Reagan did was to remove those solar panels. He did this because all the oil companies that financed Reagan's campaign were offended by the White House display of solar independence. It's not possible to push progess backwards, although the Republicans certainly do thwart, delay and impede it, time and time again. But progress, nevertheless, moves on. One more reason why we should invest in solar energy, because the rest of the world is already investing in it, and we are only being left behind, both technologically and economically by ignoring the vast powers of the sun.

A: Soaking up the sunshine Dozens of solar homes, businesses to open to public for tour By Anglica Pence, Chronicle Staff Writer Saturday, September 27, 2003 The lights didn't go off and stay off for days in California after last month's massive blackout in the Northeast. Unlike thousands of East Coast residents, our air conditioners cooled our homes and our computers turned on when we pushed a button. But memories of the rolling brownouts of 2001 are still fresh, and more residents are taking a look at alternative energy sources to run their homes. Aaron Straus didn't need a storm to knock out his power, much less a mega- grid failure to convince him that going solar was the right decision. His dwindling gas and electric bills were proof enough. Straus and his wife recently installed a photovoltaic (PV) system as well as a solar thermal system as part of a major remodel of their modest Daly City bungalow. Before the revamp, the couple paid Pacific Gas and Electric an average of $80 per month during the spring and fall ($200 in the winter). Last billing cycle, their bill was less than $22, including the $5 fee for use of their meter, according to Straus, a self-proclaimed "energy freak" who recently purchased a new Toyota Prius, a hybrid car that gets 50 miles to the gallon. The Strauses are among approximately 70 home and business owners in Northern California - including Marin, Contra Costa, Alameda, Santa Clara and San Mateo counties - who will open their homes to the public next Saturday to show how they heat, cool and light their houses, cook food, heat water and power their cars by turning the sun's rays into energy. The event is part of a nationwide tour sponsored by the American Solar Energy Society (ASES), in which an estimated 30,000 people are expected to see 1,200 homes, businesses and public buildings. The tour, which coincides with national Energy Awareness Month in October, "gives people the chance to meet directly with others who have incorporated solar design features in their buildings and use photovoltaic energy in their daily lives," says Brad Collins, ASES executive director. "Visitors can experience the comfort of increased daylight in buildings, learn about the benefits of solar and other forms of renewable energy, watch electric meters run backward, and see the actual savings on utility bills in buildings in their community." Meter runs backwards Daly City may see less sun than the rest of California, but it's more than enough to run the Strauses' 2,800-square-foot home. Their thermal system pumps water from a tank in the garage, up to the roof of the split-level structure where it quietly absorbs heat by moving through a series of copper tubes attached to 20 panels. The water, which can reach temperatures up to 160 degrees, then flows into an 80-gallon storage tank in the garage. From there, it passes through the gas-powered water heater where it is heated again (if necessary) before sending it into the house. The Strauses chose a SunnyBoy, a German-made photovoltaic system long popular in Europe and Japan and quickly gaining ground in the U.S. Such systems use inverters, which take direct current (DC) electricity generated by cells and convert it into alternating current (AC) electricity, or common household current. Most residential photovoltaic systems are tied to local power grids so homeowners are guaranteed a steady stream of electricity, even on foggy or cloudy days and nights. Unused power generated by the panels flows back into the grid, making the Strauses' "time-of-use" meter spin backward on most days. The Strauses worked with architect Steven Rajninger of San Francisco's Locus Architecture to harness as much sunlight as possible by incorporating green building or "passive solar" features into the revamped, 1950s-era bungalow: updated insulation, double windows with energy-efficient glass and a light well, which harvests sunlight and minimizes the need for electric lights during the day. From home to business Contractors Claudia and Stuart Wentworth similarly discovered solar alternatives when they were drawing up plans to double the square footage of their 1,700-square-foot home in Alamo. The couple was so impressed with the technology that they switched careers and opened Quality Solar, which installs solar equipment in homes and businesses throughout the Bay Area. The upper level of their now four-bedroom, 3.5-bath house has windows on both its north- and south-facing walls, as well as ceiling fans and transom windows directly above each bedroom door to take advantage of Alamo's frequently cool afternoon breezes. "We just open the upstairs windows and turn on the fans," says Claudia Wentworth, coordinator for Contra Costa's Solar Home Tour, which includes her house. The rising heat moves up and out of the house, "and in the summer it cools the house down in about 15 minutes." Aside from installing a SunnyBoy solar system, the Wentworths also put in a solar hot water system, a solar attic fan and (most recently) a solar hot tub. "The big advancement with this type of (photovoltaic) conversion (system) is that you no longer need to store energy in batteries, (which tended to be) messy, cumbersome, toxic, expensive and needed regular maintenance." Much of the solar equipment that was used in the 1970s, when solar power first gained popularity due to skyrocketing energy costs, often was unreliable, bulky and less-than-attractive. Since then, design improvements, a dwindling supply of fossil fuels, a heightened awareness about Earth-friendly energy alternatives and other factors have prompted about 1.1 million households across the country to use some sort of solar energy - be it supplemental, backup or a main power supply, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Another 147,000 run solely on sun-powered energy, according to Home Power magazine. Still, only 0.02 percent of all the electricity pumped into the U.S. grid comes from the sun. California leads California homes and businesses, for their part, produce 85 percent of all solar power in the entire country, according to the Northern California Solar Energy Association (NorCal Solar), which is sponsoring the annual tour in Northern California. Solar-equipped homes throughout the state, in fact, nearly doubled the nation's total solar energy output in 2002, generating close to 16 megawatts in 2001, and another increase is expected this year, according to the organization. Solar-power "is the way the energy market is going," says Wentworth. "Whether the world knows it or not, it's going. It just works too well not to use it." That may be so, but the option's hefty price tag remains a major deterrent for many. Up-front costs can give anyone a jolt - $10,000 to $20,000 or more. The cost of turning light into electricity can be up to four times as expensive as the gas and coal alternatives, according to several sources. Solar water heating systems, meantime, run between $3,000 to $10,000 to purchase and install. Straus estimates that his solar equipment will pay itself off in 10 years - about average for most homes. A worthwhile investment, solar advocates say, when you consider the tax breaks and other financial incentives offered by local, state and federal agencies. The California Energy Commission, for instance, offers rebates between 30 and 50 percent for solar installations. "Every time cumulative demand for solar energy doubles, the price comes down 20 percent," David Hochschild, co-founder of the Vote Solar Initiative, a nonprofit group helping cities implement solar energy programs, told The Chronicle in July. "In 1976, solar panels cost about $100 a watt. By 1986, the cost had dropped to $10 a watt. Today it's $3 a watt and falling."

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