rooftop solar systems

rooftop solar systems

The history of solar energy and its adoption shows that the acceptance of solar power in the United States has been excruciatingly slow. The primary reason sited is the high price of solar energy components. A valid argument... until you look at:

· The cost of not adopting solar energy

· Rising fossil fuel costs

· Economies of scale to bring price down

At a rate of about 53,000 pounds per person per year of carbon dioxide emitted by the average American household (statistics attained from the Nature Conservancy), our contribution to global warming is...enormous. The average worldwide is 18 tons or 36,000 pounds per person.

Let's see, that means the average American adds about 1/3 more greenhouse gas per year than everyone else in the world. Does that make you think a little more about the cost of not adopting solar energy? Would you, like millions of other Americans, prefer to be in the top 1/3 rather than the bottom 1/3?

Next, let's take a look at costs. One of the reasons solar power adoption in developing countries has been exploding is that there are so many places that would never be able to afford traditional systems...or would have been on a waiting list forever... if they were waiting for their utility company to install the power lines or pipes for an on-the-grid traditional fossil fuel energy system. Contrast that with a $200 solar collector placed on their roof that allowed someone the opportunity to take their first hot shower...and once the $200 was paid off, every shower thereafter was free. No Harvard-trained economist needed here.

Other countries, including those in Europe, hard hit by rapidly escalating fuel costs, and an unstable supply source, have been more aggressive in their adoption of solar power. The installation of rooftop solar systems for hot water heaters has escalated rapidly as fuel costs have risen.

China has around 4,000 companies manufacturing solar water heaters, with about 27 million installed, according to a March 2010 article in http://www.grist.org.

The United States has plodded along behind, but has set standards and initiatives to move forward. As a major consumer of fossil fuel energy, we have maintained enough economic leverage to keep even imported energy costs relatively affordable. With the world economic instability, however, and rapidly depleting fossil fuel availability, this may change quickly.

Here's an inspiring bit of news for all of us: Currently, with the world initiatives on stabilizing our climate through a shift to renewable energies, there are projections that if all the countries meet their renewable energy goals by the year 2020, it will result in the equivalent reduction of 690 coal-fired power plants. Under current calculations, that could mean slashing net carbon emissions by 80%.

Pretty impressive, I'd say. A worthwhile goal.

But wait... there's more. The economies of scale tell us that the more rapidly we move toward solar power adoption, the more affordable it will become.

Given the relative affordability of fossil fuel energy, only the most environmentally-conscious, and/or affluent families and individuals in the United States have seriously considered solar energy for a complete power system for their homes. Few, in fact, have considered it even for solar water heaters, although in the United States, as in Europe, more and more rooftop solar panels have begun to appear. The primary focus for solar water heating in the United States has been focused around solar heaters for swimming pools. While this is, indeed, a step in the right direction, only more and more conscious choice by the American public to "go solar" in every way possible will result in the economies of scale that are necessary to take subsidies out of the equation and put it at parity... or below... with all other power options.

For the moment, however, state and federal subsidies, through tax incentives, rebates, and net-metering are providing the impetus needed to move the United States forward to a more robust and wholehearted solar energy adoption. Hawaii, California and Florida have been successfully leading the initiative, adding their own incentives to the federal tax credits introduced in 2006.

Adoption of solar power has been slow. Cost, immediate availability, usability, and reliability of solar power equipment, coupled with adverse industrial and political pressure, have all impacted our acceptance of solar energy as a viable competitor to what we know works...fossil fuel energy.

At the present, however, all factors seem to be coalescing to bring solar to the front door of the orphanage...presenting itself as the "right one" for adoption by many, if not all.

Solar energy history shows that now is the time to adopt solar power.

Timothy Peters is a renewable energy enthusiast and author. He lives in Spokane, WA and enjoys teaching others how to save money on their utility bill and help the planet through home solar power. You can learn more about solar energy history, and other solar energy topics, at his website. You can also check out his new ebook Home Solar Power Explained, where he confronts common miss-perceptions about home solar power and shows how anyone can easily benefit from solar energy.

Rooftop solar energy