|
Solar Power in Wings
Sun-Sentinel
BY RICK STONE
You'd think our recent experience with powerless hurricane aftermaths coupled with new and generous federal tax breaks would have caused solar-energy panels to appear on everybody's roofs by now.
But no. The simple systems that heat household water silently, with no operating costs and no polluting by-products, remain relatively rare.
That is likely to change, though, says Roger Messenger, a professor of electrical engineering at Florida Atlantic University. People will stop passing up the free money, he says, and residential solar systems will become environmental fashion statements.
"Now people brag about trading in their Hummers for hybrid cars," Messenger says. "We'll see within 10 years when it's socially fashionable to talk about the size of your solar electric system."
Solar systems heat household water by running it through pipes embedded in rooftop heat-collecting panels. Claims vary, but most experts agree that, at current power rates, solar systems can save enough money to pay for themselves in five to 10 years.
That includes the benefit of the latest incentive to install solar: a federal tax credit of 30 percent (up to $2,000) of the cost of installing approved systems. That feature of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 is new this year.
At Solar Concepts of Boca, owner Steven Baillie says new solar shoppersare beginning to show up.
"It's a real no-brainer for everybody," Baillie said. "It can save 80 percent off your water heating bills, and hot water, after air conditioning, is the second-largest consumer of electricity in your household."
A typical system includes the roof panels, piping, a special tank with a back-up heating element for cloudy days and an electric distribution pump. Baillie sells an 80-gallon system and a 120-gallon system with various options that spread prices between $3,300 and $6,000.
The water temperature varies with the weather, and sometimes the heating element kicks in if the sunshine on a winter day can't boost the temperature up to the thermostat setting.
One extra-cost option turns the solar-heating system into hurricane emergency gear: It's a distribution pump that also runs on solar power so hot water can continue to flow even without electricity.
Using the direct rays of the sun, water heating is about the best and most efficient thing that solar power can do. There are other systems that use photovoltaic cells to convert sunlight directly to electricity and purport to provide whole-house power, but they require specially designed appliances and other unusual energy efficiencies.
Baillie says they're costly and awkward. "You're talking $30,000 to $50,000, and your whole roof has to be photovoltaic panels," he said.
For now, direct solar heating remains your best option. The price may be daunting, but the system, with the help of the tax credit, will pay for itself over time.
And there are intangibles, Messenger says.
"It's absolutely quiet, it heats water for you, you don't have to go get gas for it, it takes minimal maintenance and it eliminates the need to generate electricity in other ways."
"It's something you can feel good about."
|