Light on the Earth:
The Solar Option
Introduction to Solar Energy
This information is formulated for those interested in making a change in the way they think about and utilize energy, with the goal of allowing the installation of a solar powered energy system for a household or small business that is easy to use, reliable, and cost-effective.
Whether you are a do-it-yourselfer or need to oversee the work of a professional electrician or other solar installer, this is the information that you and your electrician need, to make sure that a durable, safe, and cost-effective system is installed. In many cases, a professional electrician is required, particularly if you have no experience working with electricity. In cases where the equipment is UL approved and is not hard-wired but can be connected and disconnected by means of a standard electrical plug, you may not need a permit depending on your local regulations.
In order to utilize this technology, you need 5 to 20 square yards (depending on energy requirements) of space on a roof or in a yard, facing south, that remains free of shadow from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. This is for the solar energy collectors. You also need to have additional space for storage of the supporting equipment which can be a closet that is conveniently located for connecting all the components together. Of course, these installations are semi-permanent, so it is most practical if you own the property or have a long-term lease.
Some of you may be familiar with some of the issues discussed here. If so, bear with us as we develop a logical process to the attainment of our goal.
Why is this information of value? Why can’t you simply hire a professional to make all the decisions for you? The answers to these questions are straightforward. Each individual, family, or business must weigh costs and advantages of each element of an energy system that matches cost and performance to the individual requirements of equipment budget, convenience, maintenance, and ongoing costs.
It is difficult for a professional to accomplish this without making an in-depth study of your financial situation, your lifestyle, and other intangibles such as a commitment to living lightly on the earth. This can be an intrusion on your privacy and can well result in an unsatisfactory energy system, since so much subjective interpretation would be required by the professional.
It is not that much different than buying an appliance such as a refrigerator or washer-dryer. In this instance you are buying an energy appliance. Since most people have left that to the central power company, you don’t yet have the experience to purchase the right energy appliance to meet your needs. This means that you must be willing to learn, to think and evaluate, and to make decisions about the best way to accomplish your personal energy use requirements.
If your commitment to changing your energy use habits is decided upon and you are willing to do a little focusing and concentrating on the basic issues involved, I believe that the level of learning that is required can be readily achieved by a 16-year-old and, therefore, should be very straight-forward for the majority of people. I hope you are one of the committed. If so, this book is definitely for you.
To start on the path to a clean, green energy conscience, it is helpful to consider the historic path that has led our society to the present multifaceted energy problem.
In earlier times, people discovered fire, which is the most basic transformative use of energy. Fire releases the energy contained in combustible substances allowing it to be used for cooking, heating, and powering various types of engines for transportation, electrical generation, and many industrial processes. The advantage of fire is that it is easily initiated and makes use of the relatively high density of energy stored in fuels. Whether the fuel is wood, alcohol, coal, oil, or natural gas, the principle is the same.
The comforts and conveniences derived from this original energy technology have now become familiar to people in the most isolated areas of the world. The desire to achieve the modern standard of living attained in developed nations is now the worldwide ambition of many billions of people.
However, the difficulty is that these fuel sources are limited and being rapidly depleted while simultaneously placing an increasingly destructive burden on the natural systems that are the foundation of our standard of living. In addition, we will still need these combustible fuels as feed-stocks for non-combustion benefits such as fertilizer, lubrication, and the manufacture of materials used in transportation, housing, and appliances. If we burn these basic resources, we will be left with an impoverished world where only a small minority can attain a comfortable life.
In the past, when the population was much smaller, the negative side-effects of combustion were considered to be bearable considering the benefits that were derived from combustion systems. These negative side effects include the health hazards of air, water and land pollution, and more recently the contribution to global climate change and the acidification of the oceans which threatens the habitability of the entire planet for all life forms including humans.
We do not need to rehash the technical details of this problem. It is enough to note that the era of cheap combustion energy is rapidly coming to a close and it is in our personal interests to take the steps necessary to achieve our desired standard of living through different technical means. Fortunately, we have those means at our disposal. Now, we must learn how to effectively utilize the available technologies to harness the ultimate source of clean energy available to us – the sun. So, what is the formula for this transformation?
Efficient equipment + low-waste strategies + solar energy = An affordable, high standard of living minus destructive global consequences.
This has already been demonstrated and achieved by some, including myself. Now, we must as rapidly as possible disseminate the knowledge that will allow others to join in this energy evolution. This book intends to provide comprehensive real-world information that allows energy consumers to understand how to live in a solar-powered world. I personally hope that it will also dispel much of the mythology surrounding solar energy including the false ideas that it is unreasonably expensive or unreliable. In fact, solar technology is one of the most cost-effective and durable technologies ever devised by humans. With the current government incentives it is remarkably inexpensive to utilize solar. I did not use any of these incentives and still, the cost of my 40 year solar energy system with all the modern amenities was about the same as a late model used car that will last no more that 5-7 years. The myth of unaffordable solar energy is over!