Harnessing the Sun. More than 4 million homes expected to have solar power by 2020.
Throughout recorded history, people around the world have worshipped the sun. Entire cultures have been centered around the sun’s light and life-giving powers.
Today millions of Americans harness the sun’s energy with solar power as an alternative to traditional electric and natural gas providers.
The U.S. Department of Energy projects four million homes in the United States will have installed solar systems by 2020. Idaho ranks 41st in the country for solar capacity and an estimated 540 homes in the Gem state generate 4.6 megawatts of power. One megawatt of solar power can produce power for roughly 164 homes, depending on weather conditions.
“Since President Obama took office, the amount of solar power installed in the U.S. has increased nearly 25 fold — from 1.2 gigawatts in 2008 to an estimated 29.3 gigawatts as of the first quarter of 2016 — enough to power the equivalent of 5.7 million average American homes,” said Bridget Bartol, Deputy Press Secretary at the U.S. Department of Energy.“In the first half of 2016, solar provided more than 50 percent of the new power generation added to the nation’s electric grid. Solar power has a strong growth trajectory for years to come, and is expected to provide an increasingly greater share of the nation’s overall electricity portfolio. This growth is due to falling costs and a growing demand for clean energy across the country.”
Solar power is a global phenomena. The world's production of solar is about to reach 200 gigawatts of production. To put that in perspective: one gigawatt would power roughly 725,000 homes. It doesn’t stop there, other products such as solar-powered fans and sol-blanket insulation are growing in popularity across the U.S. These products offer an affordable way to cut back on energy use in your home.
So what’s behind the increasing numbers of people choosing solar energy and other energy efficient improvements for their homes?
The U.S. Department of Energy said the primary trend driving change in the solar power industry over the past five to 10 years are falling costs. Additionally, homeowners are becoming more conscious about the overall health their homes provide to their families.
“In 2010, the Energy Department launched its SunShot Initiative, an effort to drive down the cost of solar power until it was fully cost-competitive with traditional energy sources,” said Bartol. “Since SunShot’s inception, the average price per kilowatt hour of a utility-scale solar project has dropped from about $0.21 to $0.10. SunShot is well on its way to achieving its goal to make solar power affordable and accessible for every American”
And industry experts agree.
“Increasing utility rates and incentives are making it easy for homeowners to make the switch throughout the country,” said Jamie Skaar, Sol Solutions Today VP of Business Development. “Homeowners are seeing the value installing solar and are enjoying little to no utilities and increased home values.”
Sol Solutions Today is hosting a pair of free informational dinners about solar power and other energy efficient improvementson Monday, Aug. 29 at the Best Western Inn in Coeur d’Alene, 506 W. Appleway Ave. The first dinner is at 4 p.m. and the second starts at 6:30 p.m. To register, go to http://try.solsolutionstoday.com/
Switching from traditional power sources can seem overwhelming to the average homeowner, but in reality it’s simple and hassle free, said Skaar.
“The bigger issues revolve around a home’s energy loss and airflow,” said Skaar. “We teach our customers about how their home is performing. We save homeowners thousands of dollars in unnecessary maintenance and utility bills, while also improving home health. Ultimately, we want our customers to be energy independent.”
Sol Solutions Today is a solar home performance company whose mission is improving home health, lowering utility bills and maintenance expenses for customers. The San Diego-based company strives to improve home efficiency with new cost-effective technologies.
Skaar answered the basics about solar energy.
Solar power and home performance Q & A
Will I see a decrease in my energy bills? We have customers that enjoy significant energy savings year round. When we improve performance and efficiency we can all find ways to save. Our customers enjoy more than low utility bills, their homes are healthier, they're more comfortable year round, experience lower maintenance and replacement costs and ultimately a lower solar quote. Isn’t solar power too expensive? It’s a myth that solar power is too expensive. The panels are more affordable and efficient then they have ever been. Incentives from the Federal Government have made solar even more affordable. Some regions have additional incentives at the state and local level that offer additional savings to homeowners. Once panels are paid off, homeowners enjoy free energy and no electric bills. Our Performance Specialists can review what incentives homeowners are eligible for based on their region. How long does it take to install the solar panels? Panels are generally installed four to six weeks from the agreement. Permitting and coordination with the utility company to activate the system can affect the time. Will solar panels work in a region that snows a lot? Snow will influence the effectiveness of solar. A panel needs exposure to the sun for the photovoltaic cells to gather ultra violet rays from the sun. The panels are resilient and if covered by snow, the panels would be the first location to melt. Once the panels were exposed to the sun they will continue producing power for you. What about North Idaho’s dark cloudy months? Does that affect solar panels? Can I run out of power? A common myth about solar is that it doesn't work in regions with cloudy conditions. Germany produces more solar than any other country on the planet. Germany's climate is more like the Northwest’s than California’s. There are a lot of older homes in the area. What are the challenges with working on a home that was built 20, 50, 100 years ago? Every home is different and there is no such thing as a universal install. The best way to know the opportunities for your home is to schedule a performance review. Our company works with the newest home performance technologies. We have a lot of flexibility in how we accomplish our customer's goals. How does your company make homes more environmentally friendly? Our solutions help customers to improve their home air quality protecting against important issues like Radon gas build up, carbon monoxide, allergen buildup and mold/mildew. Our customers enjoy homes that lose less energy, which increases year round comfort. Lower demand on heating/cooling systems and the roof means increased lifespan. Because our customers have more energy efficient homes, their energy needs are less and ultimately, they can install smaller solar energy systems. This allows us to offer our customers tremendously more value and improvement at similar or smaller investment than a solar only quote. How has solar technology improved over time? The biggest improvements to the technology have been in the inverter technology and manufacturing. Inverters are more efficient and cost effective to produce. Utilizing micro inverter technology has increased the efficiency of panels and offers homeowners the ability to easily expand on existing systems with plug and go technologies. This gives homeowners the opportunity to start small and expand on their system as their energy needs grow. As homeowners switch over to all electric cars and companies like Tesla continue to create technologies like the Powerwall for solar home owners. We're beginning to see the market develop with the idea of us all becoming solar homeowners. About Sol Solutions Today Sol Solutions Today is a solar home performance company dedicated to improving home health, lowering utility bills and maintenance expenses for customers. The San Diego-based company strives to improve home efficiency with new cost-effective technologies, such as installing solar as well as improving airflow and home health.
To RSVP for the upcoming dinner seminar visit try.solsolutionstoday.com
By MARC STEWART Director of Sponsored Content |