SunPath Solar Blog

For decades we have heard that the Earth is, “running out of oil,” and that our grandchildren’s generation will not have enough oil left to maintain a stable economy. There are many factors and statistics that point to the validity of this claim, but the reasons to wean this country off of fossil fuel-based energy have expanded into many other categories such as safety and environmental protection.

Renewable energy includes solar power, wind power, geothermal energy, and biomass. These sources are classified as being either completely renewable, sustainable, or both without causing significant harm to the environment.

While there is a very good chance that the world’s oil supply as we know it has a short life ahead of it, there are a few fossil fuel alternatives. Supplies such as tar sands in Canada are still available, but at three times the cost of oil from Saudi Arabia. This price increase is one of the first things to get Americans interested in finding alternative sources of energy, and with trends moving towards environmental sustainability, destroying our reliance on oil is a very popular idea.

Over the last few centuries there have been dozens of devastating fuel-related disasters, and recent oil spills have garnered much-needed attention for the renewable energy cause.

BP Oil Spill: In light of the recent massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the Obama Administration has begun encouraging Americans to kick the oil addiction, and with good reason. More severe and large-scale oil disasters such as the Exxon Valdez spill, as well as the dumping of oil by Iraq during the Gulf War have not been forgotten, but the BP spill happened to occur in a time when oil companies are already trying to clean their dirty reputations

Not only did eleven employees die in the blast, but the astronomical amount of oil that was pumped into the gulf each day has severely diminished the beaches, ecosystem, and fishing economy of the gulf.

West Virginia Coal Mine Disaster: In April of this year, another fuel-related catastrophe occurred, where 25 miners in West Virginia died at the explosion of a coal mine. This is the largest coal mine catastrophe to occur in the United States in many decades, and it has opened the eyes of many Americans to the dangerous ways we harvest our fuel.

And let’s not forget…

The 1986 Chernobyl nuclear plant fire and explosion killed 31 people, and forced over 135,000 people to evacuate the 30 km radius surrounding the accident. The long-term health effects have included numerous birth defects, increases in leukemia and thyroid cancers, radiation poisoning, genetic mutations and more. It is estimated by local governments that up to seven million people were affected by the accident.

While nuclear energy is considered an alternative, renewable energy source to some, the process is quite dangerous, and at times, extremely detrimental to surrounding areas. It has been reported that nearly 2/3 of all nuclear-related accidents have occurred in the United States, though none of them have resulted in fatalities. This is yet another reason why clean, renewable, sustainable energy should be the goal of energy harvesters across the globe. The United States is home to about 5% of the world’s entire population, and in 2000 it was reported that Americans consumed more than 25% of the world’s total oil consumption, and that number has only increased since then; we now consume about 19.4m barrels per day. President Barack Obama has called out to Americans to end the oil addiction for the sake of the environment, ecosystem, ozone layer, future generations, and the health of our home in general.

Whether we will run out of fossil fuels and oil is debatable, but the negative effects of oil consumption on the environment is not. The time to switch to clean, renewable energy is upon us, and we must all step up to the challenge.

Are you fed up with paying the utility company for overpriced energy? Alternatives exist and they have numerous benefits for you and your family. Integrating solar panels on your house will change the way you think about energy forever.

San Diego has been a leader in solar energy for quite some time, and California as a whole has been far ahead of the pack for all kinds of renewable energy. Perhaps it is the distance from the bustle of New York City and the drama of Washington D.C., but the west coast of America seems to be paving the way for renewable and sustainable energy, environmental awareness, and progressive control of climate change. From recyclable and organic products to sustainable agriculture, California’s impressive attitude towards environmental awareness is a game-changer.

7. Anyone thinking of installing solar systems in their homes or business properties can take advantage of a wide array of government and state-sponsored incentives that were designed to promote the use of renewable energy resources.

Making changes in your business can significantly reduce your carbon footprint, and encourage others to follow suit. Helping protect our planet is everyone’s responsibility, and using solar energy is a great way to make a difference.

The government, both on the state and federal level, is putting a considerable amount of effort into promoting energy efficiency in American homes and businesses. One of the ways they’re doing so is by offering incentives for individuals and companies to upgrade their properties with the installation of energy conservation systems, which includes solar-thermal and solar electric systems. Solar incentives vary from state to state, but regardless of where you live, there’s likely to be an incentive program that fits your needs.  Here are some of the basic solar incentives that are currently offered and how you can take advantage of them.

Section 136

Section 136 of the U.S. Code says that “energy conservation subsidies provided by public utilities” are non-taxable. The term “energy conservation measure” is used throughout many of the laws pertaining to solar incentives offered by the federal and state government. It is a term that included solar incentives and also any modification designed to reduce the consumption of electricity or natural gas. Buildings covered under this section include apartments, houses, condominiums, mobile homes and similar residential businesses.

Energy Efficient Mortgages (EEMs)

If you’re a homeowner, you can take advantage of energy efficient mortgages (EEMs) to finance the installation of a brand new solar energy system in your house. The federal government is providing these special loans to the public via the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) and the Veterans Affairs (VA) loan programs. An EEM basically credits the energy efficient upgrade in the home’s mortgage itself, stretching the loan’s debt-to-income ratio, thus allowing borrowers to qualify for larger loans and giving them a cost-effective way to make their homes more energy efficient.

There is also an incentive for lenders here. Those who show that they know how to write EEM loans and give out a certain amount of them per year can use the federal Energy Star brand to advertise themselves as Energy Star partners who can provide clients with EEMs.

Tax Deduction for Commercial Buildings

The Energy-Efficient Commercial Buildings Tax Deduction is part of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, and it provides an incentive for companies to upgrade their commercial buildings with new energy efficient systems including solar energy upgrades. The incentive was extended through 2013, and it lets companies receive a tax deduction of $1.80 per square foot on new or old properties by installing energy efficient upgrades that decrease the building’s net energy consumption costs by 50% or more. Now, if a building does not meet the 50% mark, it can still qualify for a partial tax deduction. If, for example, a building installs solar panels that reduce energy costs by at least 16.66%, it can still qualify for a deduction of $0.60 per square foot. 

Solar Incentives in the Federal Stimulus Package

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, more commonly known as “the stimulus package”, allows for the modification or extension of existing renewable energy incentives. In terms of solar incentives, the ARRA extends the duration of 30% tax credits for solar energy by eight years.

Assembly Bill 811

The provisions of Assembly Bill 811 (AB 811) are part of the measures taken by the state of California to meet the goals set by the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006. Other states have takes different measures to try to live up to the Act; California’s AB 811 is presented here as one example among many of the way states are using financing methods that reward homeowners who invest in cleaner energy for their homes.

AB 811 essentially authorizes cities and counties in California to designate areas where home owners who want to install energy saving systems in their homes can enter into a special financing program. To be eligible, homeowners must install energy saving upgrades that are permanently attached to the property (upgrades such as solar panels, for example). The financing program gives homeowners access to low-interest loans, which can be repaid as an item that appears on their property tax bill. In this way, the program lets borrowers avoid having to take on the weight of the upgrade’s initial investment cots. Furthermore, the loan is attached to the upgrade, which means the payments get passed on to the new owners if the property gets sold and responsibility for the loan gets transferred at escrow. Right now, interest rates for AB 811 loans are at 7% amortized over 20 years.

Resources:

http://www.dsireusa.org/incentives/index.cfm?State=US&ee=1&re=1

http://www.energy.gov/taxbreaks.htm

Solar research as we know it today began in the early 1950s at Bell Laboratories (now AT&T labs) however it did not receive serious attention until the 1970s during the oil embargo which caused oil prices to peak. Today solar power is all around us, from calculators to heating nearby buildings to satellites in space. As an abundant and relatively untapped electrical resource utilizing the sun’s natural energy is an appealing concept both for the environment and financially. Although the goal of a solar cell is clear, to convert sunlight into electricity, few truly understand how solar power works. Before delving into the mechanics of solar power, it is important to understand more fully its main component: solar cells.

What are solar cells?

Solar cells or photovoltaic cells are generally made up of silicon crystals.  Silicon crystals are critical to the structure of a solar cell because of its unique anatomic construction. A silicon atom has 14 electrons on 3 different shells. The most exterior shell is incomplete, having 4 of the necessary 5 electrons. To fill the remaining 4 electron spots, a silicon atom will bond (also can be thought of as sharing) with neighboring silicon atoms until it fills its exterior shell. This bonding is how silicon crystals are formed.

Pure silicon crystals are not good conductors of electricity. Electricity is created when electrons break off from their atoms leaving behind a hole and then float around until they find a new hole to fill. As a result of silicon bonding with its neighbor, very few electrons actually break free and create energy. It is for that reason that scientists add impurities to the silicon to make it a more viable conductor. This process of purposefully adding impurities is referred to as doping.

The goal of doping is to create more free carriers or electrons that will break off and create an electrical current. Two impurities are added, boron and phosphorous and can be considered complimentary additions. Boron is added to the bottom layer to create a positive charge (called p-level or p-type) while phosphorous is added to the top layer to cause a negative charge (n-level or n-type). Boron has 3 exterior electrons rather than the 4 found in pure silicon which causes the bottom layer to have an absence of electrons or free holes. Phosphorous has an extra electron which means it has one free unbounded electron or free carrier. The space between the two layers is where the electrical movement takes place and creates an electric field that restricts the travel of electrons from the positive layer to the negative layer. The electrical field causes all the free carriers from the negative layer want to fill all the holes on the positive layer. It is precisely at that movement when energy is produced.

What happens when solar cells are struck by sunlight?

When a solar cell absorbs sunlight, it affects the electrons which bind the silicon atoms. Although there are many types of sun rays, solar panels only absorb photons.  The photons create an influx in energy that releases the electron from its original location and therein creating a current. However, the electric field between the positive and negative currents prevents this current from going from the positive layer to the negative layer. To trap this current, an external circuit of wires along the top layer (the negative layer) will connect the two layers. The electric field between the two layers is what causes the voltage. This completed circuit creates a usable power source.  

How solar energy is used:

Solar panels are many solar cells or modules combined together to form a solar panel, generally 36 cells are connected. Several solar panels are needed to convert sunshine into a direct current (DC) of electricity. This current then enters an inverter which transforms the DC current into what is used by most home or office appliances: 120-volt AC. Once converted, the AC current is then sent to the building’s utility panel which disperses the electricity throughout the building. Excess electricity can be stored in batteries which allow power to be used when there is no sunshine available. The utility grid can be accessed at times when the batteries are empty and there is no sunshine to refill them. Likewise, if properly connected to the utility grid and the batteries are full, spare electricity can be sold to the utility grid. This push-pull system with the utility grid ensures that you pay only for actual energy used. For example, if you exported a large amount of energy back to the grid and then only accessed the utility grid for a small amount of electricity, you could have a net gain. A utility meter measures how much energy is used and how much is sent back to the utility grid. This back and forth is called “net-metering”.
 

When it comes down to it, solar energy is the ultimate power source, since everything on the earth owes its existence to the sun. As we reach the end of our oil reserves, deal with the problematic concerns of global warming and pollution, solar energy gains prominence. Once labeled as a pipe dream, solar energy is being touted by governments, industries and homeowners as a practical solution to our energy needs. Here are 10 benefits of solar energy.

1.  Environmental

Solar gets as green as you can get. Solar energy is sustainable and renewable; all you have to do is soak up the sun. It doesn’t contribute to global warming, nor does it contaminate the air with pollution and toxins such as carbon dioxide. Solar energy used by homes allows homeowners to buy back energy credit, turning back the energy dial to virtually zero.

2.  There’s money at stake

Besides being one of the most plentiful green energies there is, solar energy can also be a source of jobs and commerce. In a declining economy, there is money to be had by turning our energy resources over to the sun. Solar companies are creating jobs in areas where employment is otherwise difficult, creating opportunities for all.

3.  Economical

Although there are significant start up costs to the investment of the infrastructure, solar electricity is much cheaper than buying it from the electric company and the savings are continual. The start-up costs will eventually be absorbed. Costs are also coming down due to government tax incentives, improved technology and a renewed interest in solar energy.

4.  Reliability

There are no moving parts to solar panels. They just sit there and absorb light, so there are fewer maintenance costs. Most people can generate an easy 1000 hours with little or no maintenance.

5.  Silence

Solar panels make no noise when collecting energy. Sunlight isn’t loud. No other energy sources are completely silent.

6.  Live off the grid

Although it may take some energy conservation on your part, solar energy can allow you to live completely off the grid. Live self-sufficiently and never give the electric company another dime. Considering the increasing costs of electricity, this is a seriously appealing incentive.

7.  You can sell it

Excess electricity that you produce but don’t use can be sold. Most homes or businesses use solar to supplement their electrical costs, selling hours to the electric company so there is virtually no bill.

8.  Tax credit

Most state governments as well as the federal government offer solar tax incentives to convert to solar energy. This drives the cost down and makes solar power a more viable opportunity. Thanks to Obama’s drive to rebuild a green America, there has never been a better time to invest in solar energy.

9.  Constant evolution

The science of solar energy is constantly improving, giving you more for your investment. On average, solar panels increase their efficiency by an amazing 50% every year.  The longer you have your solar panels, the more efficient they will become.

10.  Lowers our dependence on foreign oil resources

The more we use solar energy, the less oil we’ll use. This puts America’s energy reserves back at home so we can be more self-sustaining and efficient. As we utilize solar power and rely less on depleting oil reserves, we’ll be on our way to energy independence. Most oil reserves are in the Middle East where chaos is increasing exponentially. Oil prices will continue to rise, but the sun will always be there, providing energy that can be gathered and put to use in our everyday world.