Is Solar Energy a Viable Option for the Future - Research Paper Example

?Donna Purcell Order 538021 17 May Is Solar Energy a Viable Option for the Future: Related to Current Environment Issues Solar Energy is definedas, “energy derived from the sun in the form of solar radiation.” The continued rising costs of fossil fuels and the effects it has on our environment gives much thought to the technology applied to solar energy and what the outlook is for its future. Many homes currently use a type of solar energy that is not commonly known or promoted commercially to a large portion of the building industry; this is passive solar or climatic design. Passive solar homes range from homes that are heated entirely by the suns’ rays to those that incorporate south-facing windows that provide a small portion of the heating load. A passive solar home harnesses the sunrays without use of mechanical and electrical devices such as heat pumps, or electrical controls to move and distribute the heat. The key to designing a passive solar home is to best take advantage of what the local climate has to offer. Passive solar techniques are easily incorporated into new home designs; however, existing buildings can be adapted to collect and store solar heat. Passive solar homes can incorporate heat through direct gain of the sunrays, indirect gain or Thrombe walls, and the use of isolated gain or sun spaces. In the direct gain method, sunlight enters the house through south facing windows with a glazing application made of translucent glass. The sun then hits brick flooring or masonry walls that are typically dark colors, to absorb the heat. Then as the house cools down at night, the heat is transferred into the room for several hours. Some passive homes use water barrels placed in strategic locations to catch the sun heat. It is then transferred into the room as the home cools down at night. Water stores twice as much heat as masonry per cubic foot of volume. Water tanks do require some maintenance, since water does not support itself. The tanks require periodic treatment to prevent alga growth. The amount of passive solar in a particular area depends on how large the area of glazing and amount of thermal mass. The glazing area determines how much heat can be collected. The thermal mass determines how much heat can be stored. If the thermal mass is not large enough, the house could overheat. The ratio of thermal mass to glazing has to be determined by the climate in which you live. Thermal mass must also be insulated in order to retain the stored heat as long as possible. Loss of thermal heat is especially prominent when the thermal mass is directly connected to the ground or in contact with outside air. The temperature around the thermal mass needs to remain at or above the temperature of the thermal mass itself. Even if you live in a simple house with south-facing windows without thermal mass, you still have potential passive solar elements. This is called solar-tempering. To make best use of this type of passive solar heating, install window treatments that reduce nighttime heat loss and prevent overheating during the summer months. The indirect gain method or Thrombe walls are the most commonly used method. The wall is usually 8-16 inches thick, masonry wall, and on the south side of the house. Then either a single or double layer of glass is mounted one inch or less in front of the wall. Solar heat is then absorbed by the dark color of the wall and then the heat is transferred into the living area. The Trombe releases the heat into the home over a period of several hours. The heat collected usually reaches its highest temperatures in the late afternoon. When the outside temperatures drop, the wall radiates heat into the room. Heat travels through a brick wall at the rate of one hour per inch. Therefore, heat absorbed in an 8 inch thick brick wall at 12:00 noon will enter the living space of the home around 8:00 p.m. So if your highest temperatures are collected in the brick wall at 4:00 in the afternoon, the heat will be transferred to the living area at 12:00 midnight. The third method, isolated gain or sun spaces, incorporates sun spaces into a home to produce heat. This could be in the form of a solar room, solarium or a simple sunroom. Installing vertical windows with no overhead glazing is the most reliable form of the isolated gain method. It’s important to have enough vertical windows but without incorporating an over-abundance of windows that cause heat loss. Having areas of thermal mass and windows that retain heat for longer periods can regulate this. Thermal mass includes masonry flooring, a masonry wall bordering the house, or water containers. How the heat is distributed to the other part of the home are determined by floor vents, windows, doors, and ceiling fans. Sun spaces or solariums are often constructed to look like greenhouses, however, a greenhouse is sometimes susceptible to mold, mildew and moisture retention. Plants do very well in a greenhouse environment; however, it’s not perfectly suited for healthy human living. A sun space or solarium is better constructed with fewer overheads glazing to avoid these pitfalls. The three types of passive solar heating elements I have just discussed can be applied to any existing home or business with a little imagination. These elements are also very cost effective for both existing and newly planned homes. These methods can also be used to offset the cost of today’s high-energy costs through electricity and fossil fuels. Our reliance on fossil fuels over the past decades has made us a common slave to its need. We depend on it without much regard for the sun over our heads. How long will it take for technology to finally catch up and devote the time and knowledge into developing a solar energy system that can be optimized to its fullest potential? The sun is the most direct heat-giving orb that we have, why hasn’t more emphasis been put on harnessing its power to heat our homes? We have come to see fossil fuel as a big business in the United States, and solar energy has just taken a back seat to potential future use. Solar energy, even passive solar energy, is a very viable option both now and in the immediate future. Other types of solar energy include solar hot water, solar shingles, wind energy and geothermal energy. Solar hot water can be built from simple tools you find at your local hardware store. All that is needed is a surface that absorbs heat; a closed loop or piping that can transfer heat to water. The system must be able to circulate water and it has to be heat and freeze proof. Passive hot water systems position the hot water tank either next to or above the solar collectors. The hot water moves up and the cold water moves down without a pump. Some systems add the pump-circulated system to the mix. Solar hot water systems, or photovoltaics as they are sometimes called, need steady insulation to function properly. Natural gas or electric heat usually supports them when needed. China, Israel, Greece, Austria, Japan, Australia, and Turkey us solar hot water systems extensively. Solar shingles is a fairly new concept in solar energy. They are also called solar roof tiles. This concept, however, is a very attractive application from the decorative standpoint. However, since inception, solar shingles have been less efficient and more expensive than regular solar panels. According to roofing experts, solar shingles are difficult to install, as each individual shingle has to be connected to the other. Each shingle must have holes drilled for wiring since the wires are too small to conceal. This presents the problem of putting extra holes in the roof that must be covered property by overlapping each shingle to avoid water penetration. For this reason, at this time it doesn’t appear that solar shingles would be a cost-effective application vs. regular solar panels. Incentives need to be presented to companies that make it profitable and cost effective to focus on added technological improvements in solar shingles. Solar technology has not changed much in the last ten years. The real factor that affects cost savings in solar energy research is in increasing the scale of production. With the overuse of fossil fuels and immediate focus on saving the planet, little has been done to push forward the technology for solar energy. The fact remains that solar energy is expensive. However the government is offering incentives that will offset the cost of installation in discounts, rebates and tax credits. The government now offers a tax credit of 30 percent on federal taxes against the installation of a solar energy system. Therefore, if you pay $30,000 for the installation of a system, approximately $10,000 can be saved in tax incentives. Thirty thousand is not an uncommon amount to pay for a fully installed solar energy system; however, some of the costs can be can be offset by doing some of the work yourself. Many places in the US have some sort of state or local utility rebate that will also save on installing a solar system. Some can save you as much as 20 percent or more on installation costs. Some areas also offer discounts to organizations of as much as 20 percent in some areas of the country. It’s definitely worth checking into if you are looking to install a solar energy system. Some areas offer Power Purchase Agreements offered by the solar installers. For a small amount or sometimes zero down, the installer virtually rents your roof space, installs the solar panels and gives you a fixed discount electric rate for the next few years. This could be an advantage in that you don’t have to buy the system and you get immediate instant savings on your energy bill. There are disadvantages to solar energy. Even with all these savings and discounts, a $10,000 installation bill for a home solar energy system is not uncommon. Some would see this as a disadvantage; however, installation of the common heat pump can run you $10,000, $15,000 or more depending on the brand, size, and company who installs it. Solar energy is complicated and it’s hard to get excited about something you can’t understand. There is a lot of misinformation given to the general public about solar energy. “Solar doesn’t work in cloudy areas;” this is a common misconception. Solar panels actually are less efficient in extreme hot weather found in the Southwest. The general public is just not educated enough on the technology. The industry does not have any pricing guidelines, so its very hard to find someone you trust. However, if we are to look to the future for advanced technology and find alternative sources to heat our homes, why not look to the sun? Solar energy pays for itself. In some areas a complete solar system can pay for itself in 4 years. It keeps our air clean and the cost savings are incomparable. The average solar system will save $50,000 in energy bills over 25 years, in some areas the number is higher. That’s money you could put away for retirement. Rebates can save you up to 50% in installation discounts, rebates and tax credits. Solar energy reduces our dependency on fossil fuels. It’s one of the best possible investments you can make, depending on what area of the country you live. For example, in New Jersey, renewable energy credits have been established that can give a 324 percent return on investment. That means that if you invest $25,000 in home solar, you can expect to receive $81,000 back in your pocket over the lifetime of the system. The stock market can’t give you returns like that. Solar energy is not a new concept; it’s been around for decades, however, less than 1 percent of the population have adopted its methods. Solar energy appears to be a very viable concept for future use. Why not focus out technology toward what we have, the sun, and its powerful heat. It may take time to dispel the myths associated with solar energy, but with a serious focus and added initiatives toward definite future alternatives, solar energy can be the answer to dirty fossil fuels. Entire Websites: Advantages and Disadvantages of Solar Energy – Top 10. “Solar Energy Facts.” Web. 17 May 2011. http://solarenergyfactsblog.com/. Solar Shingles: what the heck are they? “Solar Shingles.” Web. 17 May 2011. http://solarenergyfactsblog.com/. Alternative Solar Energy. “Solar Energy Facts.” Web 17 May 2011. http://solarenergyfactsblog.com/. Solar Hot Water. “Solar Energy Facts.” Web. 17 May 2011. http://solarenergyfactsblog.com/. Interesting Facts about Solar Energy. “Solar Energy Facts.” Web. 17 May 2011. http://solarenergyfactsblog.com/. Passive Solar Home Design. “Energy Savers.” Web. 17 May 2011. http://energysavers.gov/ Isolated Gain (Sun spaces). “Energy Savers.” Web. 17 May 2011. http://energysavers.gov/. Indirect Gain (Trombe Walls). “Energy Savers.” Web. 17 May 2011. http://energysavers.gov/. Direct Gain. “Energy Savers.” Web. 17 May 2011. http://energysavers.gov/. Solar Power Information. “World Solar Panels.” Web. 17 May 2011. http://worldsolarpanels.com/. Read More