Solar Power Market Heats Up

Solar Power Market Heats Up

May 21 - The News Herald

Gil Walker likes to call solar power "free" energy.

It isn't really, at least not to begin with, but he's trying to make a point: Sunlight is abundant, reliable and available to everyone. Harness it, and the sun's energy can provide a perpetual source of heat and electricity that doesn't cost a thing.

That's why Walker, the energy manager at Tyndall Air Force Base, installed three solar water heaters -- capable of generating nearly 2,000 combined gallons of hot water a day -- on the base last week.

While Tyndall is one of only a handful of facilities in Bay County using energy from the sun right now, "green energy" experts say the idea is slowly catching on here, especially in the residential market.

"We're just not doing enough of it because people don't understand it yet," Walker said.

Solar energy is available in basically two ways.

One is through silicon photovoltaic arrays, usually installed in panels on a building's roof or backyard. The panels capture sunlight and convert it into electricity, which can be stored in batteries or used to power lights and appliances.

According to the American Solar Energy Society, these arrays convert only about 15 percent of the light they capture, so they have to be large, sometimes hundreds of square feet, which can make them expensive.

"You basically cannot generate enough power to run your house," said Lynn Erickson, a spokeswoman for Gulf Power. "And you're talking in the tens of thousands of dollars to install it on your roof."

A system large enough to power an entire home can cost as much as $40,000, although smaller systems that run only the 110-volt outlets are considerably cheaper, said Pat Muth, owner of Muth & Sons Plumbing, a local solar installer.

Erickson also said the Southeast is not a good place for solar arrays because of frequent cloud cover, although a Florida Solar Energy Center study found that Florida is one of the most effective spots for solar energy in the country, after the desert Southwest.

The other way to get energy from the sun is the solar water heater, which is cheaper, simpler, and, so far, more popular than the photovoltaic array. Collector panels trap sunlight and convert it to heat. Then, water passes through the systems, picking up heat as it circulates.

Any home that gets about three hours of direct sunlight a day can use a solar water heater, Muth said.

"I feel like the solar water heater is like the washing machine was in the 20th century," he said. "Every house should have one."

Walker said solar water heaters were a no-brainer when the Air Force ordered bases to begin using renewable energy. One eightfoot solar dish that cost $2,500 will supply about 1,500 gallons of hot water a day for the base gym, he said.

Al Bowden, a retired developer, had one on his home in the Cove for more than 20 years.

When he moved recently, he ordered a new system to go with his new house.

On sunny days, the system will keep his 80-gallon tank full of hot water. On cloudy days, a back-up electrical heating element kicks in.

"The technology is a lot better today than it was then," said Bowden, who bought his first system in the late '70s.

Aside from a few experimental subdivisions such as Callaway Corners and school projects at Bay High School and Gulf Coast Community College, the use of solar energy is limited in Bay County. But it seems to be picking up.

Muth said he's sold more systems in the last two years -- about 60 to 70 systems -- than he has in the rest of his three decades in business.

Of course, they aren't cheap.

Muth said a typical solar water heater runs about $5,000 with installation. But, the money comes back to you in other ways.

Through the end of this year, the IRS is offering a tax credit for up to 30 percent of the system's cost, and the state offers an additional $500 rebate.

And Walker and Muth estimate that the cost of heating water accounts for as much as 15 to 30 percent of a monthly electric bill. Letting the sun do the work cuts a big chunk of that bill every month.

"I think it saves probably $500 or $600 dollars a year," Bowden said of his solar heater.

And that's the point, the way Walker sees it.

"One of these systems for a home could pay for itself in about four to seven years," he said. "You're getting the biggest bang for your buck.

"Once they're paid for, the energy is free."

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Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.