Ready for Its Close-Up: Solar Power as a Mainstream Commercial Solution
Posted by johnsoncontrols on March 24, 2008 06:43 PM
By Bill Guiney
One common issue facing decision-makers is how to address environmental issues – from volatile energy costs to the mammoth issue of climate change. Traditionally the business world has perceived that doing anything more than grabbing the “low-hanging fruit” such as lighting retrofits is complex and expensive. Welcome to 2008. Market forces that include grid reliability issues, regulatory changes and heightened public interest in environmental stewardship, not to mention rising energy costs, are beginning to push businesses and other organizations to consider alternative energy sources. The granddaddy of these is solar power, which first appeared on the scene in the 1960s but was dismissed as impractical because of the size and number of solar panels needed to produce significant energy and because it was far more expensive than conventional methods of generating electricity. Advances in solar energy technology plus rising electricity prices have changed that equation. Today solar energy is worth a second look as an on-site, reliable, environmentally friendly power source. Reasons to consider it include: - It offers a hedge against rising fuel costs
- It can offset peak energy demand
- It demonstrates environmental stewardship
- It provides an opportunity for community leadership
- It helps local utilities meet State Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) Targets
In addition, incentives such as tax credits are available in many states. You can find out what’s available in your state by searching the Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency (www.dsireusa.org), a comprehensive source of information on state, local, utility, and federal incentives that promote renewable energy and energy efficiency. There are two solar options for commercial applications: solar photovoltaic which taps the power of sunlight to generate electricity, displacing utility grid-delivered power; and solar thermal, which uses the heat energy generated by sunlight to displace natural gas, electricity and LPG power sources. Solar thermal is really the low-hanging fruit of renewable energy. It can be used very cost-effectively for hot water and steam boiler make-up as well as for heating water for swimming pools. And it’s easy to retrofit most buildings with the technology. Businesses and institutions that are already taking advantage of this technology include the hospitality industry, college dormitories, hospitals, laundry facilities and a variety of municipal entities, including the Chicago Cultural Center. Solar thermal systems are typically designed to handle 50 percent to 80 percent of the actual load for hot water needs. Photovoltaic is a little more complex to install. However several companies now produce photovoltaic kits that deliver a pre-engineered, packaged stand-alone system. The kits can also be used as building blocks to create a larger system. Businesses interested in exploring this option can go to www.consumerenergycenter.org/renewables/estimator/index.html to quickly determine the economic benefits of a solar kit. The site connects to the Clean Power EstimatorTM, which is an economic evaluation software program. The program provides residential and commercial electric customers an estimate of the costs and benefits of investing in a photovoltaic (PV) solar (or small wind electric generation) system. Remember that it is best to choose an installer that is NABCEP certified. NABCEP is the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners, which certifies contractors as properly trained in PV installations (www.nabcep.org). A qualified installer can help assess the site and provide a power production forecast reflecting your geographical location. Solar power is definitely worth a second look. Bill Guiney is Program Manager, Renewable Solutions for Johnson Controls, Inc. He has more than 26 years of experience in the solar industry as a contractor, educator, distributor and manufacturer of solar energy industry. Bill was a leading instructor for solar thermal at the Florida and North Carolina Solar Energy Centers and currently serves on the North American Board of Certified Energy Professional’s technical committee for solar thermal.
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