Solar Electric System

I think it’s great you can heat water and provide electricity with the power of the sun.

To me it’s so clean and natural.

Last year I was talking to my son about energy efficient, green ways to heat and cool a house.

I’ve always liked geothermal but could not justify the investment when comparing operating costs with oil or gas.

That’s changed. Oil and gas prices are up and now in my region of upstate New York it costs less to heat with geothermal.

I thought a great combination would be a geothermal heating and air conditioning system coupled with a solar electric system in combination with the grid and net metering.

According to information on the EPA web site, net metering is a method of crediting customers for electricity that they generate on site in excess of their own electricity consumption.

Customers with their own generation offset the electricity they would have purchased from their utility.

If such customers generate more than they use in a billing period, their electric meter turns backwards to indicate their net excess generation. .In my region we would rely on the geothermal system for mostly heating.

The problem is the PV panels would not produce the electricity in the winter months when we really need it.

This is where net metering fits in.

In the summer months when the photovoltaic panels produce more electricity than the house consumes the meter runs backwards.

In essence, the electrical grid will store your electricity for the winter months.

Geothermal is a clean source of heat.

In fact there are no emissions produced like a gas or oil fired furnace or boiler.

This advantage is always cited in numerous marketing materials produced by the geothermal industry.

Often overlooked is the fact that the electricity needed to operate the system is sometimes produced by a dirty, coal fired plant.

PV changes that but the biggest obstacle for a solar electric system has been the installation cost of $25,000 to $40,000.

It’s a large investment with a long payback.

While doing research I found a company that’s attempting to bring solar electric to the masses the way the phone company brought communications to the public.

The phone company provided the phone and charged a monthly service fee.

The monthly rental fee is the same rate you are now paying your utility.

You can lock into the present rate for 25 years. Imagine how much you would have saved if you were now paying the same rate as in 1982.

They are planning on breaking found for their manufacturing facility sometime in 2007 and start installing systems in 2008

Orders are now being taken for those who would like to reserve a solar electric system.

You don’t have to own a geothermal system to enjoy the benefits of clean, efficient electricity along with being locked into today’s electrical rates for the next 25 years.

It’s also a great way to do our part for the environment.

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