A Big Ball Of Energy 93,000,000 Miles Away

The sun is a near limitless source of energy. When you think about it, the sun is the source of energy for every living thing, for all the carbon fuels that come from once living things, and for wind, ocean, and other sources of energy. So it seems that discussions about  energy alternatives would naturally include something to do with the sun because direct solar technology produces energy without a carbon footprint.

Two direct solar approaches

Really, there are only two approaches that directly harness the energy of the sun. One is the photo-voltaic approach of “solar cells” that directly convert sunlight into electricity. The other approach uses the heat generated by the sun. That heat can be used to heat the water that drives steam turbines or can be used to directly heat the air and water in individual homes and buildings.

Photo-voltaic

Solar cells are catching on, and the cost of photo-voltaic systems is getting lower and lower. In fact, today there are Do It Youself (DIY) courses that teach how to build your own solar cell systems for your house. The DIY approaches teaches how to create solar arrays that produce about 120 watts of energy for about a dollar a watt. So, think about how many of these arrays you would need to power all your light bulbs, TVs, computers, washing machines, and other electrical gizmos you own. The answer is about 40 for the typical home. That’s about $5000. Plus you will need some storage batteries and a device called an inverter that lets you give and take power from the local power company. Maybe $10,000 by the time you finish everything. And if you are thinking about this DIY solution, then get ready for a very tedious project soldering together hundreds of flimsy solar cells into arrays.  You may want to double the cost and just by pre-assembled arrays.

Heating

Individual buildings can also take advantage of systems to heat the air as an alternative to a furnace and water as an alternative to a water heater. These systems are considerably easier to build than the solar panels, and the DIY enthusiast should definitely consider getting out their hammers and saws.

Passive Solar

Individual buildings and homes can also take advantage of passive solar. Essentially, that means that the building is constructed to retain heat in the winter and lose heat in the summer as a way to reduce heating and air conditioning bills.

Centralized Solutions

The other approach to solar is to build large central power stations as opposed to deploying solutions in individual buildings. You’ve probably seen pictures of massive systems of mirrors in the desert. The basic technology is to use the sun to generate a lot of heat in order to ultimately turn the power turbines. This is certainly a viable approach, but ultimately it’s doubtful that it will reduce individual energy bills.

Watch for more on the economics of solar power in future posts.

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