Green Building Elements

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One of the most troubling issues facing consumers, businesses, and homeowners today is the steadily rising cost of energy. With the price of energy feed stocks, including coal, natural gas, and oil, trending upwards, the pain-in-the-pocketbook is sure to become more acute. Add to that increasing fossil fuel production and operating costs and we add insult to injury. Meanwhile, the International Panel on Climate Change claims that the burning of fossil fuels is the driving force behind climate change, more familiarly known as “global warming”. Also, there is some concern that fossil fuel production and supplies are having trouble keeping up with demand, especially crude oil. In this article we’ll take a look at some of the things we can do to reduce our dependence on fossil fuel generated energy - with special emphasis on solar energy.

Why are Energy Prices Rising?

Some of the factors that are contributing to the rise in electric energy costs are as follows:

• Demand for electricity is growing at an ever-increasing rate. The Energy Information Administration estimates that 258 gigawatts of new electric generating capacity will be needed by 2030 to meet the growing demand. This equates to an additional 250 to 500 baseload power plants rated at between one-half and one gigawatt of capacity.
• Infrastructure costs are increasing. The cost of maintaining the nation’s electric power grid including high-voltage transmission lines and towers, power sub-stations, and electric distribution systems is advancing in an upward trajectory. In a three year period ending with 2009, electric utility companies will need to invest $31.5 billion, a 60 percent increase over the three years from 2002 to 2005. For the next ten years electric utilities will invest $14 billion per year on infrastructure.
• Compliance with environmental laws and regulations and related litigation is becoming more expensive for electric utilities. The Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act, as well as a host of other state and federal laws and statutes create a maze of bureaucracy to negotiate.
• Rate caps which were put in place beginning in 1997 have begun to expire giving the impression that rates are rising when in actuality costs that have already been incurred by electric utilities are being passed on to consumers.

• » See also: Greening Your Home
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Increased demand on power grids, especially in the summer when air-conditioning places a huge strain on electric grid capacity, can cause brown-outs and black outs and can prompt some electric utilities to institute what are known as “rolling blackouts” in order to prevent a full-blown disruption.

Considering all of this, and assuming you’ve already determined that doing so is financially practical, investing in renewable energy sources becomes a much more viable alternative to paying increasing costs over the mid- to long-term. So, what can we as individuals and businesses do to alleviate some of the pressure from high energy prices while reducing the demand for fossil fuels? We can turn to the sun to provide much of our electricity by “going solar”!

Seven Ways to Incorporate Solar Energy into Your Home or Business

Following are seven ways that solar energy can be used to reduce the demand on the main electric power grids as well as reducing greenhouse gases and conserving fossil fuel supplies and providing a clean and renewable source of electrical energy.

1. Solar-powered home - If you have not already done so, convert all your major appliances to clean-burning natural gas or propane. This eliminates all electrical heating elements and compressors which consume copious amounts of electricity. What you have left is lighting and electronics. This can all be powered, completely or partially, by solar energy. Take out all of your incandescent lighting and replace it with more energy-efficient CFLs.
2. Garage or workshop - Have a detached garage or workshop that is separate from your home? Take it off the grid and install a solar power system.
3. Off-grid home, remote cabin or out-building - It can be very expensive in some cases to bring the main power grid to your remote location where electricity may be needed. Diesel or gas generators are loud, they contribute to greenhouse gas emissions, and fuel has to be hauled in. Clean, quiet, renewable solar power, however, can be installed to provide most if not all of your remote power needs.
4. Sign and landscape lighting - Most business signage can be retro-fitted or designed with solar power. Sunlight collected during the day is stored in batteries that power sign and landscape lighting at night.
5. Water pumps - Solar energy can be used to power water pumps in remote locations where grid power is not available. Solar can also be used to power landscape water features such as fountains. Solar energy can also be used to power essential activities like irrigation and drinking wells.
6. Portable Power Systems - One of many examples where solar power can be used to supplant grid power and reduce greenhouse gases and fumes from the burning of fossil fuels in generators is to use portable solar power systems for special events such as concerts or festivals.
7. Solar building and construction - Many builders across the country have discovered that solar-powered homes will sell more quickly than conventional homes. More and more builders are incorporating solar technologies and passive solar techniques to increase the value and salability of the homes they build.

There are many other ways to take advantage of solar power and they are limited only by our imaginations. Thomas Edison once famously exclaimed “I’d put my money on the sun and solar energy.” That’s the same guy that brought electric light to the world and if I were to hazard a bet on it, I’d put my money on Mr. Edison any day of the week!

Ron Curtis is the website administrator for MrSolar.com and writes energy and alternative energy articles for several websites and blogs.

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