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Salvation in Sight: While Energy Prices Skyrocket, the Cost of Solar is Falling

Posted on: Tuesday, 4 October 2005, 03:00 CDT

By DAVE PHILIPPS THE GAZETTE

Solar-energy advocates have been arguing since the 1970s energy crunch that it's time for America to see the light: Solar is nonpolluting, it's sustainable and it has the potential to wean us off those tricky relationships with other oil-producing nations.

The only light most of the country sees, however, is produced by burning oil, coal and natural gas. Solar power accounts for less than one-tenth of 1 percent of America's energy portfolio.

But solar's local supporters look on the sunny side: Solar makes so much sense, they say -- especially with energy prices on the rise -- that it's only a matter of time before more people look to the sun.

To encourage converts, they will open their homes Saturday for the eighth annual Pikes Peak-area Solar Homes Tour, which features six structures in configurations including a custom-built earth ship and a retrofitted Victorian.

They say now is one of the best times to turn to sun power.

"Efficiency is going up; cost is coming down. Solar is just becoming more and more practical," said Tom Cannarella, organizer of the Solar Homes Tour.

In 1980, photovoltaic cells -- the electricity-producing stuff that solar panels are made of -- at best converted 10 percent of the sun's energy to usable electricity and cost about $20 per watt of power. Newly developed cells have reached 34 percent conversion rates, and the price per watt for the average photovoltaic setup has dropped to $4 a watt.

One shadow clouding the use of solar is the upfront cost: The average single-home solar system costs about $14,000, several times what energy from coal or natural gas costs, and it can take more than 10 years to pay for itself. But the initial price continues to get cheaper.

Cannerella said the price per watt of solar power will continue to fall, even as other energy prices rise. He compares solar power to the home computer: Once it was a prohibitively expensive hobby pursued by a few zealots. "But the price slowly came down and came down until economy of scale made computers affordable enough for everyone to have. The same is happening with solar."

Plus, for the next two years, anyone installing a solar system can get a 30 percent federal tax credit under the new energy bill. Colorado energy companies may start offering incentives to individuals for going solar.

Another incentive: Solar is getting more stylish. In many cases, those big, clunky panels can be replaced with lowprofile solar shingles nailed onto roofs like traditional shingles. Eventually, new nanotechnologies may allow solar power to be slipped into clear, plastic coatings that can be painted on any surface.

The local solar tour can provide practical advice about the best new solar products on the market and how to navigate federal and state tax breaks.

But the tour isn't just for those anxious to get off the grid. People looking for more than one way to pare their monthly utility bill will find the $5 entry fee worthwhile because the homes are filled with efficient lights and appliances that can save energy whether it comes from the sun or the local utility.

It's all part of the overall approach to designing a solar home and cutting down on waste. A solar house adage states that a dollar spent on efficiency saves $10 on creating power. In other words, buying an energy-efficient water heater is a lot cheaper than buying enough solar panels to power an inefficient one.

Taking steps to conserve energy should be especially attractive this year because natural gas prices are expected to rise as much as 38 percent this fall for local customers, and electricity prices will probably continue to climb as well.

"There are a lot of little things you can do, whether you have a solar house or not, that can save power," said Jerry Unruh, a renewable energy adviser for Colorado Springs Utilities who lives in a solar-powered house in Crystal Park.

The easiest step is to look for what are called phantom loads -- appliances that suck up electricity even though they appear to be turned off. These include TVs, DVD players, cell-phone chargers and almost everything else that has a boxy converter attached to the plug. All use power when they aren't technically on.

"It's not a lot of power, but all these little things add up," Unruh said.

The easiest way to defeat the phantoms, he said, is to plug them into a power strip with a switch. "That way when you turn them off, you know they're off."

Hunting down phantoms is just one of many ways homeowners can cut energy use.

"We use about a fourth of what a normal house our size uses," Unruh said. "And we have all the same stuff as them, for the most part."

They're just doing it smarter, Cannerella said.

"There are a lot of people interested in doing the same thing. I hope we can show them these things do really work, and inspire them to take the next step."

CONTACT THE WRITER: 636-0223 or dphilipps@gazette.com

DETAILS

Solar Homes Tour

WHEN: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday

WHERE: Tours begin at your choice of the Tutt Science Center at Colorado College, 1002 N. Nevada Ave., or the Manitou Springs Chamber of Commerce building, 354 Manitou Ave. in Manitou Springs. COST: Maps are $5 per adult.

INFORMATION: Call 685-5089 or 1-800-642-2567, or e-mail pikespeaksolartour@pcisys.net

Source: Gazette, The; Colorado Springs, Colo.

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