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Sun Volt

Sun Volt Solar

earth, the final frontier

Clean Energy, Clean Environment

We are at a cross roads in human history, we can choose to continue on as we have been, or we can make a change to improve our future and quite possibly the future for several generations to come. We are here to promote energy independence, a better environment, a secure future and a higher return on investment for your hard earned dollar. It is what I believe in, it is why I am in the solar business.

What ever happened to those solar panels Carter installed on the White House?

27 Jan 09 | Solar Hot Water

The short answer is, Reagan took them off.  After that, we sort of lost track of them.  Now, a couple of Swiss film makers tracked them down and made a movie about it.  It was back in May of 1979 when the first oil shock was still fresh in our memories that President Carter decided that solar power was the way to go.

The most interesting quote is this:

“A generation from now this solar heater can either be a curiosity, a museum piece, an example of a road not taken or it can be just a small part of one of the greatest and most exciting adventures ever undertaken by the American People…”

Of course, we all know that the panels were removed by President Reagan in 1986 because they weren’t necessary… oil is cheap, after all. Shortly after that, the federal tax incentives were canceled and the first US solar industry collapsed.

The documentary is called “A Road Not Taken” and was shown at the Maine International Film Festival in Waterville, last July. For more information, check out roadnottaken.info or moralequivalent.info. Incidentally, the White House solar panels ended up on the roof of a cafeteria at Unity College, in Maine. They, in turn auctioned them off in 2003 as the panels had reached the end of their useful life.

h/t Huffpo

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27 Jan 09 | Solar Hot Water | Comments (0)

Solar future or no future

25 Jan 09 | Commentary, Environment, Solar Electric, Solar Hot Water

Our sun, either directly or indirectly, powers almost everything we do.  The only non-sun power used on Earth is nuclear energy, the production of which, as of 2005, amounts to about 6.3% of the total energy used.   The rest of the world’s energy is solar energy, either directly, indirectly by use of hydro or wind power, or through energy stored in fossil fuels such as oil, coal and natural gas.

Latest EIT image courtesy NASA

Latest EIT image courtesy NASA

The process that created these fossil fuels is complex and took several millions of years to complete.  Humans began to uses fossil fuels as primary energy sources during the 1850’s.  Since Then, the use has grown exponentially because the use of coal and oil allowed larger, more powerful machinery to extract and transport more coal and oil. What took nature hundreds of millions of years to create, humans have burned through in about 160 years.

The process for creating fossil fuels begins with photosynthesis.  The sun’s energy provides the engine for plants and other vegetative matter to fix carbon molecules from CO2.  Carbon fixation is the process that generates oxygen (O2) in our atmosphere and is the central process that allows life to exist on earth.

Once carbon is released from CO2, it is bound into long and short chains with sugars and starches that create plant structures.  These plants either die and decompose or are consumed by animals which in turn die and decompose.  The organic material is then broken down into carbon and hydrogen compounds in various forms.

There is no substitute for photosynthesis when it comes to carbon fixation.  In short, plants are the most efficient way to break up CO2 into its base elements creating the building blocks for life.  Basically, we are burning through our energy supply a million times faster than it can ever be replaced.  Surely this system is not sustainable and eventually will run out of fuel.  If the peak oil theory is to be believed, that will happen sooner, rather than later.

As outlined in the post “The Sun Powers Everything,”  even if all of the variables are considered, there is more than enough energy strikes the earth everyday to power all of our current needs and then some.  With the current technology, we can tap that power and make a useful and significant reduction in our fossil fuel use.  As technology evolves and more efficient devices are designed and manufactured, more of that power can be converted directly into heat and electricity for us to use.

Without solar power, humans will run out of energy and the life and society that has taken thousands of years to develope will colapse.  This is the most pressing issue of our time, all else pales by comparison.

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25 Jan 09 | Commentary, Environment, Solar Electric, Solar Hot Water | Comments (0)

Ground Source Heat Pump; same as a coal stove?

03 Jan 09 | Conservation, Environment, Geothermal

I read a lot of information on a daily basis.  A few months ago, somebody commented that a Ground Source Geothermal Heat Pump is the same as using a coal stove to heat your house.  The notion is that by purchasing and installing a GSHP, a homeowner is only pushing the problem further away (to the electrical generation plant), not actually reducing pollution.

Is that right?  Perhaps a little research is in order.

First, a little background.  A Ground Source Heat Pump (GSHP) uses a refrigeration cycle to move heat either to or from a heat sink which is typically a large coil of PEX pipe burried in the ground.  Wells, ponds and other sources can be used also.  The idea is that using the ground (or other source), which is a constant temperature of around 50 degrees F, a heat pump can be much more efficient than using resistance heating.

GSHPs are rated by a coefficient of performance, known as COP.  This is a comparison of the amount of electricity used by the heat pump vs. electricity used in resistance heating.  Thus a COP of 5 means the heat pump is producing 5 KW of heat for 1 KW of electric used.  The highest COP is about 6, or 600% efficiency compared to electric resistance heating. A COP of 5 is considered very good.

The electrical distribution system in the US is about 31.2% efficient.  Therefore, a head to head comparison of power used vs. heat produced would look something like this:

1 kWh = 3413 BTU

A GSHP using 1 kWh of electric with a COP of 5 produces 17,065 BTU heat.

The electric plant producing the current to run the GSHP burned 10,939 BTU of fuel to produce 1 kWh.  Therefore, a very well designed, well installed GSHP is about 156% efficient when all the energy requirements are considered.

A typical coal stove is about 60-65% efficient, therefore it would require 26,254 BTU to generate 17,065 BTU of usable heat.

Conclusion: A Ground Source Heat Pump ≠ a coal stove.  GSHPs are energy efficient and a good way to heat a home where solar resources are not available.  They are not 500% efficient, as some companies would have you believe, but are greater than 100% efficient if properly designed and installed.

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03 Jan 09 | Conservation, Environment, Geothermal | Comments (10)