8/24/01

By CHÉ TABISOLA
Source: Santa Barbara News Press
http://www.newspress.com/westmont/0824renewable.htm

Consumers are already depending on solar energy for their daily needs -- and they don't even realize it.

Some modern-day amenities, among them pagers and satellite television programming, use the sun to
deliver services.

"(People) don't think about it," said John Perlin, author of "From Space to Earth, the Story of Solar Electricity."

Government and private industry have long used photovoltaic cells to harness the power of the sun to power satellites, said Mr.
Perlin, who lectures around the world about solar power. Now consumer demand is causing an explosion in the renewable energy
industry -- growing 40 percent a year, he said.

The industry exports most of its products to other countries, Mr. Perlin said.While the United States leads the world in renewable energy system
manufacturing, it lags in terms of installing such systems on a wide scale, hesaid.

Renewable energy is abundant, clean and free once the hardware is bought,said Amy Mowl, coordinator for Renewable Energy Project of the Santa
Barbara-based Nuclear Age Peace Foundation. All renewable energy comes from the sun, Ms. Mowl said. Sunlight can heat and light homes and businesses. It can also be used to generate electricity and heat water.

The sun's heat also drives the wind, whose energy can be captured with turbines. The sun also affects tidal and wave movements in the ocean: They
can be harnessed to produce power, all a form of renewable energy.

Renewable energy is also more efficient, Ms. Mowl said. A lot electricity is used to generate electricity and send it into people's homes.

Santa Barbara's climate is ideal for solar energy, said Dr. Earl Budin, Renewable Energy Project board member. But people don't realize how available, reliable and affordable renewable-energy systems are, Dr. Budin said.

Systems can be built more quickly than traditional power sources, he said. Photovoltaic cells have no moving parts to wear down or break.

Utility companies and government agencies also offer rebates and incentives for consumers to buy renewable energy systems.

Technological advances are also changing the appearance of systems. The Community Environmental Council installed roofing shingles with photovoltaic
cells built into the tiles at its South Coast Watershed Resource Center at Arroyo Burro Beach County Park. The tiles look like conventional shingles but help generate 6,000 kilowatts of electricity a year.

Windmills and turbines are also becoming more popular, especially on agricultural land where there's plenty of open space, Dr. Budin said. The cost
of generating wind energy has also dropped more than 80 percent the past 20 years, he said.

Some homeowners who generate their own power can feed surplus energy they generate back to the general grid for a credit on their bill.

For more information about renewable energy call the Renewable Energy Project of the Nuclear Peace Foundation at 965-3443.