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Californians take a shine to sun power By Karen Gaudette AP for Contra Costa Times
And while it can cost thousands of dollars initially to harness the sun's energy to heat bath water or run a coffeemaker, the freedom from roller coaster power prices makes solar power worth every penny, he says. "It's expensive, but if you look at the cost of your electric bill over the next 20 years, that's expensive, too," said Nold, a board member of the Northern California Solar Energy Association. He watched as several dozen solar-curious Californians gathered Saturday for an annual tour of solar-powered homes. After enduring months of soaring energy prices, hundreds of residents and businesses are lining up to install solar energy systems. But even with the Golden State's ubiquitous sunshine, roughly 1 percent of its electricity comes from solar power. The cost is one reason solar's popularity hasn't grown as quickly as power generated by other, cheaper renewable energies, such as wind and biomass. The average home requires a 2 kilowatt system to generate about 60 percent of its energy, said Tim Tutt, assistant manager of the state Energy Commission's renewable energy program. Such a system runs anywhere from $12,000 to $20,000. State rebates can chop $6,000 to $9,000 off those prices. The state pays $4.50 a watt or 50 percent of cost, whichever is less. Gov. Gray Davis also recently approved an income tax credit for individuals and small businesses that buy and install solar or wind-powered generators. "The initial cost is high. It's a lot for someone to jump into, but they do save in the cost of electricity over time," Tutt said. Warranties for many systems last as long as 20 years. Tutt said a 2 kilowatt system could generate about 4,000 kilowatt-hours per year. At current rates, solar users could save $400 to $600 a year on their energy bills. Most of that would go toward paying off the system. Customers who don't buy batteries to store electricity for times the sun isn't shining must rely on the state's power grid at least part of the day. Should customers send more electricity into the grid than they use, their meter will run backward, and the cost of the power bill along with it, Tutt said. The state now averages 500 applicants a month for rebates that can slash solar system costs in half, more than double the interest last year, said Tutt. Many more say they might try it, including Tee McDonald, an accounting employee from Mountain View. "When your PG&E bill doubles, you feel like you should do something about it," McDonald said. Solar panels or shingles are only one way to harness the sun's energy. The panels, made of a semiconductor material that produces an electric current when light shines at them, usually are mounted on roofs. Passive solar energy involves positioning a building and its windows to gather the most sun at various times of the year. Thermal solar energy heats water by cycling cold water up to a breadbox-shaped "batch heater." The heater absorbs the sun's rays, heats the water, then sends it down, making room for another round of cold. More than 1 million Americans heat their water this way, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association, a national industry group based in Washington, D.C. Some home designers around the state are offering solar as another option customers can add to a new house, just as they could choose a granite countertop. Los Angeles-based Pardee Homes will offer the option in a new community of homes in San Diego, said Joyce Mason, vice president of marketing. Customers are asking for energy-efficient windows and other options, Mason said. Businesses also have installed solar systems to trim energy spending, including Dublin's Santa Rita Jail. Some in the industry warn, however, that solar fever may ebb just as rapidly as it rose this spring. Americans are quick to set aside long-term issues such as energy use, said Les Nelson, executive director of the California Solar Energy Industries Association, referring to the 1970s energy crisis. "Unfortunately, when there were no power outages business was not great; as soon as outages came, business was hugely great, and now that we have no outages, business is slowing again," Nelson said.
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