Solar Energy
Solar energy is a renewable energy source with no environmental impact. If just half the homes in the United States were using solar water heating technology, our nation could replace the need for 20 power plants. Solar cells have no moving parts to degrade performance over time. Solar cells are semiconductors. Even on cloudy days, the sun's rays are absorbed by silicon material in the cells. This activates electrons in the cell causing them to move freely, thereby creating usable energy.
How much energy does the sun produce? Water pours over Niagara Falls at 5 billion gallons per hour. If gasoline poured over Niagara instead of water, for more than 200 million years, and all of that gasoline was burned, it would produce the same amount of energy the sun produces every hour.
- With solar generated electricity you will typically see a 15% or greater return on investment.
- It operates silently and is low maintenance.
- You may sell excess power to the power company.
- Money saved with solar and wind energy is kept in your community. Input/output analysis shows that each $1.00 spent to acquire energy resources from outside a community generates only $0.33 of economic activity within the community. Each $1.00 spent within the community produces, through the economic multiplier effect, about $1.67 of local economic activity.
- Solar generated electricity qualifies for both energy tax credits and also property tax abatements. A 30% residential tax credit is available for those generating their own solar electricity, with no cap on the tax credit. For solar water heating there is a 30% residential tax credit available, up to a maximum of $3,000.
- Home resale is effected by its use of renewable energy. Utility costs are a major factor in determining which home to purchase. A "green" home with more affordable utility costs is much more attractive to buyers and can make a home sell faster. For every $1,000 saved in utilities a home's resale value increases $20,000.
