Powering Your Home and City with Solar Energy - A Good Idea

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Comment by Al Toman on October 5, 2009 at 6:09pm

Last night 60 minutes had a piece on TVA's coal ash. It's dirty and filthy and is making Tennessee sick. The EPA has ZERO regulations on handling coal ash. They say maybe in December. It is being used to make parks. The powers-to-be call it dirt. Safe as dirt. Nothing to worry about. They laugh when your kids get sick.
Every time you vote Them back into Office, They laugh at you.
Every time you turn on your light, you make your children sick.

Worse is nuclear power. Nuclear power creates waste, waste that has a half life of millions of years. That's radiation like the kind used in WWII to kill the Japanese. Where does this waste go? It goes where your children play. It makes them sick.


Today, go to the store and by a CFL light bulb. Remove that nasty incandescent light bulb. Do something. Do it today. Make your children well again.

Comment by Therese on October 5, 2009 at 5:25pm

I am all for solar energy and if I could aford upfront cost would instal it in a flash. I am unemployed and not eligible even to take a finance. Solar energy a great idea but not every one can afford it

Comment by kerry summers on October 5, 2009 at 1:28pm

I,m all for it. It will create a lot of needed jobs not to mention put us closer to not being dependent on oil.

Comment by Al Toman on October 4, 2009 at 8:29am

The title of this thread is Powering Your Home and City with Solar Energy. We already are. It's called coal (and oil).

If you have ever been around coal, it is filthy dirty. There is no such thing as clean coal. The powers-to-be will lobby the Hill selling them the coal and oil and gasoline fantasy. Coal and oil and gasoline will kill you. It already is making millions of people sick.

Washington DC is laughing at US. They laugh and party while your children get sick. They don't even want your children to have health reform. They want them sick.

And you keep voting them back on the Hill.

That's why solar panels, wind turbines, and the such are taking over 50 years to catch on.

We keep doing the same thing we did yesterday. We burn coal.

That's why it is important that you replace just one single incandescent light bulb with a CFL light bulb or a LED light bulb. Then another one and another one.

And do it without anyone telling you to do it. Depend on yourselves, not the Hill.

My entire office is well lighted with a total of 18 watts using LED replacement bulbs instead of the typical 180 watts.

That's 90% less dirty filthy coal in my office. I have green plants in the office. I can now breath. It's a good feeling to get up from one's lazy rear and do something without the Hill dictating me to do it!

So do it. Whatever it is, just do it. You'll love yourself and your family for it.

They'll love you.

Comment by John Gatto on October 4, 2009 at 6:23am

If we could turn all the hot air in Washington DC into energy, we could sell what we don't use to other places

Comment by Earl Allen Boek on October 3, 2009 at 6:23pm

I was asked to make a comment so here goes. Before solar of any kind, even solar DHW Domestic Hot Water, comes conservation. Create Negawatts....units of energy that do not
have to be produced because some informed person takes conservation measures first.

Examples, about 15 inches of Insul-Safe blow in insulation in your attic equals R-40, the R stands for the amount of resistance your insulation creates, between your heated area, or
cooled areas, in the summer, and the outside weather condition.

Attic fans, or at least vents, are very important in hot areas, to help keep your attic cooler, and your house as well, in hotter summer months.

A ceiling fan in every room you use, is a great value, as are LED lighting conversions...On demand water heating, mentioned below in these comments, is a great idea for bathrooms located farther away from the water heater.

Low flow shower heads, water heater blankets if your heater is older, or located on an outside wall, or a real cold garage. Don't forget weatherstripping doors and windows, or replacing them completely, if they are signal pane of glasses, or old steal crank-outs or even aluminum frame where the seals have failed and the windows have stained between the panes of glass.

Now, I think we can start talking solar, DHW, I would add an active system today, with a drain down feature for colder freezing climates or a recirculating system with a heat exchanger. Today, I would add extra water storage (I call them batteries) because after all what is stored hot water at 170 or so degrees, ENERGY? You bet, energy that can heat hot water, space heat, radiant heating, spa, jaccuzi heating as well.

Now if you've done a good job at all the above, A Solar PV (electric generation) system is a great idea, add batteries, if you lose power in the winter, and or wind, or a diesel generator for backup energy. You can now size the system properly because you've taken every conservation measure you should have, you should not have to over energize, or over size the PV system, but many contractors will try to suggest you do, just make sure you install a system that can be upgraded without changing out the inverters and controllers . Green Earl,
Founder American Energy Conservation Group...Producing Negawatts....Since 1981

Comment by emory a. michau on October 3, 2009 at 12:08pm

all energy is solar energy, it's then according to where you draw from on the storage cycle as to what description of solar energy you are using, how long ago it was stored etcetera. photo-voltiac panels are so obviously a good idea, they should be totally subsidized, as should led lighting and other power consumption eliminating practices. incandescent lighting should be history.

Comment by Al Toman on October 3, 2009 at 10:27am

If your AC unit is running most of the time, and with the effects of climate change it will increase, then you can purchase a simple heat reclaimer to heat your hot water. The AC creates heat to generate "cool". That heat is wasted into the atmosphere and you're paying for it. So, why not capture it and put it to work!?!

It's not solar but it's hot, hot, hot :o)

Comment by william clements on October 3, 2009 at 4:06am

Well it would save you on your electric bill!

Comment by Jatin Thakkar on October 3, 2009 at 3:22am

Hi guys i have been reading much about solar power and i am very much intrested to get into this business in india BIPV is the area of my interest can anyone here help me or is intrested in expanding the business in india can email me on jatin260376@gmail.com

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