Solar energy technology is now more cost-effective
May 22, 2012 | There is solar thermal, which converts the sun's radiation into heat, and there is photovoltaic solar, which converts radiation into
electricity. “Solar
electric back in the '70s and historically has not been cost-effective,” said Tim Anderson, the director of the Florida Energy Systems Consortium (FESC) at the University of Florida. Right now, the cost of (solar) electricity is competitive with the residential (electricity) prices we pay. The FESC was established to promote collaboration between energy researchers at 11 universities and help develop energy systems and technology. Anderson said it is important to differentiate between the two types of solar systems. But some forty years later, experts say some of those early promises are actually bearing fruit because of improved technology and lower costs of the systems. The solar revolution, of course, fizzled after the crisis ended and oil became relatively cheap and plentiful. Since 1980, every time the installed capacity has doubled, prices decreased 22 percent.
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May 22, 2012 | Pascale Rose has a slow combustion wood heater and small electric bar heaters at her home in Clunes. "I would love to have gas connected but we decided to source wood and use the electric heaters only when needed," she explained.
May 22, 2012 | The multi-municipal, bulk-buying electric aggregate also is a resident opt-out program, in which no one is forced to participate. The agreement will be for 24 months, and will apply to all-electric residences not getting the lower "space heater" rate,
May 22, 2012 | Craig Sheets said he believes the plane's heater malfunctioned and that his 23-year-old son made a "heroic effort" to land the plane safely in a Kansas field. Federal Aviation Administration records indicate the heater may be linked to similar problems
May 22, 2012 | There are other financial advantages that can work in your favor along with the benefit of knowing you are heating your water in an environmentally sound way. "If you look at solar hot water versus solar electric, the hot water has the bigger financial
May 22, 2012 | The system — a 30-gallon solar water heater and 44 black panels that convert sunlight into electricity — cut Zwalley's electric bill from $300 to $400 per month to $10 to $20. About two months after Zwalley installed the system at his waterfront home
Does heat pump works well here in Southern California? I need a electrical heater for swimming pool?
Jul 16, 2008 by Mai T
I am doing solar panels so I can have electric for the entire house. I would like to convert the gas heater for my pool to an electrical heater. But they don't have it for residential. Will the heat pump work well here in Southern California?
I hope you are getting the biggest solar system you can afford. I did, and am eternally grateful. As you can imagine, the cost per kW of generating capacity goes down as the size goes up.
For a heat pump, you could consider the type of system usually installed for ground source. Some of these depend on water from the ground, pumped through a heat exchanger. In your case, you could use the pool water., circulating it past the heat exchanger, and back to the pool. You could arrange it so the "waste" cold is sent outdoors when you don't want to cool the house, and to the house on hot days. If there are winter periods when you do not want to heat the pool,, you could have the heat pump draw heat from the pool, for heating the house.
Of course you could use a resistance heater for the pool, but it would be two or three times less efficient. You can buy pretty big inline spa heaters. They are on the Internet.
My electrical baseboard heater is drawing a lot of current when in the off position. Why is this?
Jan 18, 2009 by mike m
I received a very high electric bill and noticed when shutting the power off of the electrical heater at the panel box, the electrical meter slows down considerably even thou the heater was not turned on or generating heat. We rarely have the heater on in that room so I do not know why it is drawing so much electricity when off.
It would seem that off is really just low. It seems as if you need to pull the breaker when you don't need heat.
Is it right-NO but it is the way things are.