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Winter 2002 Issue

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The Sun Always Rises

Solar power more reliable than ever - but still pricey

New products that may have people giving solar energy a second look include panels that look and install like roofing shingles. (Photo courtesy of Innovative Power Systems)

The sun's rays literally power our planet. Spiraling energy costs have some people considering ways to harness those rays to cut their energy bills, too. Recent advances in solar power technology make it more reliable and less expensive, but it's still a pricey investment - a fact that's keeping it from becoming a mainstream energy source.

Ralph Jacobson of Innovative Power Systems in Minneapolis has been designing and installing renewable energy systems in the upper Midwest for a decade. In his business, the residential market for solar energy hasn't taken off just yet. "We get lots of people asking for information about solar energy systems, but relatively few end up investing in one," Jacobson says. "I'd say we're between the 'early adopter' phase and the 'early mainstream' phase of market development."

Still, new products such as solar panels that look and install like roofing shingles, and improvements to equipment that allow users to sell power to, and draw power from, the grid seamlessly, may convince more people to look at solar.

And as photovoltaic cells have become cheaper and more efficient, they have spawned a host of new products - everything from solar-powered radios and lanterns, to "trickle" chargers that will keep a car or cell phone battery juiced. These relatively inexpensive gadgets (a good selection of which are available on the Real Goods Web site) may help to prove that solar energy is more than a novelty and introduce consumers to the benefits of solar power.

- A. Walker Smith

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Old Times, Good Times, Wood Times
Properly using wood heat has environmental, economic advantages

Saving our environment and providing an alternative source of income for Minnesota's agricultural industry may be as simple as burning wood to heat our houses.

Burning wood for heat started to decline in the 1930s, when kerosene and fuel oil became popular. By the 1950s, electricity and natural gas displaced wood even more. Oil, coal and gas are all fossil fuels. Burning fossil fuels are believed to be responsible for the heat-trapping "greenhouse effect" that's resulting in global climate change.

Properly using wood as a fuel source doesn't add extra carbon dioxide (a greenhouse gas) to our atmosphere. Burning a tree will release carbon dioxide, but while the tree was growing it absorbed carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, so the result is no net gain increase of this greenhouse gas. Burning fossil fuels pump extra carbon dioxide into the air that would not have been released if those fuels had not been removed from the earth.

Wood, unlike fossil fuels, is a renewable energy resource. Responsible harvesting and planting can assure that wood energy doesn't deplete the earth's resources. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, cultivating fast-growing hybrid poplar trees strengthens Minnesota's rural economies by providing farmers with crop alternatives, especially in poor soil areas where these trees grow better than traditional crops.

There is also an abundance of sawmill and logging residue in Minnesota that can be used as firewood. Using "leftovers" can be an effective way to heat a home while cutting down on wood industry waste. Following are tips for safely and efficiently heating your home with wood.

• Hire a professional to install and maintain the equipment.
• Inspect the chimney, vents and heater or stove on a regular basis.
• Use dry, untreated wood that's cut and split according to the size needed for the heater or stove.
• Never burn garbage or other household waste.

For more information, visit the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Wood Heater Program Web site or call them at at 202-564-2300.

- Kelli Huxford

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