From: Don Devlin
SUN POWER -- AND THE ELECTRIC CAR -- FOR HOMEOWNERS?
Making money the slow way.
21ST CENTURY FUELS via Individual Inc. -- --By George H.
Unzelman, 21st Century Fuels Editorial Board Member
A new law that took effect in California Jan. 1, 1996,
may make solar electricity a more interesting option for
future residential construction.
The law will allow home owners to receive retail value
for extra electricity produced, when returned to the
utility's system. The answer is a combination of sunshine
and a photovoltaic system designed with a special two-way
meter. In other words, a meter that will run backwards as
power is returned to the utility's grid.
The new law upgrades the value of the extra power from
the wholesale to the retail rate, a jump from about 3
cents to as high as 15 cents per kilowatt hour. Because
much of California has plenty of sunshine, the
photovoltaic technology is thought of in terms of
environmental benefit as well as an individual approach
to energy independence.
No one expects any immediate surge in solar-power units
for the home. Currently, the price is high, but the
technology is advancing and the concept could make its
mark early in the next century.
Electric Car and Solar Power
The electric car and residences as mini-utilities have at
least one thing in common. Technology has not advanced to
the point of attracting the average buyer. However the
two technologies may well act together in the next
century.
When the cost of a mile traveled in an electric car,
using a personal solar-home generator to charge the
batteries, is the least expensive way to go the public
may be attracted to both.
Small photovoltaic systems for homes and farms are not
new and have been used in various parts of the world to
generate electricity. Solar panels containing silicon
cells can be installed on the roof or supported from the
ground with proper design and protection. They generate
direct current from sunlight which can be converted to
alternating current for household use.
At present, the market for small units is limited to
remote areas where power is not available, and in most
cases a back-up gasoline or diesel engine generator is
tied to the system.
"A homeowner who pays $50 per month to use 350 kilowatts
of power can reduce the charge to zero by installing a
3-kilowatt photovoltaic system," according to Strategies
Unlimited, a utility industry analyst firm in Mountain
View, CA.
However the capital cost of a 3-kilowatt solar powered
system runs between $20,000 and $35,000. One estimate
indicated it could take up to 30 years to pay for the
system via elimination of electric bills.
Utilities Will Pave the Way
Larger systems can be sized to utility scale to supply
supplemental power for grid support. Environmental
awareness will be the main driving force for
sun-generated power in the future.
For example in Kerman, CA, Pacific Gas and Electric and
Siemans Solar Industries have a landmark photovoltaic
generating facility that is being used to catalog the
benefits of using solar for distributed- power,
grid-support. The setup is unique because the plant is in
the state's central farming valley close to the point of
power consumption. Transmission cost is minimized, and
peak demand ties well with power generation from the sun.
As the large-scale facilities become cost-effective and
more practical, they could pave the way for lower-cost
residential units.
[02-12-97 at 18:00 EST, Copyright 1997, Phillips
Publishing, Inc.] |
