Residential Solar Energy Systems
There are many buildings, including offices, condos and houses, being built around the US these days which are purpose built with solar energy in mind, as this type of energy is becoming more and more acknowledged as a safe and economical way to supply power through the grid. In 1979 in New Hampshire a condominium village was built, one of the first to make extensive use of solar energy, with glass solar panels of pleasing appearance and which also afforded lovely views of the surrounding scenery. This village prompted a large number of offers for the developer to build more of the same kind of construction.
In 2007 there were plans for 13 homes in Boulder Colorado, to be built making use exclusively of solar power. This project is known as the Solar Row project, and it was at the time the first of its kind in the Boulder area.
In California, the government is now planning for at least half the new houses which will be built over the next ten years in their state to be exclusively residential solar energy systems structures, and to this end they are actively promoting this type of building project. The government see it as a solution to the energy crisis, which was at its height three years ago when people in California were unable to pay their huge energy bills. The government's plan is that all people who are building new homes with solar panels, as well as those installing panels in existing homes, will be paid a rebate. Environmental groups in the state support this initiative, and consider that California are setting an admirable example which will be followed quickly by many other states. This increased demand for solar energy panels would have the effect of bringing the price down considerably.
Environmental groups have also placed pressure in recent years on the federal government, who in response to this pressure have now made plans to encourage domestic solar energy use, the aim being that 15% of new houses being built after the year 2010 should have solar panels, and for this percentage to increase to 55% at the rate of 10% increase each year.
Legislation of this type is opposed, however, by the building industry, who are worried about the big increase in construction costs which could result from it. This extra cost (around $17,000 to $20,000 per house), however, would be mitigated by the government's financial incentives, which should allay the industry's fears. Over time residential solar energy systems will become much more widely accepted as a domestic power source, particularly for its importance as a way to break away from our dependence on traditional fuels and at the same time fight pollution.
|
