Technology
that has the ability to transform the sun, the
very reason for air conditioning, into the source
that actually powers the unit has just been
discovered by NASA scientists.
Well, the previous sentence might have been
groundbreaking news in 1954 when this technology
was first developed, but it might as well be on
the front page today.
Photovoltaic (PV) cells utilize this exact
technology and have been doing it for over five
decades now. It
may seem hard to imagine that this technology
could have existed for 50+ years and somehow
managed not to take the market by store, but there
have been a few things holding the revolution up.
The
Photovoltaic Cell
The PV cell is
an remarkable thing, transforming free and
prevalent sunlight into electricity in a virtually
pollution-free process.
UV light, composed of photons strikes one
of a pair of oppositely charged plates creating a
voltage difference and resulting in current flow.
This direct current can then be inverted to
alternating current and used to power anything
from your home to your hybrid vehicle.
Incredibly, the entire process consumes
zero fossil fuels and results in no pollutants.
It is estimated that for the average
American home, a 4-5 kWh photovoltaic system
installation will eliminate some 35 lbs of harmful
pollutants (
NOX
and SO4) from the environment annually, and an
additional 5,000 lbs of CO2 that would
be produced by fossil fuel production methods.
So what has
been the hold-up?
The energy source is free and renewable,
and with the guarantee of such an enormous
positive environmental impact, the switch to PV
technology from fossil fuels would seem obvious.
Well, the answer to this question is
basically cost.
Sure, you have to consider the enormous
environmental cost that our society will have to
pay years from now, but in the “real world”,
focuses tend to be much more short-term - like
within our own lifetimes.
While PV systems might be great for the
environment and the future of our offspring, right
now they cost more money, and we don’t like to
spend more if we don’t have to.
So, exactly
how much would a PV system cost, say, for my
house? Good
question. A
typical PV panel system sized for the average home
runs around $25,000.
(This estimate includes the panels, power
inverter, and required wiring.)
For the average homeowner, this up-front
installation cost is a hard swallow especially
when considering the average fossil fuel based
electricity rate is only $.10 kWh.
Even though a PV system can significantly
reduce, if not eliminate monthly electricity
bills, payback of the initial installation cost
can take 25 to 30 years. To
cover the installation bill, the average homeowner
could use a little help.
Making
it Feasible
The good news
is that the cost to manufacture PV panels
continues to drop as the demand for them
increases. A
general observation is that for every doubling of
production volume, the cost is reduced by about
20%, and with fossil fuel energy costs rising
around 3-4% annually, the point where these two
methods meet is continually drawing closer.
Additionally,
governments are starting to realize the value and
importance of this technology and have created
several programs to encourage their installation. On
the federal level, the Bush Administration put the
Energy Policy Act of 2005 into effect which offers
a substantial incentive to the homeowner who
installs a PV system.
The government will pay up to 30% of
installation costs in the form of a tax exemption
with a maximum cap of $2,000.
In addition to this federal program, some
states are also offering tax exemptions and
rebates. In
California
, for example, the CA Solar Initiative provides
$2.80 for each watt of an installed PV system.
In
Texas
, the state is offering several tax exemptions for
the installment of PV or other solar systems, and
leading the incentives in
Texas
, Austin Energy offers its customers $4.50 per
watt of installed PV, up to %80 of installations
costs with a $12,000 cap.
It is hopeful that success from these
programs will encourage similar efforts
nationwide.
Though PV
systems are currently more expensive and will
likely take several more years to gain a higher
portion of the market, exponential improvements in
PV technology and the introduction of government
incentive programs are helping to make the switch
from fossil fuels a reality.
If the environmental incentive wasn’t
enough, maybe the financial will be.
Cost
estimates were calculated on BP Solar’s website
at www.bp.com.
More information on incentive programs can be
found on www.dsireusa.org.
Randall
Daniel is a student at the University of Texas at
Arlington, and wrote this article as part of a
course curriculum focusing on sustainability. All
comments are the sole responsibility of the
author.
This
article was originally posted 9/12/06.
