by Don Haslett

Created on: February 16, 2009   Last Updated: July 22, 2009

Even the most casual observer should have little doubt that solar energy can provide a key piece of the solution to reducing oil dependence. With the ongoing technological shift from theory to practice, this is the time to move away from the limited novelty applications of the past to the more meaningful contributions that will help meet our growing energy needs.

When oil was relatively cheap and seemingly endless there was little incentive to invest in a developing technology. Today one need not be a green crusader to understand that oil is not unlimited, and that the fewer emissions pumped into the atmosphere the better off we'll be. The world is on the cusp of a new energy age and each day brings innovations that will provide solutions for the future.

The oil crisis of the 1970s had early adopters installing solar hot water systems on suburban roofs. Those early systems promised savings of 30% - 50% on hot water costs, depending upon the season. Thirty years later many of those systems are now being replaced with updated equipment because as simple as the original installations were, they worked as promised.

Today's home builder can take advantage of the progress of the last thirty years by building structures with remarkably energy efficient insulation and windows. Working with a tight shell one can easily expand a thermal solar panel installation to accommodate the use of radiant floor heating along with the more traditional domestic hot water heating. While it is very unlikely that excellent insulation and solar energy alone will allow a homeowner in a northern climate zone to turn off the oil burner, this new house will have a greatly reduced appetite for oil.

The same house has a garage that has been sited and designed with electric vehicles in mind. Several rows of photovoltaic panels are installed on the south facing roof, and these feed power to an extensive battery bank at the rear of the garage, as well as to the household electric panel, and to the EV charging station. Each night the homeowner plugs into the car charge port that draws from the battery bank and the 30 mile per day round trip commute to work is a gasoline-free experience. Each day the rooftop PV panels recharge the battery bank before sending excess power to help meet household demands, or it is sent to the grid and sold to the utility company.

This home uses a greatly reduced amount of heating oil, and the household cars are using gasoline only on longer trips. Still, this is only a modest start toward what the future will bring. As these technologies prove themselves and gain wider acceptance, mass production will follow and bring the benefit of lower costs. Batteries will become both smaller and more efficient, combining with improved capacitor technology to power longer range electric cars, which will allow more power to be dedicated to household and/or grid use.

Oil dependence is not going to be entirely swept aside by any single technology, nor will it be replaced overnight. But the promise and the new reality of solar energy shows this to be a race that will be won by those who will take baby steps and make certain that each one counts.

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