Want to try solar power? Now’s the time

If you’ve got the cash and the environmental ethos, the time is right to invest in solar energy improvements.

“Now is a great time to buy,” said Chris Herman, a 22-year preacher of “the solar gospel,” past president of Solar Washington and owner of Winter Sun Designs in Edmonds.

A glut in the silicon market coupled with a slowdown in the German and Japanese markets, in particular, has driven down the price of solar panels, Herman said. And there are incentives galore, from the federal government, the state and the Snohomish County PUD’s new Solar Express program.

Herman said he is now seeing solar panels priced as low as $2 per watt. Before, a good price was more than double that. Large corporations with massive solar projects can even score $1 per watt.

But will this last?

“I wouldn’t look for it to go down a lot lower,” Herman said.

Of course, a great buy and a return on your investment are two different things. Cheaper than before? Yes. Still pricey? You bet, with a full residential solar electric system running about $11,000 at the low end.

“Return on investment? Buy Exxon Mobil,” Herman said. “It’s not going to save money for a long time.”

But most people who go solar — be it solar electric or solar water heating — aren’t in it for the money.

“The people participating in this and pursuing this really have a commitment to change the way we’re doing things and make a difference, so that we’re not in the situation we are now,” said Suzanne Frew, a program manager with the Snohomish County PUD.

For folks like Herman, that situation includes such gloomy specters as global warming, the Iraq War, the adverse health effects of “burning stuff,” environmental degradation — all those things that he says go into “the true cost of conventional power.”

Beyond that, however, is the simplicity of the idea.

More energy from the sun falls on the Earth in one hour than is used by everyone in the world in one year, according to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Why not harness some of it?

And at a basic level, working with the sun need not cost a dime — or fewer than 110,000 dimes, in any case.

A bank of windows on your south-facing wall? You’re taking in the sun’s heat and letting it warm the rest of your home as the day cools. Your midcentury house with that row of windows near the peak of the great room? You’re lighting your home without having to throw on a light switch.

That home show staple, the Solatube, can retrofit your not-so-solar-inviting house for a few hundred dollars.

A trombe wall — built thickly of materials that absorb heat, then redistribute that heat to the rest of the home — can be built for under $2,000.

Building a sun space, a kind of glorified greenhouse attached to the home, goes higher on the scale since it often requires new construction. But even that can ring in relatively low when compared to other projects.

But let’s cut to the upgrade most people are familiar with — those big rectangles of mirrorlike glass on the neighbor’s roof.

Solar photovoltaic systems directly convert the sun’s energy into electricity. It won’t power your dryer. But it produces enough that, when hooked to the grid, your meter will roll back and give you a credit on your bill if you don’t use all the energy you generate, as during sunny summer months.

Costs for photovoltaic systems installed locally average $8,500 to $11,000 per kilowatt, according to the PUD, depending on system size and complexity. An optimally located 1 kw system in Snohomish or Island counties can generate approximately 1,100 kwh per year.

That’s just some of the math the PUD offers as part of its Solar Express program, which aims to get more people to embrace solar — and appears to be working. In less than six months, the program has had more than 40 applicants sign on. The program offers cash incentives or low-interest loans for homeowners installing solar upgrades.

As for, ahem, aesthetics?

Solar panels aren’t everybody’s idea of curb appeal. There are panels that don’t resemble checkerboards, although they aren’t always as efficient. And companies are working on surreptitious systems that are built into a home’s roof. But it’s early. “It’s still what I would consider to be in more development (stages), where you don’t have a proven, solid product yet,” said the PUD’s Frew.

Of course, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

“Anything that is that elegant — that takes sunlight and converts it into energy — is beautiful,” Herman said. “A lot of people are doing that because they want a badge on their house. They want to show their commitment.”

Ready to commit?

Before going solar, follow these steps:

Do your research: Understand all your options and the basics of solar power and heating.

Get a site assessment: Is your home well-placed for a solar upgrade?

Crunch the numbers: Get estimates. Factor in any incentives. Estimate savings. Look at your bank account. Then decide if it’s worth it.

Incentives

Federal: A tax credit of 30 percent on solar electric and solar hot water systems. More info: www.energystar.gov.

State: Production incentives of $0.12 to $0.54 per kwh for PV systems, up to $5,000 per year (paid through utility district). Equipment and labor purchases are tax free. More info: www.dsireusa.org.

Snohomish County PUD: Cash incentive of $500 per installed kw, up to $2,500, or 2.9 percent loan of up to $25,000. More info: www.snopud.com/solarexpress.

Glossary

Photovoltai-what? See this handy glossary for an explanation of solar’s extensive vocabulary: www.solar4power.com/solar-power-glossary.html.

More info

Snohomish County PUD Solar Express, www.snopud.com/solarexpress

Solar Washington, www.solarwashington.org

National Renewable Energy Laboratory, www.nrel.gov/learning/re_solar.html

Upcoming events

Saturday: Snohomish County Solar Tour, www.green-everett.org.

Oct. 10, 13 and Nov. 7: Solar Home Design classes taught by Chris Herman in Seattle and Shoreline; for more information, visit www.wintersundesign.com.

Oct. 22 and 23: 12th annual Northwest Solar Summit, Olympia, www.solarwashington.org.