Close to Home; That's Where Solar Energy Needs to Be

March 19, 2007 – Vol.11 No.52

CLOSE TO HOME; THAT’S WHERE SOLAR ENERGY NEEDS TO BE.

As appealing as the thought may be, the idea of coating wide expanses of the world’s deserts with solar electric panels has a problem: The wide expanses of the world’s population don’t live in the desert, they live near the oceans. (About half of us live within 120 miles of the seashore.)

Given that solar energy is expensive, every watt produced must be put to work, not gobbled up in line losses along the power grid. True, cheaper solar power, such as solar thermal power, may be economically viable today in remote desert arrays, conventional solar-direct-to-electricity photovoltaics seem better suited for rooftops or spare land near where power is consumed.

No wonder the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) has eyed 1254 new homes in their service territory for what could eventually amount to a nearly 2-megawatt solar power plant, albeit a dispersed one built on the roofs of ratepayer’s homes.

Lennar, the developer of the yet-to-be-built homes will be offered incentives by SMUD to include the solar systems on their new homes dubbed Solar Smart homes. Rebates will also be offered by SMUD to install energy efficiency upgrades such as efficient heating/cooling systems, radiant barriers in attics, added insulation, duct sealing and energy-efficient compact fluorescent lighting.

Tax credits. as well, will be utilized to add the solar systems’ affordability.

For its part Lennar will be able to offer Solar Smart homes that can save homeowners as much as 60 percent on their annual electric bills when the solar power and energy efficiency upgrades are tallied. Homeowners will be able to check solar output from their system through an Internet connection.

For SMUD it gets to have a cumulative near 2-megawatt solar peak-shaving power plant at its disposal and close to consumers. The utility gets prime real estate on which to build a power plant: Those 1254 roofs.

The project, which will cover 11 communities, is the the largest new home solar partnership in the United States, and significantly eclipses any utility’s previous solar and high efficiency agreements with homebuilders, according to SMUD.

Groundbreaking for the first 174 homes planned for 2007 is underway. Construction will continue through 2010 and the companies have left the door open for more joint solar partnerships. Visit SMUD at http://www.smud.org/ Lennar Homes at http://www.lennar.com/