Dan Lepinski and his Solar Shuttle

Will you consider solar energy for your home?

 How many of you would like to save on your utility bills and pay on average $45/month for a 2400 square-foot all electric house? Probably, you may think this is some kind of a joke, and it is impossible to come up with a $45 dollar utility bill for this particular size of the house in the end of the month. I will understand your skepticism ,because I did not believe this myself until I had a chance to listen to Dan Lepinski.

Dan Lepinski is currently a senior engineer at Exeltech ,but he has been working in the solar energy industry for more than 41 years. His expertise in solar energy helped him to become an advisor to the North Texas Renewable Energy Group and North Texas Chapter of the Texas Solar Energy Society. In addition to this, he is a member of North American Electric Power Research Institute. One of the goals of NAEPRI is to create a smart grid. Dan Lepinski says that, with this innovation, the power companies will be able to turn on or off certain electric appliances in houses when people do not need to use them. This action will require homeowners’ permission as well.

Have you ever seen a solar shuttle before?

Well, neither had I. When Dan Lepinski mentioned his solar shuttle, I even had no idea what it was like. The Solar Shuttle turns out to be a regular trailer equipped with solar panels on top to generate the electricity. The interior of the solar shuttle contains several inverters, charge controllers, and batteries. The blue containers provide the solar shuttle with important tools, extension cords, power strips, and many more in case of emergency. But the most amazing part of this machine is in its ability to generate enough solar power to provide the electricity for the energy-efficient home. However, the solar shuttle gets mostly used for educational purposes, all kinds of events, and in the emergency situations.

 

 

 

 

Why should you consider installing the solar panels for your home?

I’m not here to decide for you about buying the solar panels right away. I want you to know the main advantages and disadvantages of having the solar energy in your home. Yet, you alone are the only one qualified to decide what works best for you.

As a true believer in solar energy, Dan Lepinski speaks about several benefits of using solar energy to generate electricity or hot water for homes. For example, in some places, like Hawaii, he says the cost of electricity is 450 percent higher than in Texas. In the state of Massachusetts, the utility bill is 220 percent larger than in Texas. Therefore, it makes sense for homeowners from Hawaii and Massachusetts to install solar panels and substantially reduce the monthly bills on electricity and hot water. Even in Texas, with lower rates on electricity (the reason for this is that the utility companies are being subsidized by the government), the one who installs the solar energy panels in his home can benefit by saving a substantial amount of money on the utility bill each month. A good example of this is Dan Lepinski himself who pays on average $45 for his 2400 square-foot completely electric home.

At this moment, you may want to ask how much someone has to pay to have the solar energy at his home. The cost to install the solar panels for residential homes varies, but it averages around $10,000. I know you are smiling now. You are right. It is not cheap and not everyone can afford it. Let’s consider this as a disadvantage.

The good news is that the government steps in to help homeowners to bear the high cost of solar panel installation and offers 30 percent federal tax credit to everyone who buys solar panels. Now, the price is down to $6000- 7000. In addition, the solar panels industry is very competitive and prices on solar panels will likely fall significantly in the near future. Therefore, the odds are high that the prices on solar panels will become more affordable within a short period of time.

After you decide that the solar energy will benefit your household, do not spend much time on thinking how to come up with an extra $10,000 your family may need for paying everyday expenses, because financing is available. The advantage is on your side. The Property Assessed Clean Energy Program (PACE) is a helpful solution for the property owner who wants to install the solar panels for his home but cannot afford it. PACE helps homeowners to finance home improvement projects through the installation of energy-efficient devises such as solar panels. This financing program provides that the money, which a property owner takes out as a loan from the city, has to be paid back through the property tax within 5 to 20 years, depending on the project (http://cleantechnica.com).

http://www.solarcellideas.com/

 Now, you are scared that your property tax and the interest rate will be too high. Consider this: a property owner can always deduct the interest paid on his tax form. Also, the cost of his utility bill will be reduced significantly so that he will break even and have no extra cost associated with the installation of solar panels (http://cleantechnica.com).

What are the other benefits of solar energy?
 

The study conducted in 1992 by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) shows the positive correlation between an increase in the value of homes and a solar panel installation. Dan Lepinski summarizes the result of the study, saying that “for every dollar in annual reduction in the utility bills that you benefit from having solar energy equipment, the appraised value of the home is increased approximately [$] 150 to 200”. He thinks that this statement is very accurate for a real estate market in 2013, because the cost of power is increasing, and homebuyers are interested in saving their dollar in any way possible. If the homeowner is able to save on average $83 on his utility bill per month, the value of his home is $1500-2000 higher compared to homes without solar energy equipment. From conversations with a few realtors, Dan Lepinski believes that the homes with solar panels can be sold within 48 hours.

Now, you probably start to see real benefits of the solar energy. If you are a homeowner and plan to sell your house in the future, investing in solar panels can be a smart step to consider.

There is good advice from Dan Lepinski before installing solar panels. First of all, be sure that your home is well insulated. Secondly, keep in mind that solar energy is produced during the daylight. A disadvantage of the solar energy is that it cannot be generated on the hazy days or in the nights. The batteries for storing solar energy are not well advanced yet. Therefore, it is recommended to exercise a smart energy use after the solar panels were installed.

Have you ever thought about other alternative uses of solar energy?

Imagine yourself hiking in the beautiful mountains of Colorado. You enjoy the warm weather and an amazing view of the nature. You are all alone and far away from your home.  Suddenly, you realize that you are lost. What will you do? Of course, you carry your cell phone in your pocket. Looks like it is the right time to call for help. But, to your disappointment, your cell phone’s battery is too low. It may take a lot of hours before someone comes to rescue you.

A small piece of solar panel on plastic could keep you out of trouble. It is available for purchase and costs around $100-200. All you need to do is to take out this particular solar panel, place it under the sun, and wait a few minutes until your cell phone is sufficiently charged to make a call.

Solar panels are not only used in buildings. For example, they are installed along the Autobahn in Switzerland. They are also a part of parking structures and are used to produce the electricity during the day and provide lighting in the nights for a safety matter. Solar panels may be attached to the roofs of restaurant buildings to provide shade.

 Passive solar is another way to take advantage of the sunlight and reduce the heating cost. The requirements for implementing passive solar are simple and do not include any mechanical or electric devises to transfer or store the solar energy. The main effort is made toward designing building structures, which may contain large south-facing window, brick walls and stone floor covering. These materials are perfect to absorb the heat and distribute it all the way through the house. Passive solar design is another way to save on your utility bill. Therefore, you may well want to consider it when you manage the design of your future home.

Finally, you decided to install the solar panels on the roof of your home or in your backyard. But all your friends advise you to reconsider your decision. They just do not believe that solar energy is a reliable source to provide your home with an efficient amount of electricity. Moreover, they tell you that the solar panels will make your home look odd.

The opinion of our friends may alter our decisions. But we have to learn how to observe the reality and make our own independent choices. The reality today is that 90 percent of the energy produced in the USA comes from the fossil fuel, which in turn, pollutes the environment. The conventional sources of power cannot last forever and are not considered to be sustainable. On the other hand, the solar energy is renewable, and there is no concern that, in the nearest future, the sun will stop shining. However, the fossil fuel is the main source of energy at the present time, and it cannot yet be completely substituted by the alternative sources of power.

Why not to use the fossil fuel smarter and save some of it for the future generations?

With an implementation of solar energy equipment, this task can be accomplished. Consider that Coca Cola, Pearl Brewery, Wal-Mart, and many more successful corporations invested in solar energy. The public also becomes more aware of the benefits offered with the consuming of the solar energy. The data from recent Navigant Research state that the annual price of the building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) market will grow from $606 million in 2012 to over $2.4 billion in 2017.

Will you consider solar energy for you home?