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Can solar mount a comeback?
By Marisa Helms, Minnesota Public Radio
October 12, 2001
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Solar energy became popular during the oil crisis in the 1970s, when Americans wanted more control over their energy sources, but the movement faded during the '80s. Proponents say solar power is back and better, and Minnesota is as good a place as any to reap the benefits of solar fired heat and electricity. To make the point, 15 solar homeowners in the Twin Cities will open up their doors this Saturday for the 5th annual Solar Home Tour sponsored by the Minnesota Renewable Energy Society.
While costs remain high, Mary Guzowski, an associate professor of architecture at the University of Minnesota, says solar houses have become more visually appealing since the 1970s. She says taking advantage of solar power doesn't even require installation of large photovoltaic panels that many people associate with solar houses.
 

David Boyce and Lee Olson live with their two sons on the west side of St. Paul, in a two-story Arts and Crafts home from the 1920s. Like their neighbors, Boyce and Olson are plugged into power lines. But Boyce says since retrofitting the house with solar panels three years ago, the new system provides about 80 percent of their electricity needs and has cut their electric bill in half.

Boyce says installing the system cost about $20,000. In addition to several panels on the roof, the system requires an "inverter" in the basement that turns the direct current from the sun into an alternating current for electrical outlets.

At current energy prices, it could take up to 80 years for the Boyce-Olson family to see any payback on its investment. But David Boyce says the choice to go solar wasn't about money. "We wanted to do our part," he says. "To reduce global-warming emissions, to feel better about the kind of middle-class life that we're living. We thought this was a way to do for ourselves and to show other people what you can do to lessen your own impact on the world around you."

Despite winter's chill, Boyce says solar works just fine in Minnesota. He says, outside of summer, the coldest days are also the sunniest. Cost and aesthetics remain larger hurdles than the weather.
Boyce says installing the system cost about $20,000. In addition to several panels on the roof, the system requires an "inverter" in the basement that turns the direct current from the sun into an alternating current for electrical outlets.
 



David Pogany, president of the Minnesota Renewable Energy Society, which sponsors the Solar Homes Tour in the Twin Cities, says homeowners may be nervous about the high cost of installing the photovoltaic technology that turns sunlight into electricity.

"The real problem with, for example, photovoltaic cells, is they have come nowhere near their economy of scale of mass production. And so it's a chicken-and-egg deal, where until we get enough of a market to generate enough production, we won't have enough production to lower the cost to generate a market," says Pogany.

Pogany says government could help the industry with tax incentives for home and business owners who choose solar to power and heat their buildings.

While costs remain high, Mary Guzowski, an associate professor of architecture at the University of Minnesota, says solar houses have become more visually appealing since the 1970s. She says taking advantage of solar power doesn't even require installation of large photovoltaic panels that many people associate with solar houses.

"Much of our energy is heating,lighting and cooling. So if we look at passive heating, passive cooling, natural ventilation, and use of daylight, that can really significantly impact the amount of energy we're consuming and subsequently our impact on the environment," according to Guzowski.

Passive solar has been around for 2,500 years. It's said the Greeks built many cities - including Athens - facing south to take full advantage of the warming of the sun.