Enter to win a free solar thermal system from Vaillant!
Who says you have to spend lots of money to go green? We’re spreading the word about the affordability and efficiency of solar water heating by giving away a FREE solar thermal system to one lucky homeowner in California. That’s right! Free.
Simply take our fun solar thermal quiz and enter to win. Don’t worry – hints are available for those who aren’t solar masters.
Valued at over $8,000, this solar prize will not only help you reduce your water heating costs by up to 80% each year, you will also eliminate about 125,000 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions. But enter today because this giveaway ends December 31, 2009.
When discussing Solar Technology, people assume you’re only talking about electricity and often overlook the opportunity of solar thermal. So here is a quick breakdown of the two solar technologies out there today, Solar Thermal and Photovoltaic.
Solar Thermal Heating is an affordable and easy solution to heat your water supply using the sun. This technology harnesses the power of solar radiation and provides energy for a number of hot water applications – meaning it can do everything from heat your drinking water to heat your room inside your home. The concept of Solar Thermal is relatively simple. Think of a hose left in the sun for an extended period of time – only imagine a much larger hose attached to a complex looped system. A solar thermal system consists of two main parts: a collector and a storage tank. The most common collector is known as “a flat plate collector”; a rectangular panel that is heavily insulated and sealed with large piece of glass. Inside this panel, is a copper pipe (remember the hose) that transfers an anti-freeze solution from the collector to a coil inside your hot water storage tank.
On the other end of the solar spectrum is the Photovoltaic (PV) technology. This technology is a bit more complex, and tends to be the popular leader in the solar industry. How it works: PV panels use the solar energy to separate electrons from their atoms, allowing the electrons to flow through the material to produce energy. Translation: This technology uses the energy of converting light (photons) to electricity (voltage) which is why it is given its name, “photovoltaic” or PV. Photovoltaic systems can reduce your electricity consumption by 18%, but when compared to Solar Thermal, Solar Photovoltaic costs three times as much and requires up to five times the roof space for equal energy output.
How does solar water heating compare to solar electricity?
Both Solar Thermal and Photovoltaic are excellent ways to go green and support renewable energy. Both solar solutions can conserve your carbon footprint, energy consumption and utility costs. But if you can’t afford the large investment required for PV, consider the option of diving into solar water heating. Save green and go green with solar technology.
Greg Brandmeier
Vaillant Solar Systems Inc.
Solar Hot Water Experts
If you haven’t seen the 60 Minutes segment on coal ash, I encourage you to take a few minutes to learn all about the 130 million tons of waste that is created each year by burning coal for electricity.
Coal ash is one of the waste products created by burning coal and the utility industry says that it is as safe as dirt. Our friend, SolarFred, even found a fun coloring book that teaches kids all about “clean and safe” coal. (YIKES!) Watching this video definitely gives you a different perspective.
At this time, the disposal of coal ash is regulated by individual states but the EPA is currently reviewing if the federal government should regulate it as a hazardous waste. If this happens, the cost of proper disposal of coal ash would skyrocket, which would mean higher electricity costs for Americans. Call me crazy, but I think this is a necessary step to help people move into clean, renewable energy.
Can’t afford to invest in renewable energies like solar electricity, solar thermal, wind, or geothermal right now? Well you are not alone. But there are simple things that we all can do like conserving energy or requesting renewable energy from our utility company. And if you can afford renewable energy, then please do something now for your environment.
