News about Solar, Wind and alternative green power technologies

Since interest in solar energy is rising dramatically in recent years, so too is the curiosity regarding the various technologies available. Solar thermal technology is also beginning to get some attention of late, specifically at a conference at Tech City.

Funded by the New York Solar Thermal Consortium, the Solar Thermal Roadmap Symposium brought solar thermals more positive attributes to the forefront. Experts spoke about how solar thermal power has been largely ignored in the last decade since there was a surge in photovoltaic technology in that time period. What has been missed because of this is solar thermals efficiency record compared to photovoltaics and that it is appreciably less costly to produce the same amount of power.

Photovoltaics utilize sunlight and convert it to power for use in equipment for the most part, while solar thermal finds its place within the realm of heating. Solar thermal captures the sun’s rays and creates heat; the heat is used to heat water or some area, or for steam to make electrical power. Photovoltaics can be used to heat a hot water tank, but it would cost five times as much as what solar thermal can do it for.

Solar thermal will also contend with photovoltaics from a cost point. In order to produce solar thermal power you require Copper, aluminum, glass, gasoline, labor, insurance, all of which are needed to manufacture the solar thermal mechanism and any of these supplies can be purchased quite easily from a commercial perspective. The thing is these supplies will increase in cost over time like anything else.

The solar thermal industry is now at the tipping point of viability where in order to reduce the cost of systems, they will need to place thousands of systems into new construction projects. This means the industry is at the mercy of the housing market. While the industry waits for housing to fire up once again, the manufacturing costs continue to rise.

So, rather than investigate new solar thermal programs, potential green buyers are turning to popular photovoltaics and the government inducements that are being flogged at the state and federal levels. These tax incentives have sparked the interest of those folks who like the idea of solar power in general. Where government inducements are not available, photovoltaics do not even have a market.

However, as the use of solar power generation begins to become mainstream, the experts and also some state political officials responsible for the funding and incentive programs, believe that both solar technologies will be able to serve and make a serious impression on residences and the solar power user in general.

As the use of fossil fuels becomes more costly and less climate friendly, alternative energy solutions will become more popular. Younger green generations will begin to purchase homes, new and resale properties will become ground zero for solar power production. Older homes will be renovated and replacements for less efficient systems with renewable energy solutions will be common. New home purchasers will insist on having solar thermal or photovoltaic systems installed in their homes. Governments at all levels will need to be supportive of these predictable future occurrences. There will be life for both solar thermal and photovoltaics and the time to begin marketing these sustainable power solutions is now.