News about Solar, Wind and alternative green power technologies

The increase in temperature during the daylight hours is a measure of the amount of energy gained from the sun, and is often called “solar gain”.  The cost of harnessing this solar energy power has dropped over the past decade, due in part to a commitment to increase the amount of renewable energy available to Americans. 

The cost of photovoltaic systems must drop substantially to be competitive with other energy sources.  In the state of California, these costs have shown a long term trend towards decline.  The average cost of installed photovoltaic systems ranges across the country.  For instance, the cost in Arizona is only $7.3 per watt, and in California it is $8.2 per watt, while in Pennsylvania and Ohio the cost is up to $9.9 per watt.  This data implies that the states with the greatest photovoltaic deployment programs also had the lowest costs.

The state of California is encouraging investments in solar energy, by providing several incentive programs for new construction.  These programs include the Emerging Renewables Program, the New Home Solar Partnership Program, and the California Solar Initiative Program.  The main reason that the cost for photovoltaic systems has dropped is primarily due to the decrease in cost for solar panels, rather than other components of a solar system. 

Research from the California Solar Initiative program has shown that from January to August 2009, the overall cost of systems installed increased by forty cents per watt as compared to data from 2008.  However, the costs for systems in New Jersey decreased by twenty cents per watt during the same time.  When using this data for cost comparisons, one must consider that fluctuations in costs will vary over the short term and reliable data can only be used when studied over the long term.

These incentive programs have increased the amount of solar energy available, and there has also been a focus on wind power creation.  The amount of wind energy has increased during the past year in the United States, with a total capacity of 5800 megawatts of new energy so far this year.  The amount of new energy created from large scale wind energy installations is 1,649 megawatts during the third quarter, which is an increase from the previous quarter. 

The states creating the greatest wind power capacity are Texas and Iowa, followed by California.  The latest growth trend towards generating wind power in the state of California has moved its ranking to the third place.

There is a concern that over the long term, the amount of construction and manufacturing of wind turbines has decreased.  Currently, there are 5,000 megawatts under construction, which is a significant decrease from the 8,000 megawatts that were being constructed a year ago during this same time period. 

The total capacity of wind power in the United States is estimated to be 31,000 megawatts, which translates into enough power to sustain about nine million homes, although the average amount of power consumed per household varies greatly from state to state.  Utilizing wind power versus electricity would cut carbon emissions by two and a half percent, or by nearly fifty seven million tons each year.

A focus on the creation of renewable energy, and construction of wind turbine energy needs a national commitment.  The outcome of this commitment would lead to job creation and a secure future for the next generation.