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Above: Commercial Green Roof with Photovoltaic Component.
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MYTH #1: Solar devices require more energy to manufacture than they produce in their lifetime.Myths & Facts:
FACT:
This study by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
conclusively demonstrates that energy payback for photovoltaic (PV)
power is, in the worst case, less than 4 years. Given that PV module
lifetimes are generally in excess of 20 years, a PV system will produce
far more energy than it consumes over its lifetime. Technological progress in the four years since the issuance of this
report has tended to bring down the energy consumption of PV
manufacturing yet further, as silicon growth processes in particular
become more efficient. Energy output and input ratios for concentrating solar power (CSP)
and solar thermal devices are even more favorable, given their simple
manufacture. As best we can determine, this myth has its origins in the
early history of PV power, when devices were essentially
custom-fabricated for military, space and research markets. MYTH #2: Solar manufacturing results in more pollution than is saved by solar usage.
FACT:
As shown in the NREL study above, a PV system meeting half of the
electrical needs of a typical household would eliminate approximately
half a ton of sulfur dioxide pollution from the air, and about 600 lbs.
of nitrogen oxides. In contrast, the pollutants produced in the
manufacturing process are minimal and largely recycled. CSP plant equipment and solar thermal devices are essentially
specialized formations of glass, steel, aluminum and plastics; their
manufacture is comparable to that involved in making household windows,
water heaters or mirrors. PV devices are essentially "electric glass." Their typical silicon
substrate is a close relative of window glass. The processes used to
render it electrically reactive are the same as are used in the
microchip manufacturing industry, acknowledged by states and
municipalities as a clean manufacturing process. MYTH #3: Solar is too expensive for widespread usage. Solar PV technologies have declined in price every year since they
were introduced onto the market, driven by improved research and
development, and most of all by steady increases in sales volume. (In
1954, approximately one watt of PV generating devices was manufactured.
In 2004, approximately one billion watts will be manufactured
worldwide.) Every solar panel purchased makes the next one cheaper, in stark
contrast to nonrenewable sources, which become scarcer and more
expensive with every ton that is burned. PV has recently exploded into a number of industrial markets, where
it is quite simply the lowest -cost source of power available. These
include highway warning signs, rural irrigation applications and remote
electrical and communications devices. Similarly, for any application
more than about half a mile away from the electrical grid, a solar
system will likely prove less expensive than will power line
construction. The most rapidly-growing segment of the solar industry is for "grid
connected" systems - rooftop solar panels on homes or businesses that
remain connected to the conventional electrical grid. In some cases, as
where electricity is more expensive during the middle of the day, or
when solar is used to support power-critical applications (e.g.
banking, microchip manufacturing), the economics are very compelling
without further incentives. In other places, comparatively modest state
or federal incentives (listed comprehensively at http://www.dsireusa.org
can make solar a great investment for home or business owners that
betters with every year. Utilities and large consumers are becoming
more conscious of the value of solar and other generation sources with
the publication of works like "Small is Profitable" - available at http://www.smallisprofitable.org. MYTH #4: Solar won't work where I live. Solar thermal and PV devices are dependent on light, not heat - and
this light does not need to be direct. Put another way, if you can find
your way around outside, a solar panel could be working. While the South enjoys
particularly good resources, the entire U.S. has more than adequate solar
resources. FACT:
FACT: