Solar Power is quickly becoming competitive with new nuclear, new natural gas, and, soon, new coal. We are starting to realize grid parity in solar all with technologies available today.

It takes decades to install one nuclear power plant. Solar, a modular technology, can be produced and installed at a pace far faster than most energy technologies.

This year, the U.S. industry may install 2 gigawatts of solar. The last nuclear power plant to come online in the U.S., Watts Bar 1, has a capacity of 1.1 gigawatts — but that took 23 years to complete, not two years.

Natural gas peaker plants, which are idle most of the day are an expensive option for utilities.

Over the last few years, 153 coal plants have been abandoned, in large part due to uncertainty over environmental regulations.

So what does all this mean? It means that the notion that “solar is too expensive” doesn’t hold up anymore. When financing providers can offer a home or business owner solar electricity for less than the cost of their current services; when utilities start investing in solar themselves to reduce operating costs; and when the technology starts moving into the range of new nuclear and new coal, it’s impossible to ignore.

According to SunPower’s Tom Dinwoodie: “The cross-over has occurred.”

System designed to heat pool, save energy and money

An array of 48 solar panels is now installed on the roof of the Health, Physical Education and Recreation Building at the University of Arkansas. The solar heating system will provide over half of the energy needed to heat the building’s Olympic-sized swimming pool, which is heated year around.

The 1,920-square-foot solar hot water array on the roof is connected to a heat exchanger that provides supplemental heat to the pool. The system is designed to provide all of the heat for the water in the 730,000-gallon pool during the summer and to pre-heat water on cloudy days and in the winter. The solar panels harvest over 2 million BTUs of heat energy per day. The system is expected to reduce utility bills in the HPER Building significantly while cutting greenhouse gas emissions by about 30 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually.

The HPER solar installation is part of the campuswide RazorsEDGE energy savings program, which enables the university to invest in energy conservation and renewable energy projects. The university has a $23.9 million energy savings performance contract with Energy Systems Group, an energy services provider. The RazorsEDGE program is designed to reduce annual energy consumption in buildings across campus, with a guarantee that energy savings over a 13-year period that will cover the cost of all building improvements.

Energy Systems Group is the general contractor for RazorsEDGE and partnered with Sun City Solar Commercial Energy LLC, which designed and installed the innovative solar panel heating system on the HPER Building.

“Solar heating is ideal for swimming pool applications,” said John Gerrard, GM for Sun City. “It’s a relatively low temperature requirement and can take advantage of solar radiation all year.”

Nick Brown, the University of Arkansas director for campus sustainability, said that this solar thermal system matches a dependable solar resource to a constant energy demand.

“Because energy is needed year around to heat this pool to 80 degrees, we can take advantage of available solar energy in warm months as well as cool ones,” he said. “To our knowledge, this is the largest solar thermal energy system in the state of Arkansas. This project helps move us toward our goal of becoming a carbon neutral campus by the year 2040.”

Paul Gandy, construction manager for Energy Systems Group, said his company and Sun City worked seamlessly with the university to develop an innovative installation that will save energy and money, at the same time raising the profile of solar hot water systems as a viable alternative energy source for some applications.

The HPER Building and its pool are currently heated with a natural gas-fired steam system. Scott Turley, director of utilities for the university, estimates that the solar energy system will reduce the building’s energy bill by about $4,000 per year at today’s energy prices.

“Gas costs have fluctuated wildly over the past couple of years,” said Turley, “but if prices return to the level they were in spring 2008, we’ll save $10,000 per year or more.”

Last year the HPER Building pool had a total of 55,000 users. In addition to university students, faculty and staff, the pool is the site of collegiate and high school swim and dive meets, it serves as a practice facility for several swim clubs and teams, and it is used for swimming instruction, group exercise programs and entertainment, such as the popular “dive-in” movies at the pool.

The university’s College of Education and Health Professions, which includes academic programs for health science, kinesiology, recreation, and dance, manages the HPER Building operations. Intramural and recreational sports and fitness programs for campus users and alumni are also operated from the building.

How can businesses remain competitive in the current economy? One of the easiest ways to reduce business costs is the use of a Commercial Solar Hot Water System.  Hot water use can be a large percentage of a business’s overhead, especially for restaurants, hotels, hospitals, food processes, gyms, and other organizations that are heavy users.  The return on investment for commercial Solar Hot Water is maximized by the 30% solar tax credit/grant from the Federal government.  There are also benefits to maximize depreciation and other business related incentives. State and local utility credits can increase the payback substantially.  Depending on hot water use and the solar application, repayment can be in as little as a few years!

The global market becomes smaller with every innovation that improves the way we communicate with the rest of the world. The United States is known for technological innovation, but lags behind in the use of solar energy. In order for a business to remain competitive in the global market, it is important to understand the long range implications of not incorporating solar into the mainstream consciousness.  The US cannot compete with the global labor market, but can compete by incorporating technological innovation, cost control and productivity.

Sun City Solar Energy has installed commercial solar hot water and solar electric systems on health clubs, pools, pump stations, signage, oil company buildings and other commercial applications.  These businesses are enjoying cost savings, a diminished carbon footprint, tax savings, and environmental stewardship.  Why not own your own utility company, help the US compete in the global marketplace and increase your company’s bottom line?  Visit  Sun City Solar Energy  www.SunCityEnergy.com today and learn how you can be part of the energy solution.