Fred Hansen’s 20 rooftop solar panels help provide electricity to his Sand Springs home, which will be featured on the 2009 National Solar Tour.

ROBERT EVATT Tulsa World Staff Writer
Published: 10/2/2009

Fred and Rita Hansen get plenty of power from the sun — their Sand Springs home is wired for solar electricity and sports two solar water heaters.

Though it’s a hefty amount of solar equipment, it’s still not enough for the family.

“Wish I had room to put more,” Fred Hansen said.

Their home will be part of Saturday’s 2009 National Solar Tour, which invites people to see first-hand how local homes and businesses incorporate solar energy.

The tour, organized nationally by the American Solar Energy Society and locally by Sun City Solar Energy, is geared toward educating people about the options that are available and how they work, said Pamela Speraw, co-owner of Sun City.

“We want to get all of the United States, particularly the children, to get educated about solar,” she said.

Speraw said a lot of people still have misconceptions about solar power, especially its potential uses.

Fred Hansen said rising energy costs encouraged his family to investigate alternative energy sources three years ago.

“It was the direction the cost of electricity was heading, and the efficiency of solar cells has been improving,” he said.

Hansen said he was also motivated by tax credits for incorporating solar energy, which are still available.

While the efficiency of the solar equipment can vary depending on the weather, Hansen estimates that solar power cuts his energy bill in half when he’s not running the air conditioner or furnace, and by a third when he does.

His solar water heaters, which heat the water by running liquid through solar panels on his roof, gets the water up to scalding temperatures and provides more hot water than his old system.

“I can turn on the washing machine, turn on the dishwasher, fill up the tub and still take a shower without running out now,” Hansen said.

Speraw said the Tulsa event will begin with a 30-minute seminar on various forms of solar power, followed by two separate tours focusing on either commercial or residential solar power.

2009 National Solar Tour

When: 10 a.m. Saturday

Where: Sun City Solar energy Showroom, 6709 e. 81st St., Suite G

What: Brief seminar followed by tours

Using the sun for energy has been around for centuries. The ancient Romans and Greeks used passive solar energy when they built their homes.  The first solar powered steam engine was built by Auguste Mouchout in 1861.  Albert Einstein was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1921 for his research on the photoelectric effect. Various advances made the use of solar widespread in the past few decades in many industrialized nations. But it took the Arab oil embargo in October, 1971 for the US to realize the ramifications of depending entirely on oil for energy consumption.

Solar has come in and out of “fashion” over the past four decades, but 2009 will mark the year that solar became an accepted component of the United States mainstream energy use.  This is due to several issues:

• Tiered rate pricing including high electric taxes and fees
• High electric rate inflation
• Overall high solar gain in the US
• Federal (and some state and local) tax incentives
• Technological advances for increased efficiency
• The widespread use of fossil fuels resulting in global warming

On-going investments in solar energy and the support by local, state and federal government, as well as incentives of some utility providers, will continue to lower the cost and make solar a viable investment for many Americans.

Now is the time to take advantage of solar energy systems.  To find out more, visit our website at SunCitySolar.com, or call one of our solar consultants at 918-494-0886.

One of the most effective and efficient steps you can take toward saving energy is to install a Solar Hot Water System . Solar Hot Water systems have been around for nearly 100 years, and there are proven applications in use all over the world. It is one of the best methods available for long term use of the sun’s energy.

When people think of Solar Energy, they usually visualize the solar panels on satellite systems or on the space station. However, photovoltaic or electricity from the sun is a relatively new use of solar energy. Hot water systems are more efficient than solar power systems because solar hot water uses the heat produced by the sun, whereas photovoltaic energy must convert the sun’s light energy into electric power. And fewer solar panels are required to use the sun’s energy for hot water than are needed to convert energy into electricity.

Many people are surprised to learn that water heating accounts for a large share of a home’s energy use. The main uses of energy in the home are usually heating and cooling .

Two 4-feet by 8-feet solar panels can deliver enough energy to heat about 80 to 90 percent of the water used by a family of four. A residential solar hot water system pays for itself in approximately 5-7 years. Commercial applications can be even more cost effective.

With the new Federal Tax Credit, homeowners can get 30 percent of their investment in the form of a tax rebate for installing a solar hot water system .  When you decide to stop renting your utilities, contact SunCityEnergy.com and learn how to own your own utility company. Now is the time to invest in solar and help yourself and America move towards a sustainable energy future .