Solar Power No Longer For Hippies
Solar power has been emerging as a popular way to warm your home and cool the earth all the while saving money. Global warming sounded like a science project 30 years ago but has become a popular topic among the high government officials and grows more concerning every decade, year and day.
Solar power has ushered in a whole line of environmentally-friendly products referred to as “green” products that will help save the environment a little longer while lowering your home’s electric energy consumption.
The article, “Solar pioneer races to keep up with growth,” written by Lee Romney of the Los Angeles Times and reprinted in the February 2, 2007 edition of the Chicago Tribune explains that solar power was not always this popular and efficient and how its pioneer is more than satisfied with its current results.
“In the beginning, to explain the concept of a solar hot-water heater, Gary Gerber showed a homemade graphic of a black hose sitting on a lawn.”
“‘Do you ever go out in the summer and turn on the hose and the water is hot?’ he'd ask potential customers. ‘Well, that's how it works.’”
When Gerber began trying to establish a solar power business in the 1970s, there were only a few experimenters in the industry and no money resulted from it. “Gerber survived by selling cheese from his Volkswagen van.”
Now, Gerber’s company, Sun Light & Power can barely keep up with its business demand.
“A frenzied demand for solar power, or ‘photovoltaic’ installations, has eclipsed the water-heater portion of the business, and since 2002, sales have ballooned by about 66 percent annually, to more than $11 million in 2006.”
There is no other state with a greater demand for solar powered products than in the Golden State itself. “In recent months, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the California Solar Initiative to help bring solar power to a million rooftops, as well as a landmark greenhouse-gas reduction law.”
And the location that has mage going “green” a competition is the Bay area. Buildings are being equipped with solar panels, multiple plugs in the parking lots for hybrid vehicles and solar installations that reach the main underground power grid.
“While 1998 saw 87 installations of such systems--which relieve strain by feeding excess solar juice back to the grid--the number exploded to nearly 6,000 in 2006, with the Bay Area well in the lead, according to California Energy Commission data.”
Gerber may not be the biggest player in the “green” game right now but he has more business than he ever thought imaginable and is well respected as one of the true believers of renewable energy dating back to the 1970s. Even his watch runs on solar power.
“‘Here's this pioneer who's been doing this for 30 years and weathered the hard times. Now he's able to take advantage of the insane growth we're experiencing, said Brian Gitt, executive director of the non-profit Build It Green, which promotes energy-efficient building in California.”
Solar power has gradually emerged over the past couple decades as something everyone wishes they had. It’s a win, win situation. You help the environment while saving some green.