Solar's Bright Future

Imagine a world where energy consumption is less of an issue. Where home-owners know exactly what their energy needs are and can produce the kilowatts themselves. In this world energy companies actually pay or credit the customer for supplying them with power. It’s the world we live in right now thanks to solar technology. For remodelers the question becomes how to profitably tap into this current and coming market demand.

In 1977, Robert Chew of Rhode Island was a contractor installing residential solar systems and sunrooms. Then, in the early ’80s, federal incentives for solar electric systems were dropped and he was forced to make a decision. In order to stay in the solar installation business and other earth-friendly products, Chew founded RemodelWrights, a design/build residential remodeling firm. Remodeling would be a way to keep his solar business.

“In the late ’90s incentive programs started popping up again,” says Tory Chew, Robert’s daughter who runs SolarWrights in Rhode Island. “Because my dad had so much experience working with solar he decided to focus back on his solar business and started SolarWrights.”

Today SolarWrights runs four offices that include one office in Barrington, R.I. covering Massachusetts and Rhode Island, and three offices in Connecticut, all focused on residential solar solutions. Since 2003, SolarWrights has installed over 200,000 watts of solar electric projects and the company continues to grow.

Inside the Technology
There are two main solar technologies that are available in the residential market. First there are photovoltaic devices that convert sunlight into electricity using semiconducting materials. These are the solar panels that are generally associated with solar products.

The other technology is solar heating which includes water and air heating. This is done by moving either air or water through a panel of heat absorbing metal tubes. This is considered a preheating process and can be piped into the home, stored in tanks or run through radiant heating systems.

Kilowatts are how solar production is measured, and in 2004 the total of United States domestic shipments of photovoltaic cells and modules was 78,346 kW compared to 11,188 kW in 1995. Within that decade alone approximately 301,530 kW of cells and modules were shipped according to the Energy Information Administration, a statistical agency of the U.S. Department of Energy.

“A residential solar system is a real security factor for homeowners to know they’ll have enough power,” says Noah Kaye, policy and communications coordinator for the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). “It’s kind of like buying a car that comes with all the gasoline you’ll need for the next 25 years.”

The SEIA reports that for the past five years the solar industry has seen a growth rate of 35 percent annually with production output being doubled between 2003 and 2005. But unlike the old paradigm of being completely off the power grid and using batteries to store excess power, the paradigm has shifted. In 2004, 82 percent of solar homes were on-grid installations.

“The peak time for power is midday when air conditioners are running and businesses are open,” says Kaye. “Remaining on-grid allows homeowners to feed excess energy back into the grid. The power companies then pay the homeowner or credit them should they ever need to draw power from the grid due to cloudy days or large energy use.”

Shifting the Trend
“There are three things pushing the residential solar market,” says Terry Bailey, senior vice president of marketing and sales for Evergreen Solar, “energy rates, subsidiaries and the amount of sun available.”

Residential solar products are continuing to grow in the marketplace as well as turn up on more and more homes. Solar is not something being pushed by manufacturers, but something consumers are asking for based to two main factors: economical and environmental. With information available at the touch of the keyboard, homeowners are educating themselves with the problems at hand and how they can solve them.