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10. How many PV panels do I need for my house? This depends on how much electricity you use in your home, and where your house is located. The average American household uses 600


Kilowatt-hours of electricity per month. However, an energy efficient home may

use only half that. In a sunny climate, a 2 kilowatt PV system can produce 300

kilowatt-hours of electricity per month. (To generate 2 kilowatts of power you

need about 240 square feet of solar panels.) Therefore, the first step in

planning a solar system is reducing electricity consumption. It is always more

cost-effective to invest in energy efficiency than to install a larger PV

system. Planning, mindfulness and some initial investment can result in a

dramatic reduction in electricity use, without sacrificing the comforts to which

we've become accustomed. As SEI alum Cari Spring says in her book When the Light

Goes On: "You don't have to sit in a dark, cold room to save

energy!"

11. How can I conserve energy? Electricity? It is critical that heating and cooling systems,

(which account for 40% of the energy budget of the average American household),

be highly efficient. Electric heaters and air conditioners are tremendous energy

hogs; fortunately, more efficient options abound. In addition, it is important

that once your house feels comfortable to you, it stays that way--good

insulation is crucial. (Preventing air leakage by caulking and sealing is the

most cost-effective way of reducing heating and cooling costs.) A

household can save electricity a number of ways, including: purchasing energy

efficient appliances and fixtures (e.g. compact fluorescent lights); using solar

thermal energy (e.g. drying clothes in the sun, using a solar hot water system);

investing in propane or natural gas-powered major appliances (such as

refrigerators, stoves, and clothes dryers); and cutting back on appliance use

(e.g. turning off lights, abandoning the electric can opener).For more

ideas (including a list of top-rated, energy efficient appliances, cars, and

trucks)

12. What is solar cooking? Solar cookers use no electricity or gas, require no

fire wood, and produce no air pollution. The simplest type of solar cooker is a

box cooker: an insulated box painted black on the inside and covered with glass

or plastic. Sunlight enters the box and heats the food inside. Reflectors can be

added to increase the solar insolation captured. An inexpensive cooker can be

made out of cardboard, crumpled-up newspaper for insulation, and aluminum foil

for reflectors, and can reach temperatures over 250° F. Higher-quality cookers

can reach temperatures of up to 425° F. In many countries of the world,

burning wood and animal dung for cooking is wreaking havoc on the environment:

contributing to deforestation, desertification, air pollution, and global

warming. In addition, cooking over smoky fires contributes to respiratory

illnesses, and in many parts of the world, women and children spend over half

their waking hours gathering firewood (which, in many places, is becoming more

and more scarce). Besides ameliorating these problems, solar cookers can also be

used to purify drinking water, sanitize medical instruments, and heat water for

laundry. Their potential for bettering lives is tremendous. And, in this

country, cooking outside in a solar cooker can dramatically reduce your home

cooling bills in the summer!

13. What can be cooked in a solar oven? Anything you can cook in a conventional oven--the

limit is your imagination. Dishes often require less water when cooked in a

solar oven, as well as less salt and sugar (due to the gentle cooking process).

Just remember to use a dark colored pot, and use potholders! Solar ovens get

hot!

14. Are there solar energy power plants? Yes. Many utility companies have recently installed

large photovoltaic arrays to provide consumers with solar generated electricity

or as backup systems for "critical" equipment. Solar thermal power plants

produce electricity more cheaply than photovoltaic plants, at least in regions

where there is little to no cloud cover. (Solar thermal systems need direct

sunlight; photovoltaic systems will still function in cloudy conditions, though

their output is diminished.) The first commercial solar thermal plant was

erected in California's Mojave Desert in 1984. Despite the success of this

project, and the great potential of solar thermal plants in general, only a

handful have been built worldwide in the past decade, though there are a number

in the planning stages.

15. How much of the world's energy does the United States

use? Though we make up just 6% of the world's population, we,

the citizens of the United States, consume 25-30% of the energy produced in the

world today. We consume twice as much energy as the average British citizen, two

and-a-half times as much as the average Japanese citizen, and 106 times that of

the average Bangladeshi. Consequently, we Americans produce, per capita, the

most greenhouse gases on the planet. As of 1996, each of us here in the US

produced, on average, almost twice the greenhouse gases of the average German,

and 80 times that of the average Indian. But don't despair! Think of all

the room we have to improve! According to www.energystar.gov, if, over the next

ten years, everyone in the U.S. chose energy-efficient appliances, "we would

cut the nation's utility bills by up to $100 billion and make major reductions

in greenhouse gas emissions at the same time. http://ping.fm/XaIrF