Page 202 - Solar Power in Building Design The Engineer's Complete Design Resource

172 ENERGY CONSERVATION

■ California, in 2007 under a California Solar Initiative (CSI) program, has set aside
$2.2 billion for renewable energy, which will provide a scaled down rebate until
year 2017.
■ In the years 2015 through 2024, it is estimated that California could produce an
estimated $40 billion of solar power sales.
■ In the United States, 20 states have a solar rebate program. Nevada and Arizona
have set aside a state budget for solar programs.
■ Total U.S. production has been just about 18 percent of global production.
■ For each megawatt of solar power, we employ 32 people.
■ A solar power collector in the southwest United States, sized 100 × 100 miles,
could produce sufficient electric power to satisfy the country’s yearly energy needs.
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■ For every kilowatt of power produced by nuclear or fossil fuel plants, – gallon of
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water is used for scrubbing, cleaning, and cooling. Solar power requires practically
no water usage.
■ Most sustainable energy technologies require less organizational infrastructure and
less human power and therefore may result in human power resource reallocation.
■ Significant impacts of solar power cogeneration are that it
■ Boosts economic development
■ Lowers the cost of peak power
■ Provides greater grid stability
■ Lowers air pollution
■ Lowers greenhouse gas emissions
■ Lowers water consumption and contamination
■ A mere 6.7-mi/gal efficiency increase in cars driven in the United States could off-
set our share of imported Saudi oil.
■ Types of solar power technology at present are:
■ Crystalline
■ Polycrystalline
■ Amorphous
■ Thin- and thick-film technologies
■ Types of solar power technology in the future:
■ Plastic solar cells
■ Nonconstruction materials
■ Dye-synthesized cells