Home Ownership Until recently, passive solar heating was the only economically viable solar energy technology. Active solar systems, with their solar panels,

pumps and controls, were criticized as expensive, prone to breakdown and generally not cost effective. But things are changing on the solar scene. Traditional energy sources cost more. Capital costs for solar equipment are becoming more reasonable; the hardware is reliable and, for some specialized applications, solar technology is now cost effective.

It's easy to see why solar heating's cost and practicality problems haven't yielded to any quick fixes. You need only look at what's involved in a standard solar panel home-heating system to understand why the pay-back period is still in excess of 25 years. High quality materials and construction must be used to make the outside solar panels, valves, fittings and control systems reliable in the extreme Canadian climate. The solar panels must operate on antifreeze instead of water to prevent freezing.

The heat storage system has to be massive — tonnes of water or rock tucked away under the house or in a corner of your basement. Getting the heat in and out of the storage system requires special fans, duct work, or heat-exchangers. Professional installation of all this hardware adds to the expense. Furthermore, since a solar space heater can't satisfy 100 per cent of heating demands at I reasonable cost, you must install a standard heating system to back it up.




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December 4, 2008