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Solar Energy Heating Up?

nevada solar one I can't help but wonder what role the real estate community should play in supporting solar energy initiatives.

c|net News.com had a great photo essay this morning on a new power plant opening it's doors in Boulder City, Nevada. Nevade Solar One is a 300 acre field of mirrors that collects thermal energy from the Sun and heats tubes filled with oil to 400 degrees. The oil is then used to create steam, which turn a turbine to create electricity.

How much electricity? Nevada Solar One will produce enough juice for 15,000 homes or 25,000 hotel rooms. It goes live on the grid in a few weeks and will deliver most of it's energy during peak periods when electricity is most costly.

What does this have to do with real estate?

Maybe it's a stretch. Maybe I woke up with my rose colored glasses on today and just haven't found a way to pry them from my head yet. I don't know, but it seems to me that this is a movement the real estate community should rally around - and not just because getting energy from this plant reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 200 million tons each year!

Reducing our dependence on foreign oil, providing cheaper, cleaner energy, utilizing natural resources in our Sun Belt, educating consumers on the value of energy efficient home improvements, all of these things contribute to the health of our economy. In the big picture, that contributes to the health of the real estate industry. And, yes, I know I'm looking at this in the simplest of terms.

The Solar America Initiative

Sunbelt President Bush signed the Solar America Initiative (SAI) in February of 2006. It was supposed to promote "widespread" use of various solar energy sources all over the US by 2015. Jeanette Fisher, wrote a great article about this at the time. It was entitled, Will Solar Energy Initiative Affect The Real Estate Market. She looks at the potential impact of tax incentives and the growing demand for solar energy options in new home projects. I think one of her conclusions is accurate, "In time, home buyers will undoubtedly begin to insist upon having solar technology built into their real estate packages, but for now, the Solar America Initiative should be considered just the first step in moving the United States toward energy independence and greater economic stability." Is it working?

Adding solar roof tiles and tankless water heaters to new home construction would not increase the cost of building dramatically, but would dramatically impact the cost of living for the homeowner. I've seen a few new home builders off this as an option, but why aren't more home builders making this standard? I don't know. But it's an area that the real estate community can have an impact on!

In October, Business 2.0 ran an article entitled, Go Green, A Smart Home Improvement. "Considering a remodeling project to boost the value of your home?" Michael Copeland writes. "Before you drop $40,000 or more on a new kitchen or master bath, consider the newcomer on the renovation block: a rooftop solar-power system that not only will lower your overhead costs and insulate you from a volatile energy market but will likely add just as much to your home value over the long haul." It's worth a read. If it's even half true, it's certainly worth telling homeowners in Sun Belt states about.

So, is it just my rose colored glasses or is this something the real estate community should be focusing on?

Posted by Jeff Turner on 03/15/2007 01:28 PM

Comments (38)

solar energy, ecology, jeff turner, new construction, real estate

Originally posted at: Turner's Perspective: Solar Energy Heating Up?

Post is included in group: The Hubba Clubba...ROAR!

38 Comments on Solar Energy Heating Up?

MAR

2007

Jeff, great read! I am a newcomer to your posts, but so far they all seem to be timely and applicable to what we do for a living. I grew up in a very blue-collar, conservative environment where it seemed that being green was being on the left and the left was bad. I have since learned that we are all responsible to be stewards of what God has given us, which doesn't just mean our money, time, and abilities, but also the natural resources we so enjoy. I hope some of these initiatives and ides start to really take shape. I guess they are going to have to. The alternative sucks.

John, you and I are alike in that respect. I have never thought of myself as a "tree hugger." But as I've added kids I've begun thinking more and more about what kind of world they are inheriting and what role I play in that inheritance. You can thank JaneAnne Narrin for these last two posts... she challenged me to write something. I'm grateful she did.

{SVW Hubba}...

You're on a green roll my friend. Yes. I believe the real estate community should rally around solar energy. I see no reason why they shouldn't. Here in Florida we see a lot of solar being used to heat pools rather than installing heat pumps. You would think that being in Florida we would see more solar power usage. Hmmm. I'll have to look into that.

Now, about those rose colored glasses. That's a very nice color for you. Don't take them off. I love a guy who wears rose. SVW...

TLW...ROAR!

Hi Jeff:

We have the least amount of sunshine across Canada, she said with a tear in her eye. But we do have lots of wind and water. There's been a great deal of interest here with both - actually our Upper Churchill Falls water power generates much of the electricity in North Eastern USA. There are plenty of options out there, we just have to convince ourselves of that.

Jeff,

I'm a big advocate of alternate power. Sun, Wind, Hydro, and Grain power is the future. We need to become less reliant on the middle east for fossil fuels. I grew up on a farm in central Minnesota so I support renewable fuel sources. It will profit farmers everywhere and I believe make us like Brazil and not have to import oil. Good Post I bookmarked this for future reference. A side note my cousin is installing 3 large windmills on his farm near Sauk Centre Minnesota.

Good Day!!

www.duayneweir.com

I feel like janeAnne and I are crawling into everybody's conscience. It's a good feeling.

Jeff

But if we all use the sun's energy will there be enough?

There is much that can and needs to be done. Every little bit helps. Let's just hope that by continuing to throw it out there to our clients - that we can help - and get things done quickly.

TLW [SVW]... yes, you can blame JaneAnne for that. She started me up. :) And those glasses... I'm pretty sure their fused to my head.

Denise, I just read a story about a mountain in New Hampshire, not very high, that has almost constant winds at the top. New Hampshire is like Canada relative to its solar propensity, but man, wind has some serious power to deliver as well. Here's to wind!

Duayne, I think we'd all like to hear more about how your brother is using the windmills.

Dena, yes. Yes, you are. And it should feel good!

Mitchell, :)

Kelly, as always, little things matter. Keep throwing it out!

Jeff, as long as eco-friendly home improvements are done because it was necessary, and not because the owner wants to be trendy with earth-friendly products.

Sue

Sue, what is the danger in eco-friendly improvements for trend sake? Doesn't that benefit the next owner, who might actually value it for the right reason? Does the owner's trendy intent somehow negate the ecological benefit?

Jeff:What I'm saying is this: people are ripping out perfectly good products and throwing them in the landfill so that they can say their home is eco-friendly. If you really DO need new countertops then maybe it's smart to buy concrete with beautiful recycled glass shards in it. But if you're ripping out 7 year old granite counters because it's cool to have the concrete ones, then what's so earth friendly about that?

Sue

Sue, yes, I agree with you on that. But then again, I don't consider replacing my countertops to be making my house more ecologically sound. Your example is clearly a good example of trendy waste. But, if someone wants to be trendy and replaces their clay tile roof with solar panels, I'm all for that. :)

MAR

2007

You heart is in the right place, Jeff. I do not consider myself a "tree hugger" either, but I do want to be a good steward of the Earth. I think that solar, wind and other alternative energy sources are going to becoming more and more common in the near future. Here many homes are being built "green" from the ground up. They are more energy efficient and use an alternative source of energy during peak times of electrical usage. I think that what stops most people from considering these options is the general lack of information available to the public on how to implement and where to buy these types of "collectors". A friend of mine, who wants to raise awareness, was just talking about wanting to sell solar collectors for homes that work during the peak hours.

Yes, the majority of Americans know that it is the "trend", but do they know how cost effective and simple it can be? Here you can "invest" in wind power by electing to do so on your power bill. This, in turn, helps the power company invest in wind farms and gauge the consumer's interest in the product. If Realtors, builders and other industry influences lead the way in consumer education, who knows what could happen. Great Post!

Jeff

janeAnne mentioned your blog "Solar Energy Heating Up?. I just read it and I'm in agreement that there is a direct corelation between real estate and 'green and sustainable homes' and 'solar energy'. Energy from fossil fuels will continue to increase and it is imperative that we incorporate natural and renewable energy sources into our lives. Also enjoyed your reference to the article entitled, Go Green, A Smart Home Improvement.

MAR

2007

Jeff

I don't know very much about construction, but I wonder how much is being taught to our engineering students, home builders and contractors in school today about how to build a greener house.

We have the technology and resources to build the ultimate conservationist house, yet the paradigm shift in building new homes, has yet to occur. It starts with education and molding of our belief systems.

Not sure if you heard, but actor brad pitt is sponsoring a project to build the ultimate enviromentally friendly home.

thanks
MR

Great stuff Jeff! I did my research also (great how janeAnne and Dena drew us into this, huh?) and found that Nevada should be #1 in regards to providing electricity through renewable means. We are getting into the forefront on solar and even geothermal. With all of our wind and sunshine I would say it's about time we stepped up to the plate to harness alternative forms of energy!

Jeff, did you know that our CA cows are making electricity, too? I'm all for solar panels as long as we don't destroy the sun, next! Just kidding.

Advocating solar energy does not have to have a real estate angle. We all live on the same planet and affect each other. As we learn better ways to lessen the impact we have to our environment, we need to implement them.

MAR

2007

Congratulations -- this was very interesting and I hope that more people will consider solar power -- and see it as a postiive rather than a negative. Perhaps it is a matter of education the real estate community and the consumer.

Great topic, I actually wrote one called Solar power is a great alternative ,but at that time not much interest,I love it for my pool ,keeps the gas heating costs down when it is cold and we want to swim,the temp is always 10 degrees warmer than a pool without. great investment and great for the environment.

Jeff,

Great topic.One of the Realtors in our office is from Germany.There they frequently use wind energy. A while back she was wondering why it can't be implemented in the US. The answer was bureaucracy and lobbyists in Washington. My position is that alternative sources of energy wind, solar,etc. are great but it is our responsibility as citizens, not necessarily as Realtors, to make it work. After all,there are a lot more citizens in this country than Realtors!

Jeff - Congratulations on your 3rd place tie in "Green Contest"!! This is a very interesting post to read.

Ann

Ann and all, I am truly honored.

There is so much more we can do as real estate agents to promote alternative energy. There is a HUGE disconnect between the consumer, the costs and the savings. People need to see the benefits not only to the environment but to their pocket. Unfortunately, people think with the latter more often. I helped start a 'green' building company a few years ago here in New Hampshire and we struggled to get the perception of 'green' out there. It's almost like people were not ready.

HI Jeff:

Your post reminds me of the comment William McDonough made when asked by Department of Defense leaders if he was a supporter of nuclear energy. He quickly answered yes I am. We have a great nuclear reactor 393 million miles away and I know it can supply all our energy needs

Aloha, your map is missing Hawaii. We are one of the best locations for solar.

Rosy...

REALLY what do we have to LOOSE by doing these kinds of things.

It may cost MORE to start... but in the long run. AWESOME.

Green It Forward...

Thanks for a great post. I'm seeing some towns/cities offer great incentives with green building. I only hope that movement grows!

I did my part last night. I'm on the Ledyard Town Council and we voted to provide a property tax exemption for Class I renewable energy sources. A town resident who spoke on behalf of the proposal is using solar roof tiles and he presented his electric bill of $0.

Since I live in a community and an area that is surrounded by new construction EVERYWHERE... what a great pitch to the custom home builders in the area! I have decided to start approaching them in hopes of gaining their listings so that they can more quickly liquidate their inventories... and this would be a great "introduction"!!!

Congrats -- on an excellent post.

I learned alot about a local store that uses wind energy --as a matter of fact the owner purchased a year's supply for each of his stores.

Congratulations Jeff on your Great Featured Post & 3rd Place Win! Just stopped by to say hello & cheers! Keep writing stuff that makes us think...and then continues to prod us to act!

MAR

2007

Hi Jeff

Well written as usual. I have to agree with TLW- Florida has yet to fully capitalize on utilizing the resource most easily available to us...solar energy. Many towns have dropped recycling efforts due to "the cost." And many builders have pulled away from building "Green Homes" also due to cost. For those old enough to remember the 1970's (a generation very environmentally aware) it would be nice to see more of what we hoped the future wouldbe back then in the here and now.

MAR

2007

Jeff,

Congratulations on being a winner on a winning subject. I often wonder why we do not have a more large scale use of solar energy here. I know that Rotary International, for example, distributes or helps people in developing countries (without electricity) acquire solar ovens. We live in sun drenched regions and do not take advantage of the natural, free power (at least, not on a large scale) to heat water and our homes. I have visited homes where individuals have experimented with running their entire home on solar power withe impressive results.

MAR

2007

I see so few homes that are solar, or even passive-solar, never mind any other means of low-impact energy consumption or generation. Thanks for opening my eyes. I did a quick Google Search for Maine, and we seem to have good thoughts, but not so good on the implimentation. Liz

MAR

2007

Interesting to hear about large scale solar plant Of course in Wisconsin it really is not as effective. However there is interest and one of my friends did some extensive research and came up with a 10 year break-even for a solar shingle roof. Energy can even be sold back to the utility company.

I notice that missing from this conversation is the fact that our greatest savings can come from increasing efficiencies- or appliances, insulation, autos.

If the average home was 10% more efficient, then that solar plant would be ably to power 17,000 homes instead of 15,000.

MAR

2007

Guy, very good points. A 10 year break even, for most consumers, may not be enough to justify the up front cost I fear. In todays world, many can't see themselves owning the same house for 10 years!

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