I have long been
interested in energy conservation and renewable energy
systems and decided to stop talkin' and test out the economic and
practical feasibility of residential solar energy given the ever
decreasing prices (about 3% per year) in solar panels and the ever increasing concerns about the
hazards of unbridled burning of fossil fuels. As a scientist, I
can't say if human-kind induced global climate change is real or not,
but its a good bet that it is, and the data that continues to pile up
is getting more and more compelling.
Think PV is for environmental wackos? Think again. Here are
some graphs of data
from energy
consumption in my 2,500 square foot home starting in 2000 to the
present. You'll see the big drop in electricity charges (to
zero!) when we installed our own 2 kw (peak) PV
system in March of 2004 (the inverter
that turns DC power into
AC power suitable for feeding the local grid). We're actually
producing more electricity than we're using, which is conveniently
credited to us by our local power company (Public Service Company of
New Mexico: http://www.pnm.com). We'll probably end up using some
of it in the winter (when there isn't quite as much sun, of course),
and maybe even spare our use of natural gas heating a bit by the use of
room electric heaters, getting our stored electricity credits back from
PNM. It's difficult to imagine an easier way to earn a few
tax-free bucks (completely protected against energy price inflation, no
less) and do the environment a bit of a favor.
So, based on my very positive experience in designing, purchasing, and
installilng a grid-tied solar electricity system, starting in 2004 SMLR
now provides consultation on
residential energy conservation measures and design and selection of
photovoltaic (electricity generating) solar panels. SMLR can:
- conduct an energy audit of your home (or small
business) and
provide concrete recommendations that will probably save you over 30%
on your electricity and gas utility bills
- survey your home for appropriate sites for
installation of solar
panels
- calculate the appropriately sized PV system to
meet the vast
majority of your electricity needs (grid-tied systems are best for this
purpose.
You can read one of my editorials
on energy conservation, my view of the best
path forward for
efficient (yet fun) automobiles (and the answer isn't hydrogen),
and the advantages
rooftop solar
cells on homes as opposed to utility-scale solar production that
requires expensive government subsidies (most readers will be
unsurprised to learn that our local
political leaders favor building
huge, subsidized energy plants, when none of this expensive
market-tinkering is required.)
In addition I have written a book called "Saving Energy Without
Derision"--
you can click here for a few of the chapters describing our
own
experience in energy management and PV
installation at our residence that details the results of simple
actions we took (and you can also take!) to save substantial sums on
your utility bills and help out the environment at the same
time (and please see voluntary
contribution/payment information below).
The full version of the book "Saving Energy
Without Derision" is
available for $10.00. Just send a check to:
Scientific
and Medical-Legal Review of New Mexico
801 Morningside Dr.
NE
Albuquerque,
NM 87110
Or, you can
use PayPal and I'll get a
request to send you a copy of the book. Just hit the button below
(I hope it works!):
"Saving
Energy without Derision" is intended to be a
continuously-updated, no-nonsense guide for individuals interested in
energy conservation (if only to save substantial amounts on their
utility bills, let alone potential environmental benefits). As a
scientist, I recognize that modeling -- that is understanding -- the
complex interactions that take place within the atmosphere, sea and
land to create "climate" is extraordinarily challenging. At the
same time, the data demonstrating a link between fossil fuel burning
and climate change (interesting, not
just "global warming" but what might better be described as "degree of
climate variation") is becoming more and more compelling.
In any case, it seems that we can hedge our bets -- and decrease our
dependency on energy imports from politically violent parts of the
world (South America, the Middle East, and Russia) -- by doing a few
things on a daily basis that make a huge
difference in our own utility costs and our individual contriubtion to
the increasing release of waste gases. This book is mostly about
simple, practical actions
that you and your family can take as individuals. And, because it
is a never-quite-to-be-completed book, I receive novel thoughtful
suggestions from readers all over the world. The point is a
simple one: by thinking globally, but acting locally (depending on the
conditions in the place where you live), you can make a big
difference. You can think of the book as a practical experiment,
and one that you can alter to fit your own needs and
circumstances. I was indeed surprised at how easy it was to alter
a few of our thoughtless, wasteful behaviors and save big bucks and
feel just a bit better about how we are living.
Anyone can do this. A one-time purchase ($10) entitles you to all
future updates of the book (which I will send out electronically to the
list of buyers once or twice a year). If you don't save $10
within a week or two of implementing even a few of the simplest
suggestions in the book then I'll happily refund your investment.
-- Alan P. Zelicoff, MD
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I would of course welcome comments from readers, including corrections,
suggestions for future chapters or other items you might like to
see. In my view, energy conservation is something all of us can
practice (with very little pain) as a hedge against climate
change. I don't know if global "warming" (or even global
"cooling") will manifest itself or not, but its a good bet that it
will. And, once it does, it'll be too late to do much about it,
so a little prudence now seems to be in order.
You can also use the e-mail, phone or FAX numbers at the top of this
page to request an energy audit at your home, small business or small
apartment complex (anywhere within the Albuquerque area). Fees
available upon request (but I can just about guarantee you that I'll
save you many times more on your future utility bills than you invest
in the audit).
My special thanks to
Jim Stadnyck of Point of View
Photography for design of this webpage and much inspiration.
[Webpage last updated
2/8/07]
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ICQ# 21627838 |
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AIM or iChat
Screen name: apzelic
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Resume |
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(and an index to this
site):
Scientific
and Medical-Legal Review of New Mexico:
- Medical Malpractice and Accident Reconstuction
analysis
- Public Health Consulting
Syndrome-based
Disease Surveillance: information technology tools to help bring
public health and medicine into the 21st Century easily and
inexpensively.
Environmentally
Friendly Energy Systems (this page)
- residential energy conservation and
renewable energy system designs for your home or small buiness
Expert
Witness and Analysis: on thee abusive use of polygraphs and random drug testing
in Employee Screening.
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