The future is here with ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SOURCES

By BethAnne Brink-Cox House and Home Feature Writer

The very first energy source we knew was the sun, which provided heat and light. Later, a lightning strike gave us fire, which was used for everything from cooking to additional sources of heat–wood fires, candles and lamps. And more than 8,000 years ago, we discovered sails could be used to harness wind energy for transportation. So it seems that a lot of what we might think of as modern technology – solar and wind power, especially – has its roots deeply embedded in the history of civilization. Wood, for example, was the first real source of energy consumption in 1775, until coal began its usage in the 1850s.

But obviously we need to move forward, more toward green energy sources and further away from fossil fuels, as well as smarter uses of, meaning less use of, electricity. How can we do that? Well, geothermal energy is a type of renewable energy that comes from the Earth’s core, originating from heat generated during the original formation of the planet and the radioactive decay of materials. Don’t let that term radioactive frighten you: in the simplest of explanations, Brittanica.com states the particles and energy that are released are a form of radiation, and change a little bit each time they release something, until the decay results in a stable form.

John Moorman, general manager of Advanced Solar in Warsaw, explained the different, most common uses of solar energy.

“We install panels for grid tied systems–that’s when your solar system is tied to a utility company. When you produce more energy than you need, the company gives you credits you can use at night, when there’s less need, or during the winter.”

They also offer a grid-tied system with a battery backup, and that gives the convenience of backup power during an outage; the system provides regular energy and storage of energy for just such an emergency.

Moorman went on to say they have off-grid systems too. “Off grid doesn’t use any electricity, so you have to use batteries, and those are charged by the sun, using power you made to power your home.” He said there are companies who put in big fields, while Advanced Solar does residential installations. “They can be done when a house is being built or retroactively.

“And they can go in just about anywhere, unless your house has a lot of trees that shade it too much. You have to have lots of access to sunlight, of course. It doesn’t take that much time –I’d say the timeline from when I first contact the customer we’re talking about 8-12 weeks, to look over what is wanted, plans, all that. But installation usually just takes 2-3 days, depending on how much electricity a customer is going to want or is used to using. Solar energy started getting big about 20 or 25 years ago, but in the last 15 years or so it has gotten more affordable.”

Though you’re not likely to see any examples around here, if you travel West or SouthWest, you’ll want to look for examples of Michael Reynolds’ creations, known as Earthships. An Earthship is a home made of recycled materials–tires, cans, bottles and the like, and they are totally off the grid, costing from $200-$400 per square foot to build.

In the same way tiny houses are a solution for some, this kind of alternative housing may do a lot of good not just for the owner but the community surrounding it. They use six green building principles governing heating and cooling, solar electricity, water collection, sewage treatment, food production and the use of natural and recycled materials.

The “Back to the Land” movement of the 60s has taken a big jump forward with alternative power sources. Watch for the six most popular: solar, wind, hydro, tidal, geothermal, and biomass. We may not have flying cars (yet) but the future is here. n