Home solar payback is the million dollar question for solar energy systems. Unfortunately for solar installers, it’s not always an easy question to answer, as several variables affect the solution. It can be said that in general, it takes 10-20 years for an average-sized system to pay for itself in energy savings. In some cases, such as systems embedded into a mortgage, a system can be profitable from the get-go. In others, it can take more than 20 years.

Rebates and Incentives

Rebates and tax incentives are the number-one driver of shortened payback periods for home solar power panels. In fact, incentives are currently powering the entire solar industry as it works toward grid parity. Until 2016, the federal tax credit for home solar systems stands at 30 percent of up front costs. That’s available to every homeowner in the United States. Other incentives, including state tax credits and utility rebates, vary widely. …continue reading Home Solar Payback: How Long Does it Take?

The 2009 Solar Decathlon is over, and although Team Germany took home first prize this year, every one of the 20 competing teams is worthy of honorable mention. Not least of which is Virginia Tech’s LUMENHAUS. The house is made with super-efficient glass walls and doors with an open-floor design to allow maximum light penetration.

But this is no glass house. LUMENHAUS is equipped with a shifting facade, called an “Eclipsis System,” that glides on tracks to cover or reveal the windows depending on time of day and weather conditions. LUMENHAUS finished 13th overall in the Solar Decathlon, but scored high in major categories, including engineering, market viability and third place in architecture.

The essence of LUMENHAUS, which by design is an homage to the Bauhaus architectural movement of the early 20th century, lies in its intelligence. The house automatically monitors in- and outdoor conditions and adjusts the sliding facade accordingly. Home conditions are displayed in the house on various screens, as well as remotely through a Smartphone application, allowing the homeowner constant awareness and control. …continue reading Virgina Tech Students’ LUMENHAUS is Fantastic Functionality

Environment, humanity and architecture are not separate entities; they are interconnected and can even interact. That is the substance behind Living Light, a structure built in Peace Park in the heart of Seoul, South Korea.

Living Light functions as an interactive canopy and is a bit reminiscent of the Solar Night Garden in Jerusalem and some solar tree designs. But Living Light has no solar power panels. No, this unique piece of architecture by David Benjamin and Soo-in Yang is “alive” in a different way. Its translucent skin glows and blinks in response to air quality data and public interest in the local environment. …continue reading Interactive Living Light Structure Maps Air Quality in Seoul