"Alternative energy is a future idea whose time is past. Renewable energy is a future idea whose time has come."--Bill Penden (1977)

THE SUN: OUR GREATEST ENERGY RESOURCE

Consider these statistics about solar power, our greatest energy resource:

• 100 square miles of Nevada desert covered with solar panels could generate the equivalent of all the electrical power needs of the United States.
   
• The earth receives more solar energy in just one day than its 6 billion inhabitants consume in equivalent electric power in 27 years says NREL, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado.
   
• The 50 U.S. states receive the equivalent of approximately 385 quadrillion megawatts of electrical power from the sun each day on average. The greatest amount is along the Sun Belt of Southern California, Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico, but there is plenty for the rest of the U.S. as well.
   
• All space flights and the space station are powered by solar energy for their electronic systems and even to produce oxygen and water. Yet this amazing resource of energy has been largely ignored as a source of energy here on earth. Solar power even ranks behind wind energy, the fastest growing form of renewable energy.
   

But that is changing fast. Solar energy is finally moving out of its poor stepchild relationship with the family of energy into the Cinderella spotlight. Many new technologies have been developed to utilize solar energy. These include, among others, passive solar heating and day lighting by way of architectural design, photovoltaics, solar hot water, and solar space heating, particularly radiant floor heating. These are technologies that home and business owners can use right now to offset their energy costs. As you peruse this web site you will find that the above links to water heating, radiant space heating and photovoltaics will provide useful information and financial analysis to help you as a home or business owner to decide if a solar installation is right for you. Then please contact us and we will be pleased to answer any questions and take it to the next step of a solar site analysis to see what is possible for your home or business on either the structure or the property. More on this at the FAQ link.

This web site is new and a work in progress. Feel free to check back from time to time as there will eventually be pages illustrating the more technical aspects of solar systems as well as information on photovoltaic well pumping which can be especially useful and economical for farmers and ranchers as well as anyone contemplating drilling a well far from a power line.

But first take a look at the map below, courtesy of NREL. Solarwise, Durango and Southwest Colorado have it almost as good as it gets in the U.S.!