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Archives for March 2019

A Brief History of Solar Power

March 28, 2019 by Kai Haskins

With the increased access to solar power, more and more people are using the sun’s energy to power aspects of their everyday lives. But, how was solar power invented? It’s fascinating to learn about the origins of something considered so commonplace today, like harnessing energy from the sun. Who did this? When did they do this? In this post, we’ll take you through a brief history of solar power and how it became the powerful renewable energy source you know, today.

Early History

The beginning of solar power use is very different from what it is today. Humans first used sunlight to light fires with a magnifying glass in the 7th century B.C. The Greeks and Romans discovered documentation of this in 3rd century B.C., but the first documentation in the East was in 20 A.D. This tool became known as “burning mirrors.” Although it might not have been in your history textbooks, the story of Greek inventor Archimedes using burning mirrors to set fire to invading Roman ships in 212 B.C. is famous for its engineering marvel. Despite contention over whether this event happened on this scale, burning mirrors were regularly used by the Greeks and are still used today. In fact, the use of over 2,000 mirrors to generate electricity is currently being implemented in the Mojave Desert to make 10 megawatts of power.

Leonardo da Vinci is famously known for his paintings and sculptures during the Renaissance, but he also found interest in engineering and science. In the 15th century, da Vinci made the first known attempt to harness solar energy.

Another 300 years later in the mid-1700s, Horace de Saussur, a Swiss physicist, invented the first working solar oven, which was used on ships for long voyages.

Invention of Solar Cells

The history since the 1800s has been very divided. Some people credit the original discovery of PV potential in the early 1800s, while others only credit the PV cell invention in the mid-1900s. But, we’ll take you through that process to let you determine for yourself.

It all began in 1839, when French scientist Edmond Becquerel discovered the “photovoltaic effect.” Becquerel observed the production of electric currents when two metal electrodes were exposed to light, laying the foundation for future discoveries. The next major milestone occurred in 1873, when English electrical engineer, Willoughby Smith, discovered the photoconductivity of selenium. This led to the discovery by William Adams and Richard Day in 1876 that selenium creates electricity when exposed to sunlight.

Many people attribute the invention of solar cells to Charles Fritts, who created the first solar cells from selenium wafers in 1883. While some potential for the wafers was found in the following decades, none were fully functional. Little headway was made until Russell Shoemaker Ohl created the first silicon solar cell in 1940 at Bell Labs, which only had 1% efficiency.

However, it took another 14 years for Bell Labs engineers Daryl Chapin, Calvin Fuller, and Gerald Pearson to invent the first fully-functioning silicon, photovoltaic cell in 1954. Bell Labs announced the invention on April 25, 1954, which led the front page of the New York Times on April 26th to read: “the beginning of a new era, leading eventually to the realization of harnessing the almost limitless energy of the sun for the uses of civilization.” Just two years later, in 1956, the first solar cells were available for commercial use at a steep $300 for a 1-watt solar cell.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, from 1956 to 1975, the cost of solar panels decreased from $300 per watt to $100 per watt. And today, a solar panel costs a fraction of the price.

The Rise of Solar Power

Between 1970 and the 1990s, there was a massive rise in the use of solar within the US. The first instance of this was when the US became the first country to use solar power in space. The Vanguard I satellite was launched into space in 1958 and the still-orbiting satellite used a one-watt panel to power its radios.

Shortly thereafter, in 1973, the first solar powered building was created on the University of Delaware campus by researchers and students. The building was named “Solar One.” Then, students across the world had the opportunity to see solar power in action when solar powered calculators were invented in 1978.

In 1979, during Jimmy Carter’s presidency, he had solar panels installed on the roof of the White House. Although removed in 1981, President Obama reinstalled the solar panels in 2010 and added a solar water heater.

Solar as We Know it Today

Since the Solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC) was passed in 2006, there has been an increase in industry stability and growth. In the last decade, the use of solar panels has increased by an average 59% annually. Now, more than 250,000 Americans work in the solar industry—an increase of 123% since 2010—with more than 10,000 companies providing solar services nationwide. And, in 2018, the cost to install solar fell by more than 70% since 2010. According to SEIA, “In 2018, a new solar project has been installed in the U.S. every 100 seconds… [and] there are now more than 1.9 million solar installations in the U.S.” Now is the best time to make the switch to renewable energy.

If you would like to join the nearly 400,000 homeowners in Massachusetts who use solar power for their homes, take a look at our website.

Check out how you can have your own solar panels installed. Get a quote from us today.

Filed Under: Solar

What is the Mass Save Home Energy Assessment?

March 12, 2019 by Kai Haskins

Massachusetts is the #1 most energy efficient state in the US according to the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy. For the past six years, Massachusetts has led the country in green energy efficiency with its innovative programs and incentives. Not only do these programs earn fancy titles, they also help Massachusetts residents save unprecedented amounts of money.

It’s easy to benefit from these environmentally friendly and money saving initiatives. In fact, your first step to becoming more energy efficient costs you nothing—a Mass Save Home Energy Assessment with Endless Energy.

Endless Energy performs Mass Save energy assessments at no cost. No matter who you are you can benefit. With our home energy analysis, Endless Energy figures out how to save you money on your energy bill and how to live a greener life! A complete assessment is conducted by an expert who will provide you with a personal report on ways to improve your home’s energy efficiency and install up to $625 in no cost energy and power saving appliances and $1,200 in energy efficient services. You can see the improvements on the spot.  Additionally, the report entitles you to thousands more in available rebates and power savings.

The best part is, with these improvements, the more you use the more you save! Energy Efficiency is a simple and easy way to lower your carbon footprint while receiving enormous rates on return. In fact, Mass Save calculates that every dollar they spend on this initiative leads to $4.69 in savings for you.

It seems a little too good to be true. In fact, sometimes we get comments like this:

Well. It’s true, and in fact you have already helped finance the program. The Home Energy Assessment is funded by a charge on electricity and gas bills. The electric and natural gas companies work with the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources and energy efficiency service providers to send energy experts like our professionals at Endless Energy to your home.

If you have not already taken advantage of what you paid for, call 508.357.2355 or go to this website to schedule your Mass Save energy audit today. Once you begin, you can take advantage of these wonderful products and services.

What is provided by Endless Energy’s Mass Save Energy Assessment?

With a Mass Save Energy Assessment with Endless Energy you receive

  • A personalized report for your home
  • LED High-Efficiency Light Bulbs for entire home
  • Digital Thermostats
  • Energy Efficient Power Strips
  • Target Air Sealing
  • 75% off of your insulation services
  • Water Saving Shower Head
ENERGY STAR® LED light bulbs

If your house is using energy inefficient light bulbs like incandescent bulbs, your Energy Assessment expert will replace every bulb in your home at no cost to you, an estimated $528 value. Incandescent bulbs have long been a source of energy inefficiency. In fact, 90% of the energy used to run incandescent bulbs is burned off as heat while only 10% is actually used to produce light. Furthermore, they only last about 1,000 hours, the equivalent of about a year.

Compare that to the efficiency of LED bulbs.

  • LEDs can last about 25,000 hours, or about 25 years.
  • They use about 75% less energy than incandescent bulbs.
  • They can save you an average of $75 a year on electricity according to Energy.gov. Multiply that by the 25 years a light will last and you’ve got $1,875 just from changing lightbulbs!

Even though the United States no longer imports or produces incandescent bulbs, people have been slow to switch over to LEDs. Why? Because of the upfront cost. While incandescent bulbs can cost as little as 70 cents, LEDs can cost between $10 and $20. Luckily with Endless Energy and Mass Save you can receive them and have them installed at no cost. Talk about easy savings.

Power Saving TrickleStar Power Strips 

Did you know that 5-10% of your household energy consumption comes from standby power consumption? Even when you are not using your electronics—think TV, computer, printers, etc.—they are zapping power. Traditional energy strips expand the amount of power outlets available, but encourage you to keep electronics on standby mode. In standby mode, they continue to draw power even when they are not in use. This costs money, wastes electricity, and increases your carbon emissions.

Power saving strips actually shut down power to electronics when they enter stand-by mode. So when you aren’t using something, it’s not using power. That means more money savings, less electricity, and a smaller carbon footprint. In fact, if power was not used when electronics were in standby, we would reduce our global carbon dioxide emissions by 1%.

Programmable or Discounted Wireless Thermostats

Air conditioning and heating account for 44% of energy bills. That means that almost half of your bill goes to regulating the temperature of your house. Simple changes can help cut these cost. In fact, each degree warmer you set your thermostat in the winter is 1% saved on your energy bill. Using programmable thermostats is an easy way to enact this change.

Programmable thermostats allow you to control the temperature of your home, so you can decide the most comfortable and most energy efficient temperature. (If you want to set your house the best energy saving temperature for your thermostat in the winter, read this article.) With the energy audit, Endless Energy will install these thermostats for you.

Maintaining the balance between a comfortable living temperature while being as energy efficient as possible can be difficult. This is especially challenging if you want to save energy by cutting heating or air conditioning when you aren’t home but want to come back to an enjoyable climate. Who wants to enter a house that is 30 degrees in February after a long day at work?

Endless Energy’s energy auditors can help mitigate this relationship by installing wireless thermostats at no cost. These thermostats allow you to control the temperature of the house on the go; therefore you do not have to pay for unneeded heating or air conditioning when you are not home, but you can return to a cozy living situation. All you have to do is wirelessly program the temperature from afar. These wireless thermostats also alert you when filters need to be changed or the temperature is too hot or too cold. These added benefits help protect your home, save you money, and reduce your carbon footprint.

One wireless thermostat company found that on average,

  • Homeowners used 10-12% less energy with wireless thermostats.
  • This reduced energy use accounts for $131 to $145 in savings on your energy bill each year.

In addition to thermostat installation with your Endless Energy Mass Save audit, Mass Save offers Honeywell Lyric Round™ Wi-Fi Thermostats or Building 36™ Wi-Fi Thermostats for $50, or a rebate of up to $125 on any other model. It’s a true energy saver!

Air Sealing and Insulation

According to the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy, insulating your home can help save, on average, 12% on your utilities energy bill and 16% on your heating and cooling bill.

This energy saving process is accomplished in a couple of ways. Air sealing involves making cracks and openings between the inside and outside of the house airtight. By patching these openings between doors, windows, floors, walls, ceilings, and your attic, air sealing prevents air leakage.  In the summer, less cooling from your air conditioner leaves your home, and in the winter, less heating from your heat pump of gas furnace leaves the home. Likewise, the temperature outside your house is less likely to leak into the house. This allows your (newly installed wireless thermostats) to regulate your temperature while using less energy. Your Endless Energy Mass Save Auditor will perform target air sealing at no cost. You can find out more about air sealing here!

Insulation is also an easy way to maintain the temperature of your home. Like air sealing, it helps maintain a stable temperature by resisting heat flow between the inside and the outside of the house. Unlike air sealing, insulation covers the entire envelope of the home. Anything that is in direct contact with the outside should be insulated. With this protection there is less work for your air conditioner in the summer and heating in the winter, reducing costs and increasing comfort! Insulation effectiveness relies heavily on proper installation. In fact, some insulation requires professional installation. With your Endless Energy Mass Save energy audit you can save 75% on insulation services, up to a $2,000 value.

Water Saving Shower Head

While the above options help you save money on heating, cooling, and electricity by reducing its use, homes also expend energy on water use. Reducing water flow lessens water usage and the amount of energy used to heat that water. This sort of saving is two-fold: on your water bill and your heating bill. By installing low flow water saving fixtures like shower heads, the Department of Energy estimates that you achieve water savings of 25%–60%. Showers account for 20%-30% of all household water usage, and one water saving showerhead can save the average household thousands of gallons per year. Furthermore, not heating that amount of water is another estimate $50 savings on heating costs. Endless Energy’s Mass Save work will install a no cost shower head with the Mass Save Energy Audit, and you can begin to reap the benefits.

Who Can Participate?

Whether you are a homeowner, renter, or landlord, you can take advantage of this no cost program that increases your home’s energy efficiency, expands your green practices, lowers your carbon footprint, and saves money on your utilities bill. Heating, cooling, Air Conditioning, and electricity costs can be slashed dramatically with this no cost home energy audit offered by Mass Save and Endless Energy. What’s more? This is not a one time savings, you will continue to benefit year after year!

With 7 energy auditors and counting, Endless Energy is one of the leading Mass Save partners in the state. The Endless Energy Mass Save Energy Assessment is so easy; our energy experts conduct your audit and process your rebates. All you have to do is schedule the time and be present. By investing in your savings you are cutting energy costs in your home for the rest of your life.

We serve greater Metrowest Massachusetts, and can be available at your convenience in as little as two weeks. If you are in Bolton, Southborough, Marlborough, Westborough, Franklin, Brookline, Dover, Hopkinton, Lancaster, Medford, Natick, Sharon, Sudbury, Southbridge, Walpole, Worchester, or the surrounding areas CALL 508-357-2355 or schedule you appointment here.

Filed Under: Energy Efficiency

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