Episode 73 :: Hal Brody: An Up-to-the-Minute Report on Solar Energy
Costs, technologies, rebates, and policies change rapidly around solar energy. This episode’s interview with Hal Brody lets the sun shine on all of these issues.
Every day the sun sends more energy to Earth than what we use globally in a year. But our technology has lagged in using it. How about today? Is solar energy still more expensive or does it now compete in price with carbon energies? Why is it important for energy to be produced as close as possible to where it is used, like your rooftop, for example? How does the grid get paid for if we all generate our own electricity from the sun? And what about those cloudy days or nights, the times when the sun doesn’t shine? Do I need batteries to store surplus solar energy for when the sun isn’t shining?
Hal’s website, Domiciles for a New America, shows you his work. Co-host Lee Van Ham and the other members of Lee’s shared-living household benefitted from Hal’s knowledge when he installed 17 photovoltaic panels on their rooftop a year ago. In that year, they paid NO electrical charges and generated enough electricity beyond their use so that the utility company owes them $43. A caveat regarding the $43. The utility company dislikes (or something) homes generating electricity so they do not send the $43 unless they receive a phone call to do so! Jeepers!
