Buying Solar Equipment

How to Buy Solar Without Getting in Hot Water

Solar energy has entered the market-place, particularly in the area of domestic water heating. As a result, consumers are being barraged by conflicting claims and promises from the ever-increasing number of solar companies. But the careful and informed consumer can still make a sound investment in a solar water heater by following a few guidelines. As with any other major consumer purchase, there is no “best” to buy. Price needs to be considered along with performance, installation qualification, and warranty. An inexpensive system that is too small or with low overall efficiency may not be a good economic choice compared to a more expensive system with better performance. It may pay to invest more in a system that captures and delivers solar energy more efficiently.

However, the important considera-tion is the whole system performance, not just collector efficiency. A collector of 10, 15, or even 20 percent more effi-ciency will yield only a little better over-all performance in a solar system. What you want to be paying for is the amount of useful hot water delivered, not just the amount of sunshine collected.

The greatest number of problems that solar consumers have can be traced directly to poor or improper installation. Be sure that your collector is mounted so that it faces within 10 to 15 degrees of true south and that there is enough collector to do the job. If you live in an area with architectural restrictions, be sure to obtain approval of your architectural control committee. Check also to see if the installer is properly licensed by contacting your State Registrar of Contractors. Make sure, too, that the installer has obtained the necessary building permits, if you live in an area covered by building codes. Finally, make sure that the installation is completed in a clean, professional manner. For your own protection any solar installation should be done by a licensed contractor. In Arizona, after July 1, 1980, he must be “solar qualified” by the Registrar of Contractors. If you live outside of Arizona, check with your Registrar to see if your state has similar laws. Even the best performance claims will provide the consumer with little benefit if the system fails to operate correctly and is not guaranteed to be correctable under warranty. Be sure to have in writing specifically what is covered, for how long, and who is responsible for warranty service. Knowing what the warranty covers and who will back it can make a big difference to your pocketbook should problems arise.

Be sure to comparison shop for your solar system. Contact several solar dealers for estimates. Compare system designs, cost performance, warranties, and professionalism. The time spent in comparison shopping will be time well spent. Compare what the seller said with what is written in your contract. All promises, claims, warranties, and costs should be in writing. If the seller makes verbal claims not in your contract, ask him to write those claims into your contract before you sign it.

Don't be afraid to ask questions, it's your money. It is normally more expensive to get these answers from experience after the system is installed than before you buy. For the informed consumer, the purchase of a solar water heater can be a wise investment that will save increasing amounts of money year after year.

The National Solar Heating and Cooling Information Center offers a wide range of free solar information. Write: the Center at P.O. Box 1607, Rockville, Maryland 20850 or call toll free 1-800-523-2929.

The John F. Long Showcase of Homes, in northwest Phoenix, includes this model home that features a variety of passive heating systems. Arizona State University and the Arizona Solar Energy Commission have supplied instrumentation to acquire data from each room. Another unique feature is the Northrup-designed, water-assisted air conditioner. Proposed also is a photovoltaic power system.

Making Solar Cells at Motorola

(Left) A continuous ribbon of silicon is being drawn from a Motoroladeveloped laser furnace. In the process, a pair of scanned, focussed laser beams establish a molten zone on the pre-formed ribbon, and large-grained silicon is drawn out at a high growth rate. This process greatly reduces the number of steps required to "grow" crystals. In addition, because of the tremendous reduction in energy required to operate this type of furnace, the cost of manufacturing is greatly reduced.

(Below) A Motorola technician monitors a control bank for eight diffusion furnaces. Here, a precise amount of phosphorous penetrates the silicon cells, thus achieving a "pn junction" the heart of the photovoltaic process. (Bottom, left) In a similar furnace, a "boat" of wafers emerges with an anti-reflection coating which maximizes the absorption of sunlight and gives these electronic gems a dazzling sapphire-blue appearance.

text continued from page 35 If it sounds a bit Star-Trekish, remember that these solar cells are already supplying power to some remote Indian villages, one of which is Schuchuli on the Papago Reservation in southern Arizona. Photovoltaics are also powering remote communications systems. In fact, they are a good source today for areas which don't have huge power requirements and lack utility connections. But as you add more people and more power needs, economics makes photovoltaics unworkable.

The trouble is that photovoltaic cells are jewelry today, elegantly handmade and, until very recently, terribly expensive. Yet, as Bob Hammond, solar marketing executive for Motorola, suggested, "It is possible that in five to ten years these photovoltaic units will be available to supplement the residential power grid in metropolitan areas."

As a leader in the electronics field, Motorola has a stake in the future of this source. It wasn't so long ago that the printed circuit was a luxury, and it is assumed that soon the photovoltaic cell may join it as a necessity. When that happens probably by the end of this decade Motorola will be there turning them out.

It's fully expected that the end of the 80s will find Arizona homeowners going to a Penney's or Sears store to purchase a photovoltaic rooftop home unit, which can be installed by a do-it-yourselfer. Those less enterprising folks will buy them commercially and have them installed. Then, while the sun shines, homeowners can make hay and kilowatts.

It's enough to bring smiles to any but the most hardhearted utility man. For rooftop units pose some intriguing questions not to say what happens to the utility companies when suddenly people can do it themselves. There's no question that this will complicate the power company's life, but no one is panicking because photovoltaic home generators are a long way off. The cost is prohibitive. A peak kilowatt of photovoltaic power costs $10.00 per unit today, down from several years ago, but still far off from the 1986 goal set by the federal government of 70 cents per peak watt.

But home units aren't the entire answer, for it is extremely likely that Arizona will sprout solar power farms in the near future huge areas where photovoltaic collectors harness the sun's energy on a massive scale and send it to consumers along already established utility lines. The Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport solar photovoltaic concentrator project, a 225kw plantwhich will demonstrate the merits of this idea, is already under construction. Yes, it's a shiny mirrored future that beckons.

Then there's the power tower concept the other great white light hope for a sun-driven 20th century. Proven in theory, this idea fits more easily into today's utility format, because power would be generated at a location and delivered to consumers. The heart of this system is tracking mirrors which follow the sun and beam its heat toward a steam boiler perched on a high tower. Like photovoltaic cells, power towers (also called solar thermal power) are extremely expensive.

But Keith Turley, president of Arizona Public Service, hopes to put his neck and his cash on the line with this system. APS plans to repower part of its Saguaro plant with a power tower. "That plant is now used for peaking purposes," Turley said. "So if we could replace this oil-burning plant with solar electricity, it would make the most sense for us."

Both of these promise megawatts for tomorrow, but even they won't offer enough. So scientists and engineers are looking to the perfect solar collectors, plants, for more answers. In Tucson, the Office of Arid Land Studies is turning out Tumblelogs, tumbleweed processed and burned for fuel. And at the University of Arizona's Environmental Research Laboratory, a water hyacinth project promises more energy. Bio-mass production producing plants for fuel is rapidly gaining acceptance.

If demonstrations alone could launch us into the solar age, Arizona would be on its way. The state is sprinkled with workshops offering "hands on" experience for solar equipment. Classes and experimental projects and commercial ventures range from the Indian owned and operated Birdsprings Solar Corporation, which manufactures solar collectors, to the remarkable work being done with ClearView collectors at the U of A Environmental Research Laboratory.

Then there's the aquaculture program developed by Carl Hodges at the U of A's Tucson lab, which is attracting worldwide attention. The research and development coming from the state universities as well as the industrial breakthroughs by firms such as Motorola and Honeywell are pushing Arizona onto the sun's track. Why aren't we already there? Why does the state depend upon importing fossil fuel? Why are we pushing for hydroelectric and nuclear power? Why haven't we made that next giant step for mankind, off the moon and onto the sun?

Aside from the obvious problems like technology and cost, solar power has been stymied by inertia. It is easier to build conventionally, quicker to purchase an electric hot water heater, and while space heating is here, today, as a solar solution, the more densely populated parts of the state are waiting for the ice man to come. Solar cooling isn't ready for the commercial market. Then, on top of these knowns, pile the unknowns. How well will a solar system work? Will it hold up? What can a consumer expect? Should a solar pioneer be rewarded for his troubles?

Here Arizona has made some great strides. The state passed the best legislative package in the country to inspire people to go solar with protection. These tax credits, according to Jim Warnock, executive director of the Solar Energy Commission, added to the federal package, sweeten the solar pie considerably. The federal law allows a 15 percent credit on expenses up to $2000 for insulation and energy saving devices, and even bigger breaks for installing solar equipment.

But the Arizona package offers much more. Home builders may claim the 35 percent tax credit for non-presold homes which include solar devices, and

In addition, that credit covers commercial and industrial solar applications. Homeowners receive a 35 percent residential tax credit for solar devices up to $1000 maximum credit. This was extended through 1983, at which point it declines 5 percent per year. The state charges no "sales" tax on solar equipment, and the tax assessor cannot include solar equipment in a home-owner's assessment. The state also demands two-year warranties for commercial solar equipment. Totalling the two packages, state and federal, means that an Arizonan may realize a 65 percent, or maximum $3000 credit, for installing solar equipment. The legislature also required that solar contractors be qualified, and permits any new state building over 6000square feet to go solar, where it is shown to be cost effective. And, the bill enables cities and towns and coun-ties to delve into the questions of solar rights and zoning, to encourage com-munities to look to the sun. It is an excellent comprehensive package, one Arizona can be proud of. Yet problems remain, principally in codes and standards. As Greg Stutz-man, member of the federally spon-sored Solar Public Interest Coordinat-ing Committee, points out, "To permit the consumer to make a wise choice, there must be something to compare systems with and some assurance that installations are done properly and safely. This is why we are working so hard on developing uniform codes and standards nationwide."

square feet to go solar, where it is shown to be cost effective. And, the bill enables cities and towns and coun-ties to delve into the questions of solar rights and zoning, to encourage com-munities to look to the sun. It is an excellent comprehensive package, one Arizona can be proud of. Yet problems remain, principally in codes and standards. As Greg Stutz-man, member of the federally spon-sored Solar Public Interest Coordinat-ing Committee, points out, "To permit the consumer to make a wise choice, there must be something to compare systems with and some assurance that installations are done properly and safely. This is why we are working so hard on developing uniform codes and standards nationwide."

While solar equipment was common here before the advent of cheap elec-tricity and gas, the science has suffered from disuse. Data needs to be gathered; expectations firmed up. That's where someone like Gene Zerlaut of DSET Laboratories, Inc., comes in. Tucked away off the highway near New River, just outside of Phoenix, sits 40 acres of glitter. No, Zerlaut is not the original electric horseman. He's into solar testing. While few Arizonan's know about this claim to fame, the lab is the largest in the world, testing materials under sun and weather con-ditions. DSET collects and analyzes data, giving a worldwide array of clients insight into what the sun can do to various products. "We've tested more solar collectors in the last four years here than have been tested anywhere else in the world," Zerlaut notes. "We also do the most solar measuring of anyone." The data they collect helps to develop per-formance standards for solar equip-ment. "Durability is a problem," Zer-laut observed. "Sure, codes and regu-lations can be a problem if we let them, but they are still needed. Our major concern is that products go out that are durable and put together right." Where do we stand as the sun rises over this new decade? It seems we have one foot planted firmly on the familiar, and a toe dipped tentatively into tomor-row. We've come a long way in the last five years, but the solar age hasn't arrived full blown. We need to discover how to store that sunshine economi-cally, how to make the most of this asset. None of these is insurmountable, but each requires time and effort to work out. There's hope in space - in launching massive 10-mile square photovoltaic generators 23,000 miles into the air to beam microwaves of sunpower back to earth continuously. This grabs the imagination of some creative scientists, but others fear that the slightest mis-calculation could cook us to a crisp. In the meantime, Arizona sits in a unique location, under a literal power-house of sunshine. The north of the state could go solar any time. Between home design, hot water, and space heaters on the market, and a favorable climate, the sun could be in business. The southern deserts may turn to better designed evaporative coolers, passive solar homes, and hot water heaters today and wait a bit for solar cooling and sun driven generators. But it is clear, as we begin this new decade, that the heat's on the solar age is on its way.

Bookshelf

by Mary Lu Moore Inquiries about any of these titles should be directed to the book publisher not ARIZONA HIGHWAYS. Book prices listed do not include postage.

100 Years of Native American Painting. By Arthur Silberman. Oklahoma Museum of Art, 7316 Nichols Rd., Oklahoma City, OK 73120. 1978. 114 р. $10.00, plus $1.50 postage and handling. Softcover.

In 1978 the Oklahoma Museum of Art presented a major retrospective exhibit entitled "One Hundred Years of Native American Painting." Guest curator of the show and author of the catalog Arthur Silberman has studied American Indian art for a number of years. His approach for the exhibition was from artistic and aesthetic aspects rather than from an ethnological viewpoint. One or more representative works of 64 prominent Native American artists a good many from the Southwest are well produced, along with brief but pertinent biographical sketches. A sensitive, moving introduction by Jamake Highwater precedes an historical survey of schools and trends of Amerindian art.

Indian Silver Jewelry of the Southwest; 1868-1930. By Larry Frank, with the assistance of Millard J. Holbrook II; photography by William J. Salman. Published for N.Y. Graphic Society by Little, Brown and Co., 34 Beacon St., Boston, MA 02106. 1978. 214 p. $29.95. Hardcover.

Southwestern Indian jewelry has become known and prized worldwide. While new styles and materials are constantly evolving, this lavishly illustrated volume seeks to present many of the earliest styles, techniques of construction and decoration and tools of Navajo and a few Pueblo jewelers during the first phase (1868-1900) and transitional (1900-1930) periods.

Mount Baldy, in the White Mountains of northeastern Arizona, was originally named Mount Thomas for General Lorenzo Thomas who served in the war against Mexico. In 1873, Capt. George M. Sitgreaves called the view from its summit "the most magnificent" of any he had seen during his travels in the Southwest. Mount Baldy also is considered a holy place by the Apaches, who believe it to be the source of life.

Weaving Arts of the North American Indian

Weaving Arts of the North American Indian. By Frederick J. Dockstader. Thomas Y. Crowell Co., 10 E. 53rd St., Ν.Υ., Ν.Υ. 10023. 1978. 223 р. $22.95, hardcover.

Native American Indian textile arts face an uncertain future. From products used by the weaver and his family, woven materials proliferated to fill needs of other Indian consumers, then to satisfy demands of white buyers. The author, former director of the Museum of the American Indian and distinguished authority on North American Indian art, poses the question, "Where... next?" While he does not answer that query, he does provide an historical background of weaving materials, techniques, types of items, uses, and patterns. Because time and climate, especially outside the arid Southwest, have been detrimental to textiles, some information must be surmised or inferred. Various regions emphasized weaving more than others, at different periods, with varying quality. European technology, fabrics, designs, dyes, and ideas had profound influence upon Native American weaving.

Professor Dockstader discusses social and religious significances of costume and importance of designs and weaving traditions. Further, he notes the value of textiles as an economic factor and their use at home and for trade and gifts. He surveys each geographical region of North America, keying it to a map of tribal locations. Fortunately, there are examples from each area, recognized for their worth and preserved by museums. The Southwest is amply represented, owing to better preservation of earlier textiles and ongoing Navajo and Pueblo weaving traditions. The illustrations are elegant. There are both early and recent photographs in color and black and white which portray far better than words the exquisite craftsmanship of Native American weavers. The index is good and the bibliography is great. If there is any criticism, it is that the lone map of tribal locations is too skimpy for serious lookers. This well written and edited contribution to American Indian arts will be well received by collectors, museums, and all who esteem this unique art form.

Books on Solar Energy

Applied Solar Energy An Introduction. By Aden B. and Marjorie P. Meinel. Addison-Wesley Publishing Co., Reading, Mass., 1976. A college-level text covering solar history, basic principles, and applications.

The Coming Age of Solar Energy. By D. S. Halacy. Avon Books (paperback).

For laymen and scientists, a major source of information on the theories and applications of solar power.

Model Solar Programs in Arizona A Catalogue. By Cynthia S. and Donald E. Osborn. The Arizona Solar Energy Commission, Phoenix, 1979.

An illustrated catalogue of solar applications in Arizona.

Solar Cooking Made Easy. By Doris Stutzman. The Sunshine Cooks, Phoenix, 1977.

How-to-do-it cooking using solar energy.

The Solar Cookery Book. By Beth and Dan Halacy. Peace Press, 1978, Culver City, CA.

How-to-do cooking of all types with solar energy.

The Solar Cat Book. By Jim Augustyn. Ten Speed Press, Berkeley, CA, 1979.

One of the best books on solar energy, with a light touch of humor.

Solar Greenhouse Digest. Editor and publisher: Twila de Vries (bimonthly) $10 per year. P.O. Box 2626, Flagstaff, AZ 86003.

The leading solar greenhouse journal.

A Golden Thread. By Ken Butti and John Perlin. Van Nostrand Reinhold, Menlo Park, CA.

Twenty-five hundred years of solar architecture and technology.

Yours Sincerely

Comments and questions from around the state, the nation, and the world.

Editor, We have been enjoying Arizona Highways since 1932, but there for a while it seemed like just another pretty picture-book. But now the January and February issues were very special, we thought, and mailed copies of each to friends all over mainland USA, Hawaii, and New Zealand. Today the March issue arrived we opened it to "The Great Wickenburg Trail Ride" and were thrilled to see the colorful Shoofly sketches So refreshing and real Bob has the knack of expressing the feeling of the activity, doesn't he? And we think Editor Richard Stahl deserves a large bouquet of Mexican Poppies for his fine story. We wonder how you can keep this up Good Luck! Alfred and Virginia Paul Tucson, AZ We're glad you all share our high opinion of the art of both Duane Bryers and Bob "Shoofly" Shufelt. You may rest assured we plan to keep these two very talented artists in mind in the future.

Editor, Congratulations on "Cowboys." As a young girl, which was many years ago, my friends were all dreaming of Clark Gable and the like. My dream man was Casey Tibbs of Rodeo fame, so you can understand my pleasure of a whole issue about cowboys. When the March issue arrived, my interest in cowboys and trail rides made "The Great Wickenburg Trail Ride," especially pleasurable reading. However I must correct Mr. Stahl when he called Sam Monroe, who is a Baltimore banker, a "Down Easterner." My good neighbors to our North would be quite surprised to find Baltimore had been moved to Maine from Maryland. Only wish I could see your beautiful state in person instead of as an armchair tourist. Mrs. Robert C. Van Ness Allamuchy, NJ

The Customers always write

Editor, Oh my! Page 15, Arizona Highways, March, 1980, issue misspells Tucson (Tuscon [sic]) not once, but twice! Perhaps that phonetic variant would be understandable if it came from some Eastern U.S. or European source, but in our own Arizona Highways magazine? Tch! Tch! Come on; I bet you guys in the Highway Department in "Feenicks" can do better than that. (Rev. Msgr.) Charles A. Bast Tucson, Arizona Editor, I have just finished reading my copy of your March issue and find myself wondering whether the spelling of Tucson has recently been changed to Tuscon (p. 15) or whether your typesetter may have been caught up in the floods he was describing. L. V. Britt, S.J. Cleveland, OH Editor, In Australia, we were under the impression that Arizona was a dry, barren desert. Instead, we have discovered it to be a land of beauty beyond words, with breathtaking scenery and glorious flowers. We find it incredible that the beautiful Navajo Indians still live on reserves in the middle of it all. Your publication does your state justice. I thank you and your staff. Mrs. Pauline Jolly & Family West Australia Editor, We are French and we live in France. But, almost every year, we come to the American West and in Arizona, for holidays. We know very well Arizona Highways and, last summer, we have taken a subscription in order to have every month a little bit of Arizona coming home. When in France, we see with the greatest pleasure, the marvelous pictures and the text, often written by poets. When in Arizona, we used your magazine to visit places seldom seen by foreign tourists. And with you, we discover another American West, leaving the main roads and the traditional itineraries of the tourists. Many, many thanks to Arizona Highways for that beauty and that splendid discovery of the wonderful world of Arizona. Mr. and Mrs. Marquet Saint Etienne, France Editor, We have been visiting you now three times and without a doubt, the Southwest, especially Arizona, has been singled out and most favored by the gods, with breathtaking and-nowhereelse-in-the-world-to-be-found beauty. We work hard now to save up once again to come once more. Hella Stott Essex, England Editor, I have visited U.S. in the early spring of 1977 and spent a couple of weeks in Arizona The first time I ever saw your magazine was in January, 1978, when I received a copy of the Christmas issue from some friends in Phoenix Every month I look forward to learn some more about Arizona. Vasteras, Sweden Editor, Your February publication of an All Cowboy Issue is only acclaimed by one word repeated over and over again, and that word is Beautiful! Joseph Krich El Paso, TX

35mm COLOR SLIDES

This issue: 35mm slides in 2" mounts, 1 to 15 slides, 50 each, 16 to 49 slides, 45 each, 50 or more, 3 for $1.25. Allow three weeks for delivery. Address: Slide Department, Arizona Highways, 2039 West Lewis Avenue, Phoenix, Arizona 85009.

(Inside back cover) Plants grow in this solar greenhouse during the cold northern Arizona winter. The 55-gallon drums, at left, store the sun's warmth for release during cold nights. The greenhouse is connected to the office of the Community Center for Appropriate Technology in Flagstaff. Peter Bloomer (Back cover) Solar furnace on Mt. Hopkins, created by the University of Arizona. Formerly a ten-meter telescope reflector, the furnace is capable of producing temperatures near to that of the surface of the sun. Gill Kenny