Solar Power

Solar Power Has Many Benefits

• It is free.
• It produces no waste or pollution.
• It is a completely renewable resource.
• It can be used in places where there is no easy way to get electricity.

Solar power reduces the need for burning fossil fuels

Carbon dioxide emissions represent about 84 percent of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. In the United States, 98 percent carbon dioxide is emitted as a result of the combustion of fossil fuels.  Electrical power production causes 40 percent of the total U.S. carbon dioxide emissions.

Harnessing the Sun's Power

We have used sunlight for drying clothes and food for thousands of years, but only recently have we been able to use it for generating power.

The Sun is 100 million miles away and amazingly powerful. Only one hundredth of a millionth of a percent of the Sun's energy hits the Earth but this is enough to meet all our power needs many times over. In fact, every minute, enough energy reaches the Earth to meet all our demands for a whole year - if it were only harnessed.

View the Annual PV Solar Radiation

Three Ways to use Solar Energy

1. Solar Cells
or "photovoltaic" cells convert light directly into electricity. On a sunny day, you can power a 100W light bulb from just one square yard of solar panel.

2. Solar Water Heating
uses heat from the Sun to heat water in glass panels on the roof. This means that less gas or electricity is needed to heat household hot water.

3. Solar Furnaces
use a huge array of mirrors to concentrate the Sun's energy into a small space and produce very high temperatures. They can achieve temperatures up to 2,000 degrees F for industrial uses.

Programs that subsidizes solar power

PG&E has a Self-Generation Incentive Program to offer financial incentives to their customers who install certain types of distributed generation facilities to meet all or a portion of their energy needs.

The 2007 California Solar Initiative is a ten-year, $2.1 billion solar incentive program for existing residential homes and existing and new commercial, industrial, and agricultural properties.