TSEA supports Solar Thermal Systems
The Tennessee Solar Energy Association actively supports solar thermal technology and funding of this technology in the TN CET grant program should be allowed. Solar thermal with solar photovoltaic can provide a home with the energy needed to service the home for the most part. Someday, the thermal and the solar PV will be combined into one product, but until then, we need both technologies and both should be supported if funding is available. While the emphasis has been on the advanced technology of solar cells, solar thermal has been and will continue to be a valuable asset to homes that want to conserve energy and thus reduce the need for more fossil-fueled electrical power plants. With the combination of energy conservation, solar thermal and solar PV, we can reduce the demand for new power plants that will save each of us in our power bills and make for a cleaner world for future generations.
Stephen Levy, Technical Director
March 28th, 2010 at 09:31
You are so right about solar thermal. Its amazing that the simplest, cheapest form of solar energy is the least understood and known. Although the developing world has been using solar thermal extensively, we in the US are just now embracing it. We clearly need to do more to educate the consumer about the benefits of solar thermal.