Sam Deane Interview
If you've never heard of Sam Deane and his blog Solar Power For Homes, you probably will in the very near future. Sam has devoted countless hours developing his blog to get the word out about the use of solar energy and its importance in shaping our need for clean and eco-friendly energy. I had a chance to sit down with Sam for a very informative 1-on-1 interview. Robert: Hi Sam, thank you for sharing your time with us. You’ve got a very unique blog that is a bit different than many others. Please tell us a little bit about yourself and your blog site Solar Power For Homes Sam: Yes, my site is called Go Solar Power For Homes. As you will see if you pop over there, it's all about residential solar power. You'll find it at the top of Google for a number of keywords including “solar power for homes”. I started it about a year ago and it just got a life of its own. These days many other people make contributions to the site, but I love to manage this site as it really is making a difference and increasing the pressure to move towards alternative sustainable energy sources, which we have to do, whether people want to or not.
Sam: Solar power is power that is harnessed from the sun. Residential solar power therefore is domestic power that is harnessed from the sun, or solar power for homes. As I say in my blog Solar Power For Homes, the Earth receives more energy from the Sun in an hour than the human race uses in a year. It calls on you to save your money, save our Planet and go solar power for homes, today!
Sam: This depends on how seriously you take it. If you run a solar power installation company, it will play a pretty major part! The average person who maybe has solar power running in their home, probably not so much. If you live in the right geographical location, you can go completely off-grid, i.e. disconnecting yourself from the nation's power supply and run entirely on solar power. Then solar power will take up more of your attention, but most people with solar power will have two or three solar panels fitted and are making good savings on certain aspects of their electricity bill without it needing to become a major issue for them.
Some places could really rely on these other forms of energy. Why would someone choose solar power over other energy sources? Sam: Well, solar power differs in a variety of ways. For one, there is more of it than any other form of alternative energy. The costs to harness it differ also, and unfortunately, we have to admit that this is a stumbling block as solar panels can be quite expensive. However the costs have been falling dramatically and soon they will be produced cheaply enough to compete with traditional energy costs (as they are set to radically increase over the next 50 years, by which time we will have used up all but a few drops of fossil fuel.) Windmills are great, biomass, geothermal they are all great and should be used to their fullest potential. I am NOT saying that solar power is better than any of these other alternative energy forms. Indeed, for example, living in the UK as I do, it would make more sense in many parts to run on wind power rather than solar. However, a sensible combination of these sustainable energy sources is needed globally.
Sam: Absolutely. The 'economic crunch' as you call it is largely due to two things. One is mismanagement of funds in the banking industry and the other is the fear that is developing as we see our traditional energy supplies dwindling to nothing. Scientists tell us that we will run out of fossil fuels within the next 80 years. So what will we do then? Some would say that this was one of the main reasons why your country and mine are involved in armed conflict in Afghanistan, to shore up some of the remaining oil supplies before they all run out, and to keep the flow of oil moving in our direction for our use at cheap prices ... but let's not make this a political interview please! Robert: That's fair enough. This isn't a political forum. So...
Sam: To do so would not necessarily mean transforming your dependency on your usual energy supply. You could have one or two photovoltaic solar panels to deliver enough energy to heat your pool. By so doing, you are simply taking that part of your heating bill out of the equation. To say it would be more cost effective does need to be qualified. As with all investments, the person who invests needs to leave that investment in place for a while before they can see the return on investment. Solar power is no different. So we are asking, “What is the payback time?”, or “How long will it take before you will have saved the money it cost you up-front to put the solar heating technology in place?” Well, I am pleased to say that, these days, most suppliers can install systems that will pay you back within 7 years or less. From then on, it's all gravy! Every bit of that part of your bill is free for you for the lifespan of the equipment. Solar panels are known to last 25 years or more, so you can begin to see why so many people are rushing in this direction!
Sam: Yes, a lot of people are talking about DIY solar power. For myself, you may be surprised to hear that I am not a major proponent of this at all. A lot of people are buying these cheap kits online for like $47 or whatever, and the courses are not delivering what they promise. My advice is this – at the very least, be sure to pay a qualified experienced solar power electrician to check everything after you are done. Ideally, get experienced technicians to fit the whole thing. Do it properly. You're an American, so let me put it this way. You may support the LA Raiders, or is it the Oakland Raiders these days? I think it is! You've read a lot about football and you kind of know what a quarterback does, but just because you buy a $47 e-book about it does not mean you can suddenly become the quarterback for the Raiders does it? I mean, playing quarterback for the Raiders may save you a few bucks on tickets to go see them play, but hey – it just doesn't work like that. Get a specialist in, and you can then stick to your specialty, whatever that may be. Does that make sense?
People want to know how long should the solar panels last and what are the signs that the panels have lost their effectiveness, if any? Sam: Solar panels are known to last at least 25 years. We know that because about they were invented 25-30 years ago and most of them are still in good working condition. They don't degrade hardly at all in terms of their efficiency. Just keep 'em clean and wipe the leaves off once a week or so, so the sun can get to the solar cells and you will be good to go for at least 25 years.
Sam: Dive in! (both laughing out loud)
On average, what would he expect to pay for a good set of swimming pool solar panels? Sam: Well, you can go to town on this or you can be frugal. If you have a huge pool, then it will cost more than a small pool, but really, don't let it bust your gut. Believe it or not, you can get good panels on eBay these days, particularly if you search on there for the term “solar panel pallets” - then you will get a bunch of panels really cheap. You may not like to hear this, but the Chinese are making really good panels very cheaply. Equally, broken panels are going for peanuts. If you are clued up about electronics, you can easily fix them up and get a really powerful set up of solar power for homes for next to no money at all. Robert: Well Sam I think that's it. You've given our readers alot of good information. I really appreciate your time and consideration in this interview. I'm a big proponent in clean energy and I think if more people would look into it we could have a much better and cleaner environment. Your blog site Solar Power For Homes certainly does have information that anyone interested in solar power can use. Sam: I completely agree with you Robert, but be sure to remember that with alternative energy forms, this is not an 'either-or'. Some forms are more appropriate in certain geographical locations than others. We need to build all of them up to make this work. We have roughly 50 years before the squeeze really will be upon us. We need to get working on this right away. Solar power for homes is one way individuals can make a difference. It is a great way to start securing the future quality of life for our grandchildren. So good luck with your site and all the best to all of your readers! Robert: Thanks for your time Sam and good luck with your site as well. Go To: Interviews
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