PermaCity's Herb Mendelsohn said that solar thermal heating makes good use of sunlight to heat your water. Other benefits include tax credits and a simple payback in about five years.

 
Photot Credits: Larry Shield

As energy consumption continues to rise, we're going to have to find ways to save this planet without polluting it. That's why it's promising as solar technology has grown over the past few years.

This was the topic of a seminar, "Solar Power for New Home Construction, What's Hot and What's Not," held at the 10th annual Alternative Building Materials & Design Expo, at the Civic Auditorium in Santa Monica, Calif. on May 10.

"Global warming is now becoming climate change," said Herb Mendelsohn of PermaCity. "Why are we going to solar? So we can get to Net Zero and slow down greenhouse gas effects and global warming."

Sun Power X Series currently operates at 21.5 percent efficiency, a world-record for copper backed cell construction for solar panels, said Mendelsohn. Owning a solar system seems to make much more sense than leasing one.

A consortium of large companies such as KB Homes, Ford Motor Co., Water Sense, Eaton, Nest and Wise helped to build model green homes with a whole home approach.

"People were able to live in these homes at close to Net Zero and use 20 percent less water," said Mark Figearo, CEO of Sun Power by Green Convergence. "That's income that can go straight into your pocket. And you can have complete home control from your smart phone."

Wayne Pendrey of Solar Consultant Co., said some of the myths are that solar energy isn't cost-effective and that it's necessary to make it aesthetically pleasing.

"There's lots of options to address these problems," said Pendrey. "It can be cost-effective, if designed properly. It takes some effort for the professionals to deal with the home owners associations. We have to analyze what's the best choice and location for the solar collectors. Does this fit within the energy goals and budget?"