Debates about energy typically focus on concerns about global warming from the use of fossil fuels or the safety (or not) of nuclear power and fracking. While all this discussion is happening, New York is moving, to a not inconsiderable extent, in a different direction. With state laws, regulations and incentives leading the way, the future of solar power here has never looked brighter. This column discusses some of the more significant steps that the state has been taking recently to promote the use of solar energy.
Solar Energy Today
Solar energy is created when solar cells, also called photovoltaic (PV) cells by scientists, convert sunlight directly into electricity. With improved technology, solar energy today is more than just solar panels on rooftops for individual homes or small buildings. Now, PV arrays, which sometimes are referred to as “solar farms,” generate commercial electric power. Solar hot water technology uses a collector, storage tank, piping and valves and pumps to heat water. Passive solar energy heats and lights buildings directly from sunlight, using windows, walls and floors to collect, store and distribute solar heat in cold seasons and using other elements, such as awnings and overhangs, to shade buildings during warm weather.1
