What's the best renewable power option for houses

Solar (9)

82%

Wind (1)

9%

Geothermal (1)

9%

So IMO there are three viable options for renewable energy in our homes today. Solar, wind and geothermal. I wanted to see what everyone thinks. What is the best option for the homeowner to create renewable energy onsite? Is there a way to do a pole on these forums?

lilly, you should be able to add poles now. We never had interest in the past so we didn't enable the feature, but seeing as how the membership is picking up, we thought we should add extra features.

pd, thanks. I love the site.

I say geothermal for one reason and that is consistency. Both wind and solar have issues of inconsistent performance, but the temp at depth in the ground is consistent and will always perform.

I say its gotta be solar. While I see the point about consistency with geothermal, I don't think geo has the potential that solar does. Once we figure out the efficiency issues with photovoltaics and allow the market to work its course, solar will be the choice of most home owners,

I gotta go with solar. There are more options and there is a focus on this technology which will mean that it will develop faster and see more market share in the future.

I must go with solar, but I must say that geothermal is a close second. I am certain that someone will think that wind is the best, but I see a disconnect with the amount of energy needed just to harness the wind versus the amount of energy harnessed.

Solar energy can be used in so many fashions from passive to active. It will take time for the efficiencies to go up and make it viable on a larger scale, but for now its the best game in town.

That's a tough questions. I agree for reliability and consistency, I give the nod to geothermal, but as far as versatility and direct electrical production, the nod must go to solar. Geothermal won't produce electricity but will help in thermal needs.

Solar solar solar. I wish I could vote over and over again. Geothermal is good, and wind works in some areas, but there is usually some type of solar application that works in any location. Sure the cost is still pretty steep for whole house systems or even larger systems, but I feel it has the most potential to make a large impact. Thin film solar is coming on and there are other third gen technologies that could make a big difference as well.

I think it has to be a blend of technologies. I think that solar is great, but what about at night. I think that wind is good, but what do you do in locations where the wind doesn't blow consistently. I also am a fan of geothermal, but what do you do about electricity concerns. Geothermal is mostly a thermal application technology and that is only a small component of our needs. I love what everyone is saying.

This is sort of a trick question isn't it. The energy from the sun powers the wind. The rotation of the earth plays a small role in that, but for the most part the difference in temperatures around the globe powers the weather including the wind. So solar has to be the right choice.

fc, I think you miss the point of the question. While I agree that solar is probably the best renewable energy resource for the home, there is potential to harness the wind as well. The question isn't what is the source of energy on the planet.

I would say its Solar Energy.It is available in abundant quantity in most parts of the world.The only roadblock is the expensive technology of the Solar Panels.I went through this web site to get some info. It was an eye opener for me.Now I firmly believe that solar energy will be the future fuel.
Try this lnk: FreeCleanSolar.com

I've been to that site before. Not bad. I do think that saying "free" in the name of the site is misleading though. There aren't free solar panels out there. There are companies that allow you to lease solar panels at greatly reduced prices but they take some of your savings/profits so it all works out in the end. Solar is a long term investment 20-30 years and at this point the motivation shouldn't be to save or make money but rather to improve the quality of life and chances that we can reverse the damage we have done.

Its Solar for homes. Sun is the natural source of energy and its pure.
Different Nations exhibit variance in energy usage. But someday all nations will become rich enough to invest in Solar Energy and guess what? It will be Eternal:)

Thanks
Cheryl
http://www.viewinsideabook.com/?cat=61

cherylk, I don't know if eternal is the right word. The sun will eventually die. All stars do. It is extremely unlikely that humans will still be around. We haven't been around all that long yet, and only time will tell how long humans will inhabit the planet.

I also don't think that richness is needed in order to harness the power of the sun. Active technological strategies are expensive but passive strategies are centuries old and really not all that expensive.

Why not hydrogen? Everyone seems to focus on these three technologies as our salvation. Hydrogen technology shows great promise as a fuel source. Certainly there will need to be inputs from solar or other power sources, but solar has its limitations. I also think that nuclear needs to be figured in.

Skeptic, hydrogen is a great "battery" technology from my perspective but is not by itself a renewable energy source. In order to get to hydrogen as a fuel, you must first put energy into the system. In some cases more than you would expect. Many developers and researchers who are looking to hydrogen are using solar or wind power to add that energy to the system. My point here is that for home applications, a solar installation would be the source of the input energy, water would be a natural resource used (I don't want to go down the road of water conservation here) and the resulting hydrogen is a battery for the solar energy and molecular energy.

I do however think that nuclear needs a second look but its just too controversial at the present time.

On the subject of turbines, another trend emerging is building sea turbines that capture the energy of water currents to generate power. This technology is being used in small scale situations all over the globe, and they are also generating power with no emissions. They are a little more complex than wind turbines, and they require more maintenance due to the corrosive nature of salt water.
http://www.greenliving9.com/

jehnavi, how is this applicable to home size applications. How many people have access to that level of flowing water. Tidal turbines aren't meant to be put in streams. It has to be a large body of moving water. An ocean, a large river, etc. Also, all the technologies mentioned are emissions free. Thats what we are getting at here.