Choices (FINALLY!)

By Keith Heyde

Choices choices choices. These are things that we do not often get in the renewable energy world. Yes, of course at first glance it seems as if there are a million solutions to every single energy need. You have solar, wind, geothermal, nuclear, coal, etc, etc, etc. However, when one digs a bit deeper they realize that the actual options available for effective implementation are not nearly as extensive as meets the eye.

For instance, when it comes to wind, usually a site location has a very specific wind speed tolerance that it is optimized for. For example, the micro wind facilities put on top of the large office buildings strewn about Boston or Chicago provide a very different tolerance than the wind facilities hoisted above a two story house. As such, the fan and design for these systems is drastically different. That limits the options already.

Furthermore, in our wind example, there are very few national providers. Most wind/ solar/ renewable companies only offer very localized product line and sales. As such, many providers are not equipped to deal with demands that originate at various places around the country. This regional specificity thus limits the options even further.

Now, take those considerations and combine it with the fact that for many people, there is a limited price range that they are willing (or able) to spend within. As such, there are many times when only one product is available for a certain type of customer.

Everyone who has taken even introductory economics knows that when only one option is available, usually it is going to be pretty costly.

So, when news of competing renewable energy products come out, it makes for a (somewhat) exciting day. In this particular care, two geothermal heat pumps were released in rather similar market segments.  This will, hopefully drive down costs across the entire geothermal market and make geothermal heat pumps more accessible for the average purchaser.

To read more about the developments, check out Forbe’s coverage on the topic: http://www.forbes.com/sites/tomkonrad/2012/07/02/waterfurnace-7-series-vs-climatemaster-trinity-geothermal-heat-pumps-the-best-of-the-best/

 

 And as always, for all of your energy news and thoughts check back into www. Energygridiq.com today.