Part 2: Shedding light on solar myths in the Northeast

MYTH #5: Solar power is not practical in urban areas. It's true, solar can't go everywhere. We are restricted by a number of variables that can effect whether a site is a good candidate for solar. Some of these include shade from trees, adjacent buildings, towers, and roof size to name a few. However, there are many solar systems specifically designed for small roofs, and as long as the available sunlight is present, there is typically a way to install a system that will work. You are not automatically excluded from solar just because you have an urban address. MYTH: #6: Solar power is unattractive and will reduce my resale value. Having no electric bill is a thing of beauty. Montante Solar has new all black solar panels that blend in beautifully on most residential roofs. And as for resale value, solar power generation has actually been proven to increase your resale value, based on research from the Berkeley Institute. Montante Solar is dedicated to designing and installing the most aesthetically appealing solar panels available which will add value to your home, not diminish it. MYTH #7: Fully powering our world with solar energy is the stuff of science fiction. So was flight and landing on the moon 100 years ago. The hope for a complete solar adoption has been around for decades with the idea that one day we'll all use free electricity from the sun to power every part of our lives. It's not science fiction but rather science eventuality, because on a bright, sunny day, the sun's rays continually give off approximately 1,000 watts of energy per square meter of the planet's surface. By collecting a fraction of that energy, we could easily power our homes and offices for free. The most common solar cells that you see on calculators and roof tops are called photovoltaic (PV) cells which, as the name implies (photo meaning "light" and voltaic meaning "electricity"), convert sunlight directly into electricity. Photovoltaic cells are made of special materials called semiconductors-usually made of silicon. This means that the energy of the absorbed light is transferred to the semiconductor. The energy knocks electrons loose, allowing them to flow freely. PV cells also all have one or more electric field that acts to force electrons freed by light absorption to flow in a certain direction. This flow of electrons is a current, and by placing metal contacts on the top and bottom of the PV cell, we can draw that current off for external use, say, to power a calculator or an entire home. This current, together with the cell's voltage (which is a result of its built-in electric field or fields), defines the power (or wattage) that the solar cell can produce. Confused? We're not. We live for this kind of stuff. PV technology has been improving for nearly 60 years and has now reached a tipping point in economic viability. Still wondering if solar is right for you? I didn't think so. Mike Licata is the director of business development at TM Montante, Buffalo, N.Y.