Gil Friend and David Morris of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance

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MORRIS: Yes. We started by exploring the whole subject of alternative sources of energy. But we soon realized that we had bitten off more than we wanted to chew.

"Alternative sources of energy", in the broadest sense, encompasses any form of power which is renewable and non-polluting. It doesn't necessarily mean the decentralized forms of energy—such as sunlight—which suit our needs. So most of our work with alternative sources of energy now involves solar radiation.

Solar collectors, you know, are already cost-competitive with conventional water heaters in most parts of the country. In some areas—depending on the amount of available sunshine and the cost of oil, electricity, etc.—they can even compete with fossil-fueled house space heaters. The general rule of thumb right now is that a solar heated home is competitive with an all-electric house if electricity costs three cents or more a kilowatt hour. If your house is heated by natural gas or oil, however, solar heat isn't competitive . . . yet. But natural gas is a moot question, anyway, because it's one fuel that we're definitely running out of.

PLOWBOY: Can't we improve our techniques for collecting energy from the sun . . . and thereby make solar power even more competitive?

MORRIS: Well, it's not just a question of technological development at this point. It's a question of bringing the possibilities of solar energy to the public's attention. And—as in the case of solar cells—it's also a question of governmental support for large purchases.

PLOWBOY: Explain, please.

MORRIS: Solar cells—to give you a little background—were invented in the early 1950's. By the middle 60's they were being used for space satellite systems. Well there's no cost barrier for satellite systems, so there was no incentive to reduce the price of solar cells, and they sold for about 100 times the cost of comparable fossil fueled electrical generators.

Then, approximately three years ago, Dr. Joseph Lindmayer—President of Solarex Corporation in Rockville, Maryland—reduced the price of solar cells by more than a factor of five . . . from a hundred times to seventeen times the cost of electrical generators run on fossil fuel. And those new figures accept very conservative estimates of the durability of solar cells. It pegs their life expectancy at only thirty years . . . when it really should be indefinite. With proper maintenance, there is no way solar cells will break down with ordinary use.

PLOWBOY: But that 17-to-1 ratio compares just the manufacturing cost of the generating facilities. What about fuel? Once you install solar cells, their operation requires no further expense, does it?

MORRIS: Only for maintenance, and that's minimal.

PLOWBOY: Obviously, then, solar generating systems will become even more attractive as the cost of fossil fuels rises.

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