The "Juicin' Up For The Future" Story

Note:  The following story is my recollection of what I was told.  I did take notes of my time spent during my interview, but whether I understood what was said is another assumption you may not care to make.  Therefore, what this story conveys is as accurate an account as I can remember it to be.  Read on ......

It was an ordinary day.  Talking with Sol about the solar panels that are on the roof of the high school where I used to teach.  Yeah, I know a name like Sol sounds like I made it up, but it really is his name, and what a perfect name to have to be in charge of the solar units of the school.  When the new addition was completed a few years ago, large solar panels were installed on the roof of the cafeteria to heat the water that is used for domestic purposes in the vicinity of the cafeteria. 

Borosilicate glass tubes filled with Glycol line
the roof of the Manheim Township HIgh School.

The heated water is used in the cafeteria for washing dishes, in the bathrooms and in the locker room for showers and for washing sports uniforms.  For years I wanted to walk up to the roof and see the solar panels and learn how they operate.  Well, I found the perfect person to take me on a tour and explain the unit to me, since Sol had worked for over 20 years at the various nuclear power plants in the northeast of the U.S.  He finally decided he wanted a different and safer job so he applied and was hired as an electrician for the Manheim Township School District.  Solar units and panels have been popular since the late 1970s as a way to cut the cost of electricity and heating for homes, businesses, schools, and even farming.  Solar radiation can be converted into electricity through the use of solar cells and you can reduce the need to burn fossil fuel as in the past.  And, the federal and state governments (actually all of us) reward you for installing these units.  The solar panels can be expensive and may take years before you will see any gain money wise, but you are helping to cut the carbon emissions into the air that are creating global warming.  Found out that a sunny winter day can create more energy than on a summer day, since summer haze can block the suns rays.  In the case of most solar panels which are found on roofs, solar cells generate the electricity.  At the high school, a different type of solar unit is on the roof.  In this case there are rows and rows of long tubes that connect together and have glycol flowing through them.  Glycol is similar to alcohol in that it doesn’t freeze.  In the second floor room of the high school, under the panels which are on the roof, is a 1000 gallon insulated tank that holds water.  Winding through the tank is the same tube that carries the glycol. 

Excessive heated water is sent to this
radiator-like unit to dissipate the heat.

The Glycol is heated as it passes through the borosilicate glass tubes and then passes through the water which in turn is heated to 140 degrees.  The unit can produce 60 gallons of hot water a minute.  The amount of heat produced when the temperature is 0 degrees Fahrenheit outside is 39,000 BTU.  Pretty impressive!  If it is too hot outside or the school is not actively using enough of the hot water, the unit can overheat.  In that case a valve opens and the hot water is sent back to the roof through a series of radiators where the heat dissipates into the air.  The unit is self-sufficient in that no electricity is needed to keep it operating and therefore no electricity is being used to heat all the water that is needed.  As for me, I have a series of different level roofs on my house that all face southeast.  Perfect for having solar cell panels to produce my electricity.  Maybe I wouldn’t have to be dependent on the electric company’s power grid for my electricity.  But, what would happen if ..... say 50% of the people in Lancaster County did this?  The other 50% of the people would still need the electric company to supply them with power and it would still cost the power company the same amount of money to create that power, so the cost per kilowatt hour for their power is going to increase tremendously.  What is going to happen in the future as far as solar energy is concerned?  I’m not sure anyone knows.  Sounds like it’s going to be expensive, though!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.