Solar Power

The University of Maryland took first place Saturday in the U.S. Department of Energy's Solar Decathlon 2011 with a solar-powered, energy-conserving WaterShed House that was inspired by the Chesapeake Bay. The design features a green roof that retains rainwater, solar panels that provide year-round power and a patent-pending indoor waterfall — key factors in an international competition that required the winning home to produce as much energy as...

After Hurricane Irene, power to my entire block in Hampden was out - except at my house, thanks to my solar panels. While the panels obviously didn't work during the night of the storm, by the next morning my fridge was still ice cold, my sump pump was back on and I was able to tend my yard without the din of a generator. By the time nightfall came and my panels were starting to switch off, I had been able to accomplish all my electric chores. I spent the rest of the day chatting with neighbors and enjoying a peaceful evening.

Solar power is not just for large manufacturers and other companies looking to save on energy costs. Photovoltaic systems increasingly are turning up on rooftops of residential homes. It's a market on which Astrum Solar is betting. Based in Annapolis Junction, the four-year-old, privately held company markets itself as a full-service provider of solar power focusing exclusively on homeowners. Astrum Solar operates in 10 states and the District of Columbia. Installing a solar panel system can be expensive, but tax credits and other incentives and falling equipment prices are helping to drive down the costs.

I leave the water running while I do the dishes, drive a half-ton truck that gets 10 miles to the gallon and, in the energy hog display that my husband finds most annoying, I move from room to room without turning off lights behind me. OK, so I also don't pull out the plugs every day on my appliances not currently in use. This prelude to an Act of Contrition, while by no means complete, was inspired by recent reminders of the terrible cost...

Paul Magness of the department of parks and recreation and Bill McKean of the department of public works' capital projects division have earned green stars for this quarter for their integration of alternative energy into the roof replacement design at the barn at the Harford County Equestrian Center. The county government announced the recognition for the two veteran employees last week. In total, five solar powered roof ventilation fans were installed as part of the equestrian barn roof replacement.

Something new is floating in the Inner Harbor. Not litter this time, but a space age-looking gadget meant to see whether new life can be breathed into the troubled body of water. Local environmentalists and an engineering firm teamed up Thursday to place a Solar Bee, a sun-powered water-mixing device that resembles an old-fashioned satellite, off the end of the Recreation Pier in Fells Point. It will be anchored there for the next 21/2 months to test whether it can make even a small dent in the oxygen-starved "dead zone" in the Northwest Branch of the Patapsco River every summer, stressing and killing fish.

Updated plans to put solar panels in the Maryland Science Center 's parking lot were presented to the Federal Hill neighborhood group Tuesday evening by the museum and Constellation Energy. About 30 nearby residents showed up to hear about the project, which is designed to supply some electricity to the Inner Harbor center while educating visitors about a form of renewable energy. The plans had been modified because of prior objections from neighbors. "Our mission is to explain science and technology and to basically excite the next generation of innovators," said Van R. Reiner, president and chief executive of the science center.

Maryland is so eager for its residents to try solar power that it offers homeowners thousands of dollars in grants to mount photovoltaic panels on or around their homes to generate electricity from the sun. Just don't try to put them on your boat pier. That's what Robert Bruninga found out when he proposed putting PV panels on a wooden pier jutting out into Marley Creek in Glen Burnie. An engineer at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Bruninga says he needs to use his pier because there are too many trees elsewhere on his property to get a steady dose of the sun's energy-producing rays.

Traffic court changes Updated 1:32 p.m.: The Senate just gave final approval to a House bill that would shift the burden to the driver who receives a ticket to request a trial in traffic court. The bill, which passed unanimously, was a top priority for thye state's police chiefs because they believe it will save them millions of dollars in overtime paid to officers who go to traffic court for the trials of defendants who don't show up. Once implemented, the bill will change the all-too-familiar routine for those who receive traffic tickets so that they don't receive and automatic court date.

It is imperative that state lawmakers pass the bill to increase the state's commitment to clean energy ("Measure hastens adoption of solar," April 6). Despite the attempt by some lawmakers to portray this negatively, the fact is that moving faster in adopting clean energy requirements provides numerous benefits to residents across the state. Passing the bill to expand solar energy would create more jobs, employing more Marylanders in high demand green collar industries. These jobs would be permanent, too, helping to grow our economy.