Is your North
Carolina mountain and Georgia land suitable for Solar Energy?
The solar energy potential of a homesite becomes increasingly important
as energy cost continue to rise. land on the south-facing slope of a
mountain receives direct sunlight for many more hours each day than land
on the north-facing slope. Houses on the south facing slopes are generally
easier and less expensive to heat. They have the greatest potential for
using solar energy for residential space and hot water heating. houses
on the east and west facing slopes have less potential, and those on
north facing slopes have minimal solar energy potential.
In addition, while trees and shrubbery can be beneficial for cooling
in hot summers, tall trees on the south-facing side of a homesite can
limit solar potential. The types of trees are important. Evergreens pose
a year round obstacle to solar gain. But deciduous trees are without
leaves in the late fall and winter, which allows for 30 to 40 percent
of sunlight to get through. this enables the use of some solar applications,
for space heating in particular. However the use of solar hot water and
photovoltaic systems will start to be limited.
For many sites particularly on heavily wooded steep slopes, the only
option is to clear trees for a wide radius. this may downgrade the beauty
of your site and ruin one of the reasons you chose to live in the mountains.
be sure to have a through solar site evaluation before you buy, if you
have solar in mind for your house. if your site is suitable for solar,
North carolina offers 40 percent solar tax credit, up to $1,500 for residential
solar energy systems. If your site is not suitable for solar, you may
also wish to check out the wind potential.
Ideally, for wind, your site must provide a 500 feet radius of unobstructed
landscape for a windmill that is raised about 100 feet in the air. In
the mountains, some building sites enhance your home's potential for
a wind energy system. In addition to this energy capability, the state
of North carolina provides a 10 percent wind energy tax credit.
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I would like to thank Phillip Gibson Director of Research and Community
Outreach Warren Wilson College for allowing me to reproduce this
booklet. Some information on this page may be outdated as new ordnances
have been past in many municipalities. Please contact your local
agencies for updated ordnances. a new information Cd is being produced
at this time. Check back here for an announcement on when and how
to receive one once available. Or contact:
Phillip Gibson
Director of Research and Community Outreach
Warren Wilson College
PO Box 9000
Asheville, NC 28815-9000
828-771-3781
pgibson@warren-wilson.edu
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