Going Solar in Utah

Speaking to Henry Ford and Harvey Firestone back in 1931, Thomas Edison commented that he’d “put [his] money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we don’t have to wait until oil and coal run out before we tackle that.”

What prophetic words! He knew back then, what most of us are still trying to figure out now. Here are four points that can aid in your decision to go solar.

1. Make sure your house is most ready for solar power
For it to be so, it must be as energy efficient as possible. Here are some suggestions.
• Check that your appliances are efficient, especially electric refrigerators and freezers. If they are not, invest in some A-energy rated appliances.
• Switch out all your old light bulbs for energy saving compact fluorescent light bulbs.
• Get a jacket for your hot water tank.
• Weatherize all seals and doors with weather striping.
• Install sealed insulating glass windows. These windows have two or more sheets of glass spaced apart and are hermetically sealed to form a single glazed unit with an air space between each sheet.
• Make sure that walls, attics, crawl spaces and lofts are properly insulated.
For a more comprehensive look at energy saving procedures, check out rockymtnpower.net.

2. Research what type of solar panel you want
You can see some examples of panels in the posting done on August 14, 2008. Also, there is a solar panel show going on at many homes in Utah. The show is similar to a home show where you can go to someone’s home, and see the solar panels that they have at their home. For information about the show and to find addresses of the homes involved, visit utsolar.org.

3. Pick a distributor
Contact OmegaSolarSystems.com for product and info.



4. Look in to possible Tax Rebates and Credits
• Utility Rebate – Limited funding up to $2.00 per watt

• City Rebates- Click here to see incentives in Utah

Types of Photovoltaic Modules (Solar Panels)

Once you have decided that you want to get a solar panel for your home, here are some things to consider. There are different types of solar photovoltaic modules (solar panels) that you can choose from.
Some are:

Framed Modules – Most used and applicable for most applications. Usually framed with aluminum.

Foldable Modules - Lightweight (less than 5 lbs) and foldable.

Flexible / Rollable Modules – Lightweight but bulkier than foldable modules. Durable and good for storage.

Roofing / Laminate Modules - Thin film laminate that is usually more expensive and not as efficient per square foot as framed modules.

The modules differ in length and width but are usually 2 inches thick. The current industry standard is a framed module because of its practicality and cost effectiveness.

Solar Panels

When someone thinks of recycling, they usually think of recycling glass, plastic or paper. There are so many other things that can be recycled. Some that don’t readily come to mind are:

Water
Wind
Solar Power

I want to focus on Solar Power. There are two different types of solar panels that can be used harness the sun’s energy. They are solar photovoltaic modules and solar thermal collectors. Solar photovoltaic modules convert the light from the sun into electricity, while solar thermal collectors use the sun’s energy to heat a fluid (usually water).

Solar photovoltaic modules are made up of solar cells that convert solar energy to electricity by means of a process called the photovoltaic effect (also termed the photoelectric effect). This is essentially a process by which energy from electromagnetic radiation such as visible light is absorbed by a panel. This gain in energy from the incoming photon causes the emission of electrons that results in electricity.

Solar Thermal Collectors are specifically designed to collect heat by absorbing sunlight. The main use of this is to heat water, but other fluids such as oil and antifreeze are also used. On a large scale, solar power plants use solar thermal collectors to collect heat and produce energy. The sunlight collected is used to heat water to produce steam. The steam is then used to drive a turbine connected to an electric generator.

Both types of solar panels can be used to harness solar energy for personal home use.

Glass Recycling in Utah County

Glass is a perfect substance for recycling. Unlike other things such as paper, glass retains all of its qualities and purity after it is recycled. This makes glass a no-brainer for a recycling material. Not only will recycling glass increase space available in landfills, but it will save energy and pollution. Glass can take up to 1 million years to break down in a landfill! This is an unnecessary waste of space in the landfill. When glass is recycled, it is crushed into tiny pieces called cullet. The cullet melts at a lower temperature than the raw ingredients used to make new glass. This results in recycled glass using 40% less energy to make glass than using the raw ingredients to make new glass. The decrease in energy needed to melt the cullet also allows for less factory output of pollution. It is a win-win situation! So why is glass in Utah County not recycled as much as paper or plastic? The answer is that there aren’t a lot of readily available places for consumers to take their glass to recycle. In fact, there is no glass recycling center in Utah County!!! That means that if you want to recycle your glass, you have to take it up to Recycle Utah in Park City. Luckily, a recycling drop off center is coming to Provo. It will be located at Parley’s Do it Best Hardware.

Where to Recycle Glass in Utah County:

Parley’s Do it Best hardware (coming soon)
978 West 400 South
Provo,UT 84601

Recycle Utah
1951 Woodbine Way
Park City, UT 84068

Recycling Centers in Utah

For all those cities that do not have recycling programs yet, click here to find recycling centers near you. Here is a short list of some recycling centers in or near Utah County.

Western Metals Recycling
685 S Freedom Blvd
Provo, UT
(801) 373-4224
http://www.wmrecycling.com/

Ace Disposal Incorporated
Provo, UT
(801) 229-1577
http://www.acedisposal.com/

McR Recycling
550 N Geneva Rd
Orem, UT
(801) 225-0001

Dcd Transfer & Recycle Center
1470 W 200 S
Lindon, UT
(801) 420-2841

Recycling Coalition of Utah
454 E 800 N
Springville, UT
(801) 491-0201

Dcd Transfer Station & Recycle
520 N Geneva Rd
Orem, UT
(801) 225-5058
http://www.dunnrecycling.com/

Access Computer Products
1185 S 1680 W
Orem, UT
(801) 812-2688

Recycle Utah
1951 Woodbine Way
Park City, UT
(435) 649-0708

Bear Services
679 N 1500 W
Orem, UT
(801) 785-4494

Good Earth Recycling
1970 Stryker Ave
Park City, UT
(435) 655-0272

Curb It Recycling
665 W 100 S
Heber City, UT
(435) 901-256

Basin Recycling Drop-Off Center
7100 Silver Creek Rd
Park City, UT
(435) 655-8423

Utah County Curbside Recycling Programs

One of the easiest ways to recycle is by using a curbside recycling can. It is convenient and definitely cuts down on your garbage load. When using a curbside recycling can, you must know what things are considered acceptable to recycle by the company that is contracted out to do your curbside pickup and recycling. Thinking there were only one or two companies that were contracted out to do all the city recycling programs, I called the company that does the city that I live in and was immediately surprised that they only did 3 other cities in Utah County! What recycling programs did other cities use and how did they compare to mine? So I set out to find out! Though similar, each recycling company has different items that they will or will not accept. Please check with the companies for complete lists of what they recycle. I will try to get some links to them up here real quick. For now, here is a list of cities in Utah County that have recycling programs.

Alpine - Ace Disposal
American Fork - Allied/BFI Waste
Eagle Mountain- No Recycling Program yet... Go on their website and vote to get one!
Highland - Allied/BFI Waste
Lehi - Waste Management
Lindon - Allied/BFI Waste
Orem - Waste Management
Pleasant Grove – No recycling program yet
Provo - Waste Waste Management
Saratoga Springs - Allied/BFI Waste
Springville - Ace Disposal


I was so surprised to find that some of the bigger cities in the county did not even have recycling programs yet! If you don't see your city on this list, check to find out if a recycling program is in place where you live. If there is not one, let them know you want one!!! I will update the list with other cities that have them as soon as I find out.

What can be recycled in Utah?

Did you know that Americans represent 5% of the world's population, but generate 30% of the world's garbage? According to the Recycling Coalition of Utah, Americans waste 1 million pounds of materials per person every year. What makes these huge numbers atrocious is the fact that of the garbage Americans throw out, half could be recycled, which is enough to fill a football stadium from top to bottom everyday. So lets do something about it!

Here is a list of things that can be recycled in Utah:

Paper:
Books, Corrugated Cardboard, Catalogs, Cereal Boxes, Expired Phone Books, Junk Mail, Newspapers, Magazines, Paper Bags, Brown Paper, Computer Paper, Grocery Bags, Sorted Ledger, White Ledger, Whitegoods.

Plastic:
Plastic Milk Jugs, Plastic - 1, Plastic - 2, Plastic - 6, Plastic - All, Plastic bags, Plastic-coated juice containers, Plastic-coated milk containers, Polystyrene, Pop bottles, Pop Bottles - Clear.

Glass:
Blue, Brown, Clear, Colored, Green, Glass Bottles.

Metals:
Aluminum, Aluminum cans, Aluminum foil, Aluminum scrap, Brass, Car Bodies, Copper, Litho Plates, Metal, Metal - Ferrous, Metal - Scrap, Steel, Tin Cans.

Wire and Accessories:
Batteries (Alkaline, Auto, Rechargeable), CD's Cellphones, Computer Components, Computers, DVD's, Electronic Items, Electronic Waste, Fax Cartridges, Ink Cartridges, Inkjet Ink, Ipods, Microwaves, New Appliances, Pagers, PDA's, Small Appliances, Stereos, Toner, TVs.

Organic Waste:
Animal Waste, Branches, Christmas Trees, Grass, Greenwaste, Leaves, Trimmings, Wood, Yardwaste, Yucca Trimmings.

Chemical Waste:
Antifreeze, Hazardous Waste, Oil, Propane Bottles, Used Oil.

Construction and Building Waste:
Asphalt, Building Materials, Carpet, Carpet Pad, Concrete Doors, Lumbar, Sinks, Upholstery Foam, Windows.

Miscellaneous Items:
100% Cotton Material, Denim, Packing Peanuts, Pallets, Ribbon, Solid Commercial Packing, Styrofoam, Tires, Used Clothing.

**Before you throw all of these things in your curbside recycling can, please note that not everything that can be recycled (aka the list above) is recycled in the same place. For instance, most curbside recycling programs don't allow you to put glass in your container. There are separate glass recycling plants. Stay tuned for information on where all of these things can be recycled.

Recycling Can Change the World

Recycling isn't for you. It is for your children and grandchildren. If we are not passionate about recycling, that simply means we are not passionate about our childrens futures. Our children will not see the same world that we saw. A beautiful utopia of trees, lakes, streams and oceans. Instead they will be surrounded by styrofoams, plastics, glass, batteries, etc. The more I talk to people, the more I realize that almost everyone is interested in recylcing, but so few know how to recyle and what the benefits are. This blog will provide answers to questions about recycling, information about recycling, and locations to recyle. There is no longer an excuse for not recycling.