DAISY - Key Persons
Joel Davidson works in an office with all the modern electric and electronic equipment - but no electric power comes into it from utility lines. The sun supplies all the electricity he needs through a process called photovoltaics, often called just PV.
His office is small - 120 square feet - and is in a structure separate from his company's other offices. One PV panel on the roof powers an evaporative cooler; a second panel powers all the office equipment, including ceiling and desk lights; a computer with two disk drives, a printer and a monitor; a color television, an electric typewriter and assorted 12 volt direct current and 120-volt alternating current devices. All the equipment draws its power from batteries charged by the PV panels, directly or through an inverter.
Davidson has been a photovoltaic consultant for years, here and in the Midwest, and now is an executive of the William Lamb Co., North Hollywood. He estimated the cost of "PV-ing" his office at about $6,000 but added that he already had some of the equipment. He said an economical user could equip a personal office with more modern equipment - including devices to make the panels "track" the sun and thereby increase efficiency - for about $10,000.
This would be feasible in a secluded area where a power line had to be run in, he said, because a power line would cost about $10,000 a quarter-mile. Also, he added, such office equipment would be eligible for both solar and investment tax credits and depreciation.