Help! Someone explain to me why solar hot water is such a solar stepchild in the U.S.!

Before I get into this issue, a few updates for regular Solar Fred readers. For non-regular readers, please ignore the following:

Update #1. 98 of you have filled out my “Is Solar PV a commodity?” survey. Thanks twice over. Speaking of twice, I just need 2 more solar pros to take it, and we’ll have 100 responses. Then we can close the survey, crunch the numbers, and publish here on REWorld.

Update #2 When ever I go to a trade show, I try to do a Tweet-up, so if you’re going to Intersolar in San Francisco next week and would like to meet me and other solar industry Twitter users, join us for our first ever LUNCH Tweet-up. RSVP here.

And now back to our regularly scheduled blog post:

Typically when I speak or write about “solar,” I’m referring to solar PV, and I’m not alone. The vast proportion of news about solar appears to be PV-related, and there are far fewer stories in the news about solar hot water/solar thermal.

This lack of solar water heating attention and buzz is of personal and now professional concern to me, as my Solar on the White House initiative lead to a new solar thermal client, Free Hot Water, one of the solar contributors.

Technology wise, I’m just getting up to speed on hot water, but what I do understand is that solar hot water has many advantages over solar PV:

• It’s a more mature technology that’s been around since ancient times. In modern times, since the 1900's.
• It’s more energy efficient than current PV technology, in that it converts more solar rays into energy.
• It’s less expensive than solar PV,
• Just like solar PV, solar hot water systems can last for 20 or 30 years with minimal maintenance.
• Just like solar PV, solar hot water works in cold and hot climates.
• Interestingly, in addition to water, solar thermal can heat or cool air, although I understand that this HVAC technology is new and more expensive than traditional electric/gas HVAC.

And yet, with all of the above general advantages, why do most Americans (including myself) think of PV when they think of solar?

As usual, China and Europe are all far ahead of the U.S. in solar thermal installations for residential and commercial applications. (Solar pool heating is the only exception where the U.S. is leading.) Somehow, they understand solar hot water’s benefits.

Certainly, I’m invested in changing public perception, but even if I didn’t have a solar thermal client, the above facts would remain. And since I’m personally an advocate for all types of solar (and wind and other RE), the lack of buzz and attention for solar thermal is an issue that has to be addressed—and not just by one solar geek like me.

So, I'd like to ask you to help. Why do you think solar thermal has a lower public (and policy) awareness profile compared to solar PV?

One thing I’ve heard from solar veterans is the poor quality reputation that solar hot water received from the 1970’s and 80’s boom/bust.

Another reason may be that profit margins for solar thermal are lower—especially with lower subsidies. Consequently, marketing, advertising, and promotion dollars and resources may be lower as well. (interestingly, I've never heard of anyone suggesting that solar hot water was price per therm or per-watt commodity. At least not yet.)

Finally, there’s the issue that gas is still relatively inexpensive in the U.S. (except in Hawaii, where all energy is expensive, and solar thermal is now mandatory.)  So cheap and somewhat clean gas may also make consumers and businesses shrug about solar thermal’s financial benefits. Of course, few point out the environmental costs for gas/shale drilling, but let’s leave that for now.

Those are my general theories, but I hope some solar thermal veterans and PV veterans will lend me their thoughts about this PV-thermal public perception disparity.

Solutions will come later, but for now, we have to understand the causes. Thanks, and as always, UnThink Solar.

Tor Valenza aka “Solar Fred” advises solar companies on marketing, communications, and public relations. Contact him through Unthink Solar or follow him on Twitter @SolarFred.