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Since we heard about the World’s Largest Laundromat in class, Paige and I have been entralled by the idea, overwhelmed with curiousity and wish to one day venture to the unknown land. (Ok, I admit, those were Motrya’s words, she is sitting right next to me) I am proud to live so close to such a place! It’s all old news now, but I decided to learn a little bit more about the laundromat.

In class we learned that solar power stations are benign renewable energy sources… they have the least environmental impact. Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn (Mr. Quinn’s brother as we all know very well…) said, “The World’s Largest Laundromat has served as a role model. It’s shown that solar can work in the Midwest climate, in the heartland.”

Apparently, in every article I read, Tom Benson “beams with pride” everytime he shows off his Laundromat, complete with 153 washers, 148 dryers and 15 flat-screen TVs. Located on top of this masterpiece is one of the largest, most cost-effective solar systems in the COUNTRY! That’s right, fellows apers, right near us! Thirty-six 10 x 4 foot panels supply this 24-hour laundromat with hot water.

Giovanni Marron does his laundry underneath a flat-screen television at the “World’s Largest Laundromat” in Berwyn, Ill., Wednesday, July 26, 2006. The laundromat has 153 washers, 148 driers and 15 flat-screen TVs and is one of the largest, most cost-effective solar systems in the country. Owner Tom Benson converted from natural gas to solar and his $150,000 hot water system has become a darling of environmentalists and officials smitten with the promise of solar. It is heralded as a prime example of how sun energy is practical, simple and cost-wise. (AP Photo/Brian Kersey)

Benson calculates that his $150,000 system saves him $25,000 annually. (so it should pay for itself in about five more years) He also expects it to last about 20 years. Benson said, “A lot of times the environmental stuff … ends up costing you money. People aren’t going to do it if it costs more.” However, Benson argues that his solar panels have no downsides.

Tom Benson, owner of the World’s Largest Laundromat stands on the roof of his facility next to the 36 10-by-4 foot solar panels that supply his 24-hour laundry with hot water in Berwyn, Ill., Wednesday, July 26, 2006. The laundromat also has 153 washers, 148 driers and 15 flat-screen TVs. Benson says the motivation to convert to solar was purely dollars and cents. His heating bills were climbing as high as $13,000, the equivalent of 25 percent of his total monthly revenue. (AP Photo/Brian Kersey)

Of course, there are advantages and disadvantages to solar power.

Here are some disadvantages:

• Solar stations are extremely expensive. They require a large initial investment.
• Solar Power is unreliable unless you’re in a very sunny climate.
• They don’t work at night.

However, here are some advantages:

• Solar energy is freely available
• Solar power is pollution free during use.
• Handy for low-power uses (like lights and batterys)
• After the initial setup, there’s little maintenance.
• After the initial cost of building the solar power plant, operating costs are low.
• In sunny counties, solar power can be used where there’s no easy way to get electricity to a remote place.
• Even though solar panels don’t work at night, energy can be stored.

There are also some pretty good perks: “Many people here have come up to me and said, `Thank you for helping the environment. Thank you for going solar,’” Benson said.

http://accuweather.ap.org/cgi-bin/aplaunch.pl

http://home.clara.net/darvill/altenerg/solar.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_power#Advantages_and_disadvantages_of_solar_power