• Well-placed solar panels will attract the attention of travelers.Solar image by Thomas Leiss from Fotolia.com
  
  Solar power is in ever-increasing use among homeowners and green-power providers, contributing to the existing power supply to lower energy costs and reduce consumption of other natural resources. As demand for renewable energy increases, travelers and tourists seek environmentally friendly establishments to patronize. Designing or retrofitting a motel to take advantage of solar energy will have several advantages and there are several ways to utilize solar technology to enjoy these advantages.
  
  

Types of Solar Energy for a Motel

• Photovoltaic panels, while effective, are not the only means to powering a motel on solar energy. Solar panels can also warm fluids within a heating system, circulating warm air to guests' rooms and common areas. Passive solar energy, in which windows are utilized to light and heat a room, is easy to integrate into a motel's existing architecture. Additionally, passive solar energy can be used within a building to create air currents, which work with the ventilation system to cool as well as provide heat. Skylights and large windows are especially effective in harnessing the sun's light and heat. Solar powered landscape lighting and other outdoor lights also create autonomous and self-contained sources of light in exterior parts of the hotel.
  
  

Solar Energy's Effect on Price

• Motels that have the advantage of lower operating costs can pass their savings on to the guests. Under these conditions, the motel is able to offer better service and higher quality rooms at a lower price than their competitors.
  
  

Placement and Visibility

• A solar energy motel with high visibility will call attention not just to the building, but to the concept and philosophy behind its inception. Solar panels make an eye-catching feature of the motel's exterior, drawing attention and patrons to the business. When possible, angle the solar panels to operate at an angle that is both optimal to the direction of the sun during peak hours and is eye-catching enough to attract travelers' attention. The motel's name and corresponding signage should reflect the fact that the business utilizes solar power and be a prominent feature of the motel's facade.
  
  

Ideas for Promoting a Solar Motel

• Travelers in search of more ecologically-friendly hotel to patronize will gravitate toward an establishment that makes use of solar energy. Businesses that utilize both passive and active solar energy in their daily operations appeal to a previously untapped and potentially loyal demographic. Include mention of solar and other environmentally friendly sources of energy the motel uses in advertisements and other promotional materials. Include photographs in which the solar panels are visible in all promotional materials. All advertising and promotions should also include information on the motel's passive solar energy systems, and should illustrate guests enjoying the amenities of a comparable hotel (such as a heated pool, vending machines, room service and television) to show potential customers they will not sacrifice comfort or luxury by staying in a more environmentally friendly motel.