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04/15/2008
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Now is the time to go Solar
 Photo by Lyall Hunter, Excel Solar & Electric, Inc. These 215-watt solar panels are mounted on AZ 225 dual action trackers which automatically track the sun all year round. They are installed in the 300 block of Adobe Canyon Road. Sun power is here to stay and there’s no time like the present to start thinking about whether you can use it in your own home. There’s nothing you can do that’s better at reducing your impact on the planet and it’s available now. While the numbers are sketchy, there are at least 80 solar installations in the area and probably many more. What is sure is that there will be hundreds more in the next decade as the cost of fossil fuels drives up the cost per kilowatt at the home meter. As of April 9, 2008, a barrel of oil is going for $112 and premium at the Kenwood pump is $4.17 a gallon. And while a solar installation isn’t cheap, it runs on a free commodity – sunlight. What usually happens is that you bring in a solar savvy consultant who analyzes your needs, draws up a plan and helps you find a contractor who specializes in solar installations to actually install the system. Keep in mind that there are two basic types of solar installations. One produces electricity you can either store in batteries to use at night, or sell directly to PG&E; the other uses sunlight to heat water for home heating systems and the morning shower. The former is photovoltaic (called PV) and the latter is called passive solar, since it doesn’t do anything other than heat water. Consultants are necessary in the solar business because of the complexity of dealing with both the federal and state governments as well as PG&E. California offers rebates of up to 20 percent of the cost of installing a system, the federal and state governments offer tax incentives that vary for home or business installations, and PG&E has to buy all the electricity you generate to put on the grid. Nick Carter is a consultant who truly believes in sun-powered electricity. Carter installed a large solar system for Steve and Colleen Rose at a home they built on Adobe Canyon and is now installing a system on their ranch. He also set up a system for a guest house rental on Lawndale recently. “There’s more and more awareness building,” Carter said. “People see their neighbors’ systems and get the confidence that it does work and that they aren’t the ones going first.” Barbara Moulton was an early adopter, building her system in 2002. Her decision was definitely influenced by the rolling brownouts of 2000 and 2001. She has no regrets. “The system was distracting at first. It was such a thrill to watch the meter running backwards,” Moulton recalled. “Other than that, it is seamless. Once or twice a year I hose off the bird poop and that’s about it.” John Parry at Solar Works, who is still busy installing systems in the area after 22 years, built Moulton’s 39-panel system. Marketing director Bill Blake says that Solar Works CA has installed 271 systems in Sonoma County. They concentrate on direct to grid systems and handle all the paperwork. In order to take the sting out of waiting for rebates, they take it off the price, a practice followed by most installers in the area. Another family in the Lawndale area put in a 10-kilowatt system in 2004 and also have no complaints. Along with Moulton, they enjoyed a much larger rebate and tax break than is available now and are very happy they built when they did. While all of the power generated by both systems goes directly to the grid, Moulton did not elect to use the “time of day” provision that the other residents did. That means you elect to get paid at the highest rate – always daytime – and promise to minimize your own power use between noon and 6 p.m., Monday through Friday. At the end of the year, PG&E does a “true up” and settles the bill for the year, deducting what you’ve sold them from what they’ve sold you. There’s also a monthly service fee of $5.25. Moulton said she paid about $50 for the first year’s bill but that its now about $150 a year. The other Lawndale resident is paying about $400 a year, but has a much larger use pattern. Lyall Hunter’s business is Excel Solar and Electric and he’s installed at least four systems in the area. Starting as an electrician in Saskatchewan, Lyall and wife Beverly headed south to build solar and geothermal power systems in sunny California. Based in Glen Ellen, Hunter is starting to use tracking systems to increase solar efficiency. The PV cells are mounted on a motor that tracks the sun all day long, keeping the cells’ output at maximum. Kim Auberson lives on Warm Springs Road and has been specializing in solar energy for the past several years with her company, SPG Solar. She’s enthusiastic about the future of solar power in the area. “It’s really taking off in the county, providing jobs for local people, reducing people’s carbon footprint, and promoting clean energy one roof at a time,” Auberson said, having just finished giving a presentation on solar power to a group of architects in Santa Rosa. She has a degree in energy management and design from Sonoma State. “Sonoma is a good place for solar,” Auberson said. “As far as sunlight and weather patterns, it’s an excellent location.” As for the business, “We are hitting a positive feedback loop. Even though rebates are dropping, more and more people are getting involved and taking part in the rebate program.” Now is the time to consider solar. California’s 10-year rebate clock is ticking since it started last year. As the demand grows and more systems are put into place, the need for subsidies and tax breaks will decline until they disappear. Email: jay@kenwoodpress.com |
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