Solar power regains place in the sun
By Karen Mitchell , Special to the Rocky
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Special To The Rocky
Modern solar systems, such as this one on Erika Paterson's Park Hill bungalow, sit flush on the roof. Paterson says she sometimes approaches her home from across the street so she can see the panels.
Chris Tracy often steps inside his garage to check on his new toy. It's not a power tool or a fancy lawn mower; it's an inverter box with a digital display.
The software engineer, who lives in Highlands' Garden Village with his wife, Kelly Stainback-Tracy, and 3-year-old son, Cyrus, likes to monitor how many watts are being generated by his 4.7-kilowatt solar energy system mounted on the roof.
Winter is a low period for solar generation, he says, but things are looking up with spring dawning.
"We've generated about 45 percent of our electric needs through solar since the system was turned on."
The Tracys bought their home, on the old Elitch Gardens property, in 2007. They were the third homeowners in the Village to install solar panels on the roof.
"We wanted to make a difference, even on an individual level, and to take advantage of the Xcel Energy incentives," Tracy says. "We've always done things around the house, such as using compact fluorescent light bulbs, and I see the solar panels as an extension of the way we live day-to-day."
Many clients in the metro area have been considering solar for years, and were spurred on by the Xcel rebate, says Will Sisk, general manager/co-founder of Sunflower Solar, Boulder.
"Our clients include younger families and a surprising number of middle-age and retirement-age customers as well. The older clients want to leave the world a better place and they see solar as a way to do that."
Tracy says many potential solar consumers haven't seen the newer solar electric panels that sit flush on the roof, and still picture solar systems as the older thermal arrays in which the panels tilt up.
Erika Paterson, staff member at the League of Women Voters of Denver, engaged Sunflower to provide her solar system. Paterson bought her 1928 Park Hill bungalow in the late 1980s, popped the top and recently acquired her solar system.
"I'm a pioneer in this neighborhood where there's not a lot of retrofitted solar," she says. "Once my system went up, all the neighbors came to look. I was excited, and at first I kept checking the inverter. I almost called Sunflower one night at 9:30 to see why the panels weren't on before I realized they come online with the sun."
Paterson decided not to remove two large silver maple trees in her front yard, although they partially block the sun from the panels.
"They live for about 80 years and are on their last legs," she says. "I walk to work and I can still see my panels from two blocks away. Sometimes I'll cross the street just so I can look at them when I approach the house."
Facts About Solar:
* Federal tax credits for solar energy are back. You can take up to a $2,000 federal tax credit for any solar electricity package installed from 2006 through 2008.
* Colorado voters passed Amendment 37 in November 2004 requiring utilities to offer 10 percent of our energy from renewable sources by 2015. Gov. Ritter recently doubled the goal to 20 percent by 2020.
* Xcel Energy rebates went into effect in early 2006. Since then, Xcel has received more than 4,067 rebate applications. The rebate is for $4.50 per watt.
* The average residential solar system in the metro area is about a 4-kilowatt system.
* Homeowners with a solar panel system can expect a return on their investment in about 5 years.
* The National Renewable Energy Labs expect today's solar systems to keep working for more than 30 years.
* Added environmental benefits of a solar system mean that an average system sets off 290,000 pounds of carbon dioxide during its 25-year lifetime, equivalent to planting 600 trees.
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March 15, 2008
12:59 p.m.
Suggest removal
kirbysfriend22 writes:
Good point. It always seems awefully hard to find out just how much it costs to put in one o these systems. Scare me off.
March 15, 2008
3:24 p.m.
Suggest removal
cmtkst writes:
The 4.7 DC kW system in the story (the first one mentioned) cost us a little over $12K after you factor in the Xcel rebate and the Federal tax credit. The vendor lists sample package costs on their website, sunflowersolar.com.