July 2011 Gem Lake Newsletter - Laserfiche WebLink

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Gem Lake NewsPage 5 of 6 Private Citizen Generates Solar Power in Gem Lake One Gem Lake resident recently installed a 6.58 kilowatt pole-mounted solar panel system on her property, that is expected to generate 8,000 kilowatt hours of clean energy over the course of a one year period. The panels have a total of 28 modules, each with a capacity of 235 watts. The panels produce electrical power that feeds through an underground cable to a special xCel meter. The home owner utilizes the solar power on-site to off-set electrical needs and sells any excess power to the utility company. The project was made possible through two rebate programs--one coming from the State of Minnesota and the other coming from xCel Energy. The state rebate program required sitting on a waiting list for nearly a year in order to access the state's solar incentive program. Once a state application is approved, the customer has the solar panels installed in an approved manner and through an approved contractor. The next step is to apply for xCel Energy's "Solar Rewards Program." Through this program the utility company has the customer sign a long term contract to buy excess power generated by the panels, in exchange for an upfront rebate to cover a percentage of the installation costs. for the rebate programs require a staggering amount of time and patience, and the systems are subject to the daily weather changes around us. All the promises in the world don't make the sun shine, so performance estimates are just that--estimates! The panels need to be adjusted periodically to optimize the angle of the sun throughout the year. Due to the size of the panels, this is a two person job. Even with the two rebate programs, it is expected to take about 12 years for the panels to pay for themselves in terms of energy cost savings. However, the prospect of generating renewable power is also rewarding for the homeowner. "I am definitely more aware of exactly when that sun is shining! I know in the long run, this is going to pay off." The panels were installed by Innovative Power Systems (IPS) in St. Paul. The company provided an amazing set of facts regarding the environmental impact of going solar. For instance, producing this much electrical power from coal emits 12,000 pounds of carbon dioxide annually," said Jamie Borrell of IPS. "Preventing this much CO2 from being released into the atmosphere is equivalent to adding 1,770 trees to our forests. Over the 30 year life- span of the equipment, this system will offset 360,000 pounds or 180 tons of carbon dioxide." The down-sides to solar are also there--the systems are still expensive, the paperwork