The whole installation took two hours. This video is 47 seconds and shows our team installing all of the solar panels. 

Antonio's New Solar Panels

My good friend, Antonio Cutolo-Ring, finally took the plunge and installed a 3.2 kW solar pv array on his home in Weston, MO.  The array is grid-tied and we (The Energy Savings Store) used 14 - 225 watt Sunpower panels with Enphase micro- inverters (because of shading issues).  Antonio e-mailed me after the first few days: "Yes, everything seems to be working well.  I know the solar panels won't be always be producing as much electricity as they have the last three days, but it looks to me like that if they did and I don't use any more electricity than last year that I'd be producing as much electricity as I use!  Pretty cool." 

Antonio's home is very energy efficient already and we estimate it will produce about 85% of his electricity needs. 

In addition to the 30% federal tax credit, he was able to take advantage of KCP&L's new $2/watt solar rebate - cutting his installation cost in half.  Antonio and I are both on the board of Concerned Citizens of Platte County together - we work on environmental and health issues.  He told me "I'm very pleased to have finally been able to put my money where my mouth has been for so long!" 

A note on the photo: that's Taneasha Bledsoe - our new Staff Engineer looking so cool on the roof.

Solar Panels on Tracy Sterns home

Tracy Stearns, a principal with 360 Architecture, was familiar with the benefits of solar energy, and wanted to explore ways to leverage solar power in his home office. Solar can be used to create electricity, heat potable water or swimming pools, or heat the air in a room. Tracy decided to take advantage of two of these applications in his home studio office in Linwood, Kansas, and brought in his friends from The Energy Savings Store to install a solar PV and solar water heating system.

The solar PV system consists of eighteen 208W panels by Sharp. The system is tied to the grid, so that in the event that consumption exceeds production, additional electricity can be pulled off the grid. On days when the system produces more energy than needed, the excess capacity flows back onto the grid once the battery backup system is fully charged. The battery backup system can provide up to a week of power to the home and office in the event of a power failure.

The solar water heating system uses an evacuated-tube technology by ThermoMax. This 5kW system heats all the water used in the home, with a backup system available in cases of extended cloudy days or extremely heavy use. While Stearns only uses the system to heat his potable water, a similar system could be used to warm a home with a radiant heating system.

Solar became the solution for Ray and Kathy Baisch after seeing their electric rates increase by over 30% in the last three years.  Located in Lee’s Summit, Missouri, the Baisch’s had been considering a solar-powered electric system for years.  The couple got serious about making the investment when they learned that KCP&L was offering a new solar rebate.  The new rebate was a result of Proposition C that Missourians overwhelmingly passed in 2008 (read more here). The $2/watt rebate covers about 25% of the price of a solar system.  Combining this incentive with the 30% Federal tax credit - and nearly half of the cost is covered.

After meeting with a Renewable Energy Consultant at The Energy Savings Store, the couple decided to purchase a 4.14 KW system.  The solar energy system will offset nearly 90% of their energy usage.  The system was placed in service the first week of January. “The Baisch’s may be the first rebate recipients in the state,”  said Roland Maliwat, Manager of Sustainability at KCP&L.  “We supported Prop C and are very happy to see it result in solar installations for our customers.”

Net Metering
Not only are Ray and Kathy excited about being the first KCP&L customers to receive the rebate, they are also eagerly awaiting the possibility of watching their electric meter spin backwards when their system is producing more than they need.  In addition to the rebate the utility company will allow the couple to "net meter."  With "net metering" the Baisch’s will be able to accumulate credits for months that their system produces more than they need.  When they have months that they use more electricity than their system produces they will be able to use the accumulated credits from the prior month.

Over the course of the year the Baisch’s will end up paying very little on their electric bills. They are looking forward to a day in the near future where the energy savings will have paid for the cost of the system - after that Ray and Kathy can expect decades of free electricity.

I've been selling solar energy systems for a number of years and have learned a thing or two about helping people select the solar panels that are right for them.  I love being back in Kansas City and hope you'll come in to see some of the solar power equipment on display and ask some questions. 

Making a solar photovoltaic (PV) system purchase can be intimidating to say the least.  There are many things to consider - correct placement, the variety of technology and innovative solutions now available, are among them. I'm going to try and shed some light on the process for you. It may help you to see some of what I'm talking about in our showroom. 

We carry traditional solar panels as well as the solar PV laminates (which are somewhat less efficient) and the more upscale solar roof tiles.  While there are some similarities, there's a wide a variety of differences in panels, and they are suited to fit particular situations. 

Our staff at The Energy Savings Store has the most experience installing solar panels in Missouri, Kansas and Illinois - we have a pretty good sense of what's going to work well in our area and for your particular situation. (As a side note, we also ensure that our clients get all the available financial incentives.) If you talk with  different installers, you'll want to be informed about what the important issues are: I've outlined them below. 

Your Utility Bills
First take a look at your last twelve months of utility bills. Your electric bill will show you the present and previous meter readings, along with the difference, which is your usage.  This is how you’re billed for electricity used, measured in kilowatt hours (or kWh for 1,000 Watt hours).  You’ll likely have peaks in the summertime due to the cost of air conditioning, and even greater peaks in the wintertime if you have electric heat.  For homes with non-electric heating, the average usage is about 12,000 kWh per year.

Assuming you’ve already completed a number of projects to make your home more energy efficient than average, we’ll suppose you use 10,400 kWh annually.  You then need to decide what percentage of that total you’d like to offset with clean, renewable solar energy.  For this example, we’ll assume you want to produce half of your electricity with the solar.  Now you can contact several solar installers to find out what it will take and cost to do that.

Example A
Let’s say Installer A proposes to install eighteen 230 watt (W) panels from a leading solar panel manufacturer with a good reputation.  The 230 W power rating is calculated using standard test conditions accepted in the industry.  This means that that each panel is capable of generating 230 watts of power, and under ideal circumstances the panel could produce 230 kWh in an hour if operating under perfect conditions.  The array of 18 panels forms a total of 4,140 watts, or 4.14 kW.  You’re told that the system will require approximately 400 ft² of roof space, and can be expected to produce 5,206 kWh of power annually.

Example B
Installer B provides you with a proposal to install sixteen “high-efficiency” panels from a different manufacturer, which are also rated at 230 W.  Because of the higher efficiency (18.1% compared to 14.2% for the competitive panel), this 3.68 kW system is expected to produce 3% more energy than the larger system – 5,363 kWh annually – for about the same price.  It also requires only about 250 ft² of roof space to install.

What's the Difference?
On the surface, it might appear that the higher rated system would be the better value.  However, if the southern exposure on your roof is limited, you might opt to go with the higher efficiency panel with the smaller footprint.  The return on your investment, though, is best measured in the actual output, or the kWh produced.  By looking at the total amount of energy produced over the life of the system, you can project a fixed cost of the electricity produced.  Panels typically last 40-50 years, but degrade slightly (about 1% per year) over time, so 30 years is commonly used as a typical life span of a system.  By multiplying the annual production by the 30 years, the larger system (A) produces 156,180 kWh, while the smaller, more efficient system (B) produces 160,890 kWh. By dividing the rebated cost by the total energy production, you come up with a fixed cost p/kWh.  Given the available financial incentives, in most cases this will be only slightly more than current rates. 

We all expect energy prices to rise – the question is how much.  In the past 25 years, electric rates have risen an average of 4.4% per year nationwide.  Industry analysts predict 6-9% annual increases over the next 25 years.  If you take a conservative 5.5% annual increase, you’ll see a $0.09 p/kWh rate turn into $0.19 in 15 years.  In 30 years, it will be $0.42.  So if your fixed rate ends up being 10-12 cents, you can rest assured that you’ll be smiling about your investment in future years.

Conclusion
The bottom line here is to ask questions about how much energy a system will produce, and how the installer arrived at that number.  Ask to see how the efficiency ratings stack up against other panels.  Picking the best solar PV panel is one of the most important decisions that you will make for your solar power project. We can help you through the process as well as make sure you get all the financial incentives possible.

3.6kW solar PV system from Canadian Solar

A family in Edwardsville, Illinois decided they wanted to “green up” their home by adding solar PV on their roof.  They also wanted a backup system so that, in the event of a power failure, their primary appliances, such as refrigerator, computer, lighting and gas appliances can continue to function.  So they invited The Energy Savings Store to install a grid-tied solar PV system with a battery backup.

These trendsetters are only the second home in Madison County to install solar. Their relatively new home already uses passive solar heating, and the owners had implemented a number of energy conservation and efficiency measures. As a result, their home uses only about 15,000 kWh of power a year.  The 3.6kW system uses 18 Canadian Solar PV panels installed on the south facing roof in the rear of their home.  The system produces about 4,500kWh of energy per year, or about 30% of their total usage.  The Outback battery backup system keeps eight batteries fully charged so the key appliances in the home can continue running for a day or two on backup power.

The owners were able to take advantage of both federal and Illinois state tax credits to reduce their final costs on the system.  Check out the Database of State Incentives for Renewable Energy to find out what financial incentives are available for you!

4.8kW solar PV system and 1.2kW vertical-axis wind turbine are sole energy source in off-grid home

In a modest neighborhood near the Kansas University Medical Center, a new trend-setting home is generating almost all of its energy from solar and the wind.  The home was designed and built by Dan Rockhill and his students from the University of Kansas.  Studio 804, the university's sustainable architecture program, is known for forward-thinking designs with emphasis on energy efficiency and sustainability.  Students worked tirelessly since January to complete the construction of this eco-friendly home, and are seeking the coveted LEED Platinum for Homes certification for their efforts.

The 2600 square foot house, located at 3716 Springfield in Kansas City, Kansas, includes a plethora of energy-saving features.   The home starts with thicker walls filled with recycled newspaper to form a tight building envelope.  The argon-filled windows complement the structure by minimizing heat transfer and maximizing natural daylight.  To further reduce heating and cooling costs, which are by far the biggest guzzlers of power in a typical home, a geothermal heating and cooling system was installed.  This system uses the constant 58 degree temperature of the earth to cool the home in the summer with no air conditioning, and requires minimal energy to heat the home.  The concrete ground floor absorbs the warmth of the sun in the winter afternoons and stays warm into the evening.  Inside the concrete floor are a series of pipes that carry hot water to provide additional heat when needed.   In addition, the home makes extensive use of other energy misers, including LED lighting and Energy Star appliances.

With all these energy-saving features, the home uses very little electricity compared to a typical home, and generates most of its own power.  The 4.8kW solar PV system produces the majority of the electricity, with 24 Canadian Solar photovoltaic panels built into the rain screen that forms a pressure buffer between the home's interior and exterior.  An additional 1.2kW of power is generated by a 24' Mariah Windspire vertical-axis wind turbine located in the backyard.  Studio 804 is pushing the public utility to adopt net-metering, which would enable the home to provide clean, renewable energy onto the grid.  All of the work on the renewable energy systems was done by the students with guidance from The Energy Savings Store.

The home has many additional features which may help it achieve the LEED certification.  Faucets and toilets minimize water use, and low VOC finishes were used to provide a clean and healthy living environment.  The interior framing was salvaged from a building slated for demolition, and the exterior wood used in the rain screen was made from Brazilian hardwood that was certified as coming from a sustainably harvested forest.  The driveway is made of a porous concrete that absorbs rainwater, and runoff from the roof is collected in an underground cistern to water a garden.  The rest of the home's landscape, which was built on an empty lot in an existing neighborhood rather than a new suburban lot, features native plants that don't require anything more than rain.

Studio 804 staked a major claim to fame by building the first LEED Platinum building in Kansas last year.  The 5.4.7 Arts Center in Greensburg, Kansas was built as part of the town's restoration on the first anniversary of the tornado that devastated the town in 2007.  The 22 students on this year's team were empowered by Rockhill to make important design and building decisions in a democratic manner. Grants and donations pay for materials, but students provided free labor.  If the home were commercially built, it would likely sell for $500,000, but is listed at a very attractive $349,000.

The students have demonstrated remarkable prowess in designing and building this model for sustainability.  Undoubtedly this will inspire others to adopt similar building fundamentals and techniques.  For more information on all of the features of this eco-friendly home, check out additional stories in InkKC or KansasCity.com.

Solar home with Sharp solar PV panels

It's an interesting study to see how home building techniques and materials have evolved over time, and how new ideas that were once radical have become common.  Drywall, for example, quickly replaced lath and plaster as the standard for interior walls, and radiators were replaced by forced air systems.  As we began closing the windows in the summer to keep our homes cooled by our central air conditioners, insulation and thermal windows came about.   All-electric homes were all the rage until electric rates cooled owners' interest.

Today we find ourselves on the verge of a new set of building standards.  With concerns about climate change and declining fossil fuel resources, many homeowners are looking to harvest the clean, renewable energy of the sun.  In the 1970s, the US led the world in the development of solar photovoltaic (PV) technology, where sunlight is converted to electricity.  As energy prices dropped in the '80s, our enthusiasm waned, since the payback was no longer as attractive.  The recent increase in worldwide demand has brought PV prices down, and the uncapped financial incentives have made the payback on solar better than ever.

Energy Efficiency

At The Energy Savings Store, we always encourage solar and wind prospects to consider energy efficiency first.  As much as half of the energy we use in our homes is wasted, either by inefficient appliances, inadequate insulation or ineffective stewardship.  Energy Star appliances are now readily available, and the added cost is quickly offset by the reduced energy requirements. 

It's critical that the "building envelope" - or exterior shell exposed to the elements - be tightly insulated.  There are a variety of methods to achieve this, including 2x6" frames, high-efficiency foam insulation, and insulated concrete form (ICF) construction.  The latter uses stay-in-place concrete forms made of hard foam that are assembled much like Lego blocks.  The concrete is reinforced with steel bars, making this shell extremely durable while minimizing thermal transfer.

For larger homes, ground-source heat pumps are a great way to use the constant temperature of the earth to heat and cool the home.  Geothermal systems are relatively expensive but, coupled with a super-insulated building exterior, dramatically reduce expensive heating and cooling costs.

Adding Solar

The key requirement for solar is southern exposure.  If your existing home has a south-facing roof (or within 30 degrees of due south), you can likely incorporate solar onto your roof.  If you're building a new home, be sure to consider this important requirement!  The slope of the roof should be somewhere between 25 and 40 degrees, with 38 degrees being optimal for this latitude.  Conventional panels can be angled on racks to adjust or optimize the pitch, but for new roofs it's best to design the southern facing slope accordingly.

While conventional solar panels are most commonly used, there are a variety of new options to incorporate solar into the building design.  A number of solar roofing tiles, including SunSlate and SolarSave, are used alongside metal or asphalt shingles, and can be installed on the front of a home without detracting from the appearance of the home.  Other metal roofs can take advantage of solar PV laminate systems like Uni-Solar.   Even if you're not ready to invest in solar, you can pre-wire your new home to minimize costs

Micro-inverters enable you to start out with a small number of conventional panels and add to the system as your budget allows.  Inverters are used to convert the DC power produced by the solar collector to AC power used in your home.  Rather than using a single inverter that is sized for the entire system, micro-inverters are installed onto each panel, converting the DC to AC right at the source.  Battery backup systems are also available to keep your essential appliances powered during an outage.

Water heating accounts for 20-40% of typical home's energy requirements, and solar water heating systems have proven to be a very cost-effective way to harness the sun's energy.  While these can be used in conjunction with solar PV, they are an excellent alternative if you have limited space.  The VELUX solar water heating system is an attractive complement to the traditional skylights that they're renowned for.  Solar air heating systems, such as SolarSheat, are also available.

There are many other ways to harness the sun's energy and protect your home from unwanted heat in the summer.  Natural daylight reduces lighting requirements, using windows, skylights and solar lights like Sun Tunnel or Solar Tube.  Strategically-placed shade trees and passive solar design can capture the warmth of the sun in the winter, but shade the home in the summer.  It is essential that you consider the sun, which is ultimately the source of all of our energy, when you build your next home.

For more details on these and other strategies for incorporating solar into your home, see the online version of the May 2009 issue of Solar Today on page 32.  For a fun look at what the futurists have imagined, check out The Green House of the Future.

Solar and wind systems provide significant returns when rising rates are taken into consideration

While many people love the idea of using clean, renewable energy from the sun and wind, they find the investment significant enough to think twice about the purchase.  The installed cost of a mid-sized wind turbine or solar photovoltaic (PV) system is about $20,000, and does not provide the same visibility or utility as a new kitchen.  However, while a new kitchen provides a great new space to cook and congregate, and will bring back nearly every dollar invested if the house is sold soon after, it loses its value over time. The renewable energy systems, on the other hand, become cash cows that actually increase in value as energy prices rise.

A simple payback will show you that the money you initially invest in the system is offset by the value of the energy produced over time.  This becomes a little tricky, because we know that energy prices will rise, but can't predict actual rate increases without a crystal ball. Historical rate increases over the past 10 years or so have been about 4.5% per year, although this varies widely across the country.  Over the next 20 years, we expect rates to increase 6-9 percent per year, given supply pressures on fossil fuels and imminent carbon taxes.  Just like the miracle of compounding interest, the compounding effect of rising electric rates results in the system returning 1.5 to 3 times its initial cost.

While the life expectancy of a solar PV system is generally 40-50 years, we typically look at 30-years of operation to calculate expected returns on both solar and wind.  (Wind turbines require maintenance, and the turbine itself can be replaced with a more efficient unit at a fraction of the cost of the original installation.)  The chart below shows the value of the electricity produced over a thirty year period.

Estimated value of power produced by 2.4kW solar array*

*Assumes $0.09 p/kWh with 7.5% annual inflation on electric rates for 2.4kW solar PV system

Our February newsletter summarized the highlights of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.  With this legislation, the 30 percent tax credit for commercial and residential renewable energy investments was extended through 2016, and the $2000 cap was eliminated.  This tax credit effectively creates a 30% discount on all solar and wind installations, reducing your investment accordingly.  (For commercial projects, you can apply for a grant up front in lieu of the tax credit.)  Additionally, the state of Illinois offers a 30% state tax credit for solar, and is considering extending this to wind power also.  Historic tax credits of up to 25% are also widely available, depending on the area.

Finally, the recently passed Proposition C in Missouri will require that utilities produce 15% of their total demand with renewable energy.  The Public Service Commission is currently finalizing the rules, but at this point it is agreed that the investor-owned utilities (including AmerenUE, KCP&L, and possibly Empire)will  provide a taxable rebate of $2 per installed watt (up to 25kW).  In addition, they may buy Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) based on the amount of electricity produced by your system.  It is anticipated that the value of this taxable income would be similar to the rebate ($1.80-$2.20 p/watt) but this will likely be paid out over time as the energy is produced.

So the 2.4kW system described above might look like this:

* Actual figures are contingent upon the finalization of rules. Prop C rebates will go into effect January 1, 2010.

Using the assumptions above, the system will have produced a total of $4,400 in electricity in its 12th year of service, thus paying for itself.  However, in the 18 years after it's paid off, it will produce an additional $23,500 worth of power, yielding an internal rate of return of 11.7%.  Businesses will achieve even greater returns by depreciating equipment.

In spite of this return on the investment, for some people, this long of a payback is troubling because they may not intend to live in the house that long. The truth is, that, just like the kitchen, an investment in a solar or wind energy system will add to the value of the home, with a higher return than a kitchen or bathroom renovation.

While the return on your investment may not match some of the historic returns of the market, you can be sure that it will be much less volatile.  Probably more important than anything, you must place intrinsic value on producing your own clean, renewable energy.   As one of our customers put it, "No one ever expects to catch enough fish to pay for their new bass boat!"

Farm house has solar PV on the upper roof, and solar thermal (for water heating) on the lower roof

The Green Dirt Farm, located just north of Kansas City in Weston, Missouri, is a small community-based farm dedicated to producing healthy food in a sustainable environment.  The entire farm complex was designed to be a net-zero energy farmstead, producing 100 percent of the energy for the operation using a combination of solar and wind.  Chris DeVolder, the home's architect, calls it "the greenest house in the Midwest, possibly in the country."

From the ground up, this farm was built with sustainability in mind.  Most of the materials used in the construction were salvaged from local demolished buildings (including a reclaimed church railing as the rail in the loft of the barn!)  The designers largely limited themselves to these materials, and any new materials used in the home were considered environmentally-friendly.   It was a true collaboration between owner, architect and builder.

The house uses only 25 percent of energy required in a typical home of its size, and uses no fossil fuels to heat or cool. This is accomplished in part using a passive solar design that shades the home from the sun in the summer but absorbs the solar heat in the winter.  Complementing this is a geothermal heat pump, with radiant heating system in the floor.  In addition, the home uses a small word-burning masonry heater as a back-up heating source, and doubles as a Swedish oven for bread-baking.

2.4kW Skystream wind turbine provides half of the power used on the farm

The Energy Savings Store was selected to design, engineer and install the renewable energy systems used on the Green Dirt Farm in 2005.  The electricity used in the home and barn comes from a 2.4kW Skystream wind turbine, perched atop a 70' tower.  Complementing this is a 2.4kW Uni-Solar PV laminate system on the home's metal roof.  These two energy sources, coupled with the efficiencies designed into the home, enable the owners to live and operate their farm with a "net-zero" energy requirement.  The home is actually connected to the utility grid, so that in the event that more power is consumed than produced at any given point in time, the system can draw additional power from the grid.  On the other hand, when more power is being produced than consumed, the utility meter spins backward, pushing the excess electricity out onto the grid.  The home also contains a battery backup system, so that in the event of power outages, they can run safely on their own backup power.

Solar thermal energy is also used to heat the potable water in the home.  A 5kW SunEarth glazed panel solar water heating system was installed by The Energy Savings Store to heat water in a 120 gallon tank, enabling the owners to use very little energy to heat water used both personally and in the farm operations.  Solar water heating systems typically reduce energy use by up to 80 percent.

Finally, solar energy is used for space heating in another small building on the farm.  Several years after the home was built, a small cabin was built on the property to house the farm's manager, and the owners came back to The Energy Savings Store for guidance.   The house was designed with a south-facing wall, on which a 1.5kW SolarSheat solar air heating system was installed.  This glazed panel system is self-powered, using a small photovoltaic (PV) panel to power a fan that draws air from the bottom of a room up through a heated-duct and back out the top into the room.  The panels are ideal for a south-facing wall on a great room, but can be installed on a south-facing roof as well.

The Green Dirt Farm owner's commitment to healthy, organic food and a sustainable living gives us a great model for home development.  Everyone involved in the project shared and realized the same vision, and now the path has been cleared for others who wish to create a sustainable, environmentally friendly living space.