More Shore homeowners using residential solar energy
As the debate continues over utility-scale solar projects throughout the Shore, more and more individuals are putting residential solar energy to use to power their homes on a smaller scale.
The process is fairly straightforward, albeit pricey.
Photovoltaic solar panels, usually installed on rooftops, are made up of many silicon solar cells which convert sunlight to direct current electricity. An inverter converts the direct current electricity into alternating current electricity which then sends power to electrical devices.
A utility meter measures the energy drawn and fed back to the grid. Any excess is routed into the electric utility grid for compensation from a utility company.
Bill Breakey installed solar panels that fully powered his vacation home in Chincoteague just over a year ago. For him, the environmental justifications far outweighed the financial returns. He estimates it will take 14 years to offset the capital expenditure of the installation, but thinks of the panels as an investment in the future of the planet and for the home., itself.
“It’s a matter of principle, of concern about the global climate change, the use of fossil fuels and the need to develop alternatives,” said Breakey.
Breakey, who lives full-time in Baltimore, said that residential solar power wasn’t always an option for the island home he’s owned for over 20 years. The property was full of tall pine trees which blocked a lot of sunlight. However, Superstorm Sandy made quick work of the gymnosperms in 2012.
“We were devastated. The trees were a feature of the property," said Breakey. “The silver lining was that the roof was exposed to sun.”
A quick Google search let Breakey explore his options and he ultimately decided on contracting with a company based in Norfolk that happened to already be working on Chincoteague. The company was installing the solar parking canopy located in the parking lot of the Herbert H. Bateman Educational and Administrative Center in the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge.
The canopy was installed in 2015 as part of a resiliency project after Hurricane Sandy. The multipurpose structure, combined with solar panels on the roof of the Herbert H. Bateman Educational and Administrative Center, can power up to 75% of the center, according to Casey Custer, facility manager for Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge.
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Richard Ayers uses both solar thermal panels and photovoltaic panels to supplement power throughout his entire Northampton County home, and simply included the methods in planning for the construction of the house in 2006.
“My thought was that that’s really the way to do it because you can incorporate it into the design,” said Ayers.
The thought of a lower utility bill was appealing to Ayers, but he has long been interested in the concepts and applications of solar energy. He drew his inspiration from a publication called “Home Power,” to which he had subscribed for the previous decade. The magazine, he said, offered the approaches of everyone from hippies to modern contemporary designers and allowed him to pick and choose from a variety of different concepts.
“Unfortunately, contemporary design is counterintuitive to completely efficient,” said Ayers, who concedes that he didn’t build the most energy efficient house possible due to a large floor plan and lots of windows.
The system, however, was worth the cost.
“It definitely pays off,” he said. “In my mind it didn’t cost anything because the mortgage payment was what we thought it would be.”
A & N Electric Cooperative estimates that there are around 40 accounts in Northampton and Accomack counties that utilize solar energy, wind energy or a combination of both. There are approximately 31 solar energy accounts in both counties.
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