From the Editor
How Smug I Could Be With These Shiny Things on My Roof
By
Jul 2, 2008 - 11:05:56 AM

By the end of the summer last year, I was so frustrated with power outages due to storms that I vowed to install a whole house generator. Over about a two- or three-week period (how soon we forget), electrical storms had knocked out power in our neighborhood five or six times. A few were for just minutes, but some lasted a day or so, requiring more refrigerator cleanings than are typical at our place.

So the storms subsided and so did my vow to install a generator. I instead began to think more long term. “What about solar power? I could power my house, get off the grid, and maybe make a few bucks by selling power back to Dominion Virginia Power.” Great ideas come out of this head. Or do they?

Why go solar? The initial issue for me was the power outages. I could just imagine sitting there in splendid recline, watching the National Geographic channel on TV while my neighbors read a book by candlelight, thinking about when they would have to clean out the refrigerator.

Then getting off the grid, as they say, and not sending Dominion a check every month came to mind. Currently, Dominion is after an 18-percent increase. That’s more cash for them and more carpal tunnel syndrome for my keyboard-worn fingers.

Third, I would be so green and smug I wouldn’t be able to stand myself. I’d only have to buy a Prius, and no one would be as cool as me.

Of course, there are “inconsequential issues” such as lessening my carbon footprint, relieving some of the stress on the power company, and having some really cool looking thingamajigs on my roof.

All of this was reinforced by an article I read in Kiplinger’s Magazine. Though it’s more expensive than a generator, the article argued for the advantages of  solar power (also called photovoltaic, or PV, systems).

According to the article, “A few big variables dictate whether a home PV system makes economic sense. But in rough terms, here’s how the numbers break down in states with the best incentives: The average solar-power system is 4 kilowatts. (Think of kilowatts as the size of the system. The power it generates depends on size, efficiency, and sunlight.) Figure the price, including installation, is $10,000 per kilowatt, so the total comes to $40,000. Through various rebates, credits, and tax breaks, some states pay half that cost. The federal government will also chip in 30% of the cost, up to $2,000. Taken together, those subsidies drop the total to $18,000. Manufacturers say that solar panels will last 25 to 30 years, and they guarantee them for 20 years. Assuming a 20-year life span, that averages out to a cost of $75 per month.”

That’s a lot of money, especially the upfront money, but if you can sell some power back to Dominion, it takes the sting out of it. With the Dominion increase looming, it is even more attractive. Also, Virginia is the second highest importer of electricity in the nation, just behind California. So my little solar outfit would help there as well.

I was hooked after reading just part of the article, especially since the man who installed a PV system lived near here, and the numbers used would work well here, too.

“Assuming those generous state subsidies, you’ll get your initial investment back in ten to 15 years, including financing costs. The environmental benefit: 3 fewer tons of carbon dioxide generated every year,” Kiplinger’s wrote.

Great, I’m on my way. Can I get financed? Can I save for it? I could mount those panels on the roof of the garage I want to build.

As I reached the end of the article, my hopes were dashed. The example used in the article was for a home located in Washington, D.C. Got to have better sun here, right? That is right, but the article then pointed out that if the Scout leader featured in the article had lived just a few miles south, he would be in Virginia, and Virginia works it a little differently. Virtually no rebates or incentives.

After looking at Virginia’s lack of incentives, I saw that Virginia code allows a county to exempt or partially exempt solar energy equipment from local property taxes. Chesterfield is one of those counties. The Chesterfield credit is calculated by applying the tax rate to the value of the equipment and subtracting that amount from the total tax due from the property owner. If the value of the solar-power equipment is $50,000 then the homeowner would receive a tax break of $237 for five years equaling $1,185. Not a whole lot.

Virginia’s incentives do not reach Kiplinger’s example, but if my meter ran backwards, I could be credited on my power bill and possibly receive a check at the end of each year. So while the example of savings looks good for many around the country, we lag well behind in Virginia.

And still Virginia buys almost 34 million megawatts of power from outside the state. Dominion’s solution is to build more power stations and use Virginia’s black gold to power them.

I submit they should encourage the use of residential solar power by offering their own incentives and by using their extensive lobbying resources to convince Virginia legislators to chip in on alternative energy. Dominion will spend billions of dollars on new power generators, but what if they spent it on solar rebates? Clean and efficient, and it saves them money, too.

mfausz@villagepublishing.com | 751-0421

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