Even in northern Indiana, solar power is hot
Tour Saturday gives residents a chance to talk to people who use solar power.
Article by Dustin Lawrence, from The Elkhart Truth, Elkhart, Indiana, September 30, 2009
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| Homeowner Owen Hess (left) and electrician Steve Kooistra of Home Energy LLC, look over Hess' month-old solar panels. Hess' home will be part of a solar power tour Saturday. Photo: J. Tyler Klassen / The Truth |
On a clear morning, the rising sun turns the 28-panel solar array at McCormick Motors into a solid stream of orange light. Silently catching the sun's heat and converting it into electricity, the modest 6-kilowatt system produces nearly 850 kilowatts a month -- about 4 percent of the Nappanee dealership's energy needs.
On Saturday, McCormick Motors will be one of 10 area locations showcasing their solar capabilities during the Michiana Solar Tour. Held in conjunction with the National Energy Awareness Month, the event is apart of the National Solar Tour, taking place across 48 states.
"The goal for this is to increase awareness," said Heidi McHugh, marketing manager at Home Energy, which along with Inovateus Solar and the American Solar Energy Society, is sponsoring the tour.
ASES said the tour is the largest grassroots solar event in history. In 2008, the nationwide tours drew some 140,000 attendees to about 5,000 buildings in 3,000 participating communities.
Self guided and free, the tours are designed to promote interest in solar energy options -- mainly photovoltaic (light being converted directly into electricity) and solar thermal (using sunlight to heat one's home or water).
"It's always helpful to see the actual installation in person," McHugh said. "It's about looking, feeling, seeing."
While the national showcase is in its 14th year, the Michiana Solar Tour is six years old. During that time it's been growing in popularity. Half of the homes featured this year are new.
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| Service technician Steve Kooistra checks out the control unit for the solar panels at the home of Owen Hess in Goshen. The Hess house will be part of the solar power tour in Goshen Saturday. Kooistra is a technician for Home Energy LLC in Middlebury. Photo: J. Tyler Klassen / The Truth |
High startup costs, however, make solar a tough sell in a down economy. McHugh said the solar systems at Home Energy LLC can range from $15,000 to $50,000, depending on the size and scope.
"A lot of people kind of look at this and they hesitate," said Steve Shantz, a systems operations technician at Goshen College. For years, he's been installing solar electric and solar heating units in homes around the area. "...I hate to say it but people who are putting these in have more discretionary spending."
Shantz's own home is on the tour and sports a simple two-panel hot water system.
"If you're looking to save money," Shantz paused, "you're not going to save money."
Shantz said that's because the high expense of the systems means it will take longer to pay off, especially with commodities like natural gas remaining cheap. Over the past year, sluggish markets have kept natural gas prices relatively low. While that translates to lower heating bills, it also may mean fewer people investing in solar energy to offset heating costs.
At McCormick Motors, the financial factors haven't deterred Gordon Moore, the dealership's owner, from investing in renewable energy.
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| Owen Hess looks over the two power meters at his home. The foreground meter measures electricity produced by the solar panels at his home. The second meter (on the back of the pole) measures the amount of electricity NIPSCO provides to the house. Photo: J. Tyler Klassen / The Truth |
"The payoff on these things is pretty lengthy -- between 16 and 18 years," Moore said, "...but as energy prices go up, then my payoff is much faster."
To further accelerate a payoff, McCormick Motors has added better insulation and high-efficiency lighting. To offset the cost of additional panels, Gordon hopes to receive state grants.
The dealership's initial solar array was partially funded through a grant from the Indiana Office of Energy Development, which provides up to 50 percent of the project's cost. These grants are available to Indiana's public, nonprofit, industrial and commercial sectors under the state's Alternative Power and Energy Grant Program. Other than IOED grants, Indiana offers a state property tax exemption allowing an annual deduction against property tax.
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| Homeowner Owen Hess (left) looks at the readout of the control unit for his solar panels at his home in Goshen. Steve Kooistra, technician for Home Energy LLC, look on. Hess had solar panels and the support technology installed about one month ago. Photo: J. Tyler Klassen / The Truth |
Among additional grants and tax credits, recently expanded subsidies are available from the federal government, which can pay up to 30 percent of the costs.
These incentives have fueled investments in solar technology. Still, the primary information source, McHugh said, should be those who have tried solar energy in their homes.
"The main objective of the tour," she said, "is to get people talking to the homeowners."
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| One of the readouts on the control panel lists pounds of CO2 saved by using the solar panels. Photo: J. Tyler Klassen / The Truth |
Taking the tour
The Michiana tour is Saturday, Oct. 3, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. It is self guided, with 10 stops in the Michiana area. There will also be a presentation at 10:15 a.m. and 1:15 p.m. on solar basics at 506 Carter Road, Goshen. • Hess Home, 506 Carter Road, Goshen • Nafziger Home, 1807 Mayflower Place, Goshen • Shantz Home, 60728 C.R. 27, Goshen • Reser Home, 19410 Dorchester Court, Bristol • Wolfgang Home, 65364 Dailey Road, Edwardsburg, Mich. • Kanczuzewski Home / Stillwater Community, 105 Stillwater Drive, Buchanan, Mich. • Kanczuzewski Home, 50610 Lilac Road, South Bend • First Federal Savings Bank, 906 W. Edison Road, Mishiwaka • McCormick Motors, 1255 W. Market Street, Nappanee • Levinson Home – The Low Carbon Lakehouse, 7041 E. Eli Lilly Road., Syracuse, Ind.
