Local couples put the sun to good use
Two couples in Morgan County have put the sun to good use by installing solar panels on their roofs to generate electricity for their households and to heat hot water.
Gareth and Gale Foulds, and Dr. Donald and Selma Straus are reaping the benefits of the solar electric power systems they recently installed.
“It sure is nice to see the electric meter run backwards,” Gareth Foulds said.
The Foulds’ began their adventure in solar power in 2008 when Mountain View Solar & Wind of Berkeley Springs installed three solar panels on the main house to run the hot water heater.
The hot water system worked so well that a year later they installed a 24-panel solar photovoltaic system on the roof to supply electricity to the entire house.
“The technology is growing so fast. We have seen it change in just the short time we have had our systems. It is moving that quickly,” Gale Foulds said.
This year, they wanted to put a solar photovoltaic installation on an outbuilding that houses a workshop with a guest-room upstairs. But the roof facing the required southern exposure was shaded by a century old sycamore tree they didn’t want to take down.
The solution was to build an “implement shed” to cover some tractor attachments.
The roof of the shed was slanted toward the south and 16 solar panels were installed. The electric cables were buried underground and run from the shed into the workshop and guest-room.
In addition, a battery backup system was installed in the main house to run their water pump, refrigerator, microwave, two baseboard heaters and some lighting. The 24 battery system is charged by solar energy and provides up to 48 hours of power to essential appliances when a commercial power outage occurs.
Incentives & low bills
Asked if the solar installations have eliminated their electric bill, Gale Foulds said, “It is never zero because there is always a base meter fee, surcharge and taxes.” Their bill runs $10 to $12 a month. The most recent bill showed a 200 kilowatt credit. In other words, the solar panels produced 200 more kilowatts of electricity than was needed.
Federal and state tax incentives helped pay for the solar systems. The federal tax credit is 30% of the cost and the state tax credit is up to a maximum of $2,000.
An added benefit is Solar Renewable Energy Credits, or SRECs. In states that have laws setting standards for renewable energy requirements, power companies are allowed to purchase SRECs from owners of solar power systems to meet those requirements.
Gareth Foulds recently received a $300 check for the first megawatt of power generated by the solar systems from a power company.
Money not the reason
But the Foulds’ are quick to point out they didn’t install the solar systems to save money.
Gareth Foulds spent 30 years in the U.S. Army and Gale was a longtime U.S. State Department employee. Both traveled extensively in Europe.
“Europe is so far ahead of the U.S. on conservation and renewable energy. We really have to start worrying about conservation,” Gale Foulds said.
Gareth Foulds would like to see a company start producing solar panels in Morgan County.
“Solar panels are made mostly of silica and we have a mine right here,” he said.
“People have to look to the future. What are we going to do when the earth is used up?” Gale Foulds asked.
She also wonders how real estate sales will be affected by solar energy? Realtors will have to figure out how to price homes with solar systems “when your energy is free for the rest of your lives,” she said.
Summarizing why they put in solar power, Gareth Foulds said, “You do this because it is the right thing to do. You do it for your kids and grandkids.”
“You need to think globally in terms of what is better for the world, not just the U.S., West Virginia or Morgan County,” Gale Foulds added.
Straus solar system
Dr. Donald & Selma Straus have just purchased a solar hot water and a solar photovoltaic electric system that was installed by Mountain View last month.
Selma Straus said they first became interested in solar power after talking to Mountain View owner Mike McKechnie at last year’s Morgan County Fair.
“It seemed like a good idea and a way to cut down on pollution,” Donald Straus said.
He said that since power in West Virginia is generated by burning coal, any reduction in the amount of electricity you use will help the environment.
Selma Straus said the new solar hot water system eliminates the use of propane to heat water.
The Straus’ also believe it will save money on their power bill and increase the value of their home.
The two systems consist of 26 solar panels — two for solar hot water and 24 for solar electric — mounted on the back roof of the house and garage.
Colin Williams of Mountain View said the system will produce about 7,800 kilowatts a year, or half of household needs.
The solar panels are manufactured in America by Solarworld Industries in Oregon.
High school goes solar
Berkeley Springs High School’s environmental science class, taught by Leigh Jenkins received a $41,763 grant from the State Farm Youth Advisory Board for a greenhouse renovation project in March.
The money is being used to convert the greenhouse to
an environmentally-friendly facility by installing solar panels, a solar hot water heater and a computerized heating and cooling system.
The class plans to grow produce to sell at the Farmer’s Market and for use in the high school cafeteria.
The excess electric generation from the solar panels will go back to the Allegheny Power grid and be used as a credit toward electric power at the high school.
A monitoring device will show how much electricity is being generated on an hour-to-hour basis.
