Cousin Chris Makes Electricity from the Sun
We're just back from a family party where the star attraction was a sleek set of photovoltaic cells perched atop a makeshift llama barn. My cousin Chris celebrated his birthday with a gathering of sisters, cousins, uncles and friends, and in the New Jersey June swelter, we ambled amidst the farm animals and toured his spiffy new electricity production center.
"I got a check for three grand from the electric company last year," Chris told us proudly. He showed us five converters, wall-mounted units that convert the sunlight into direct current then alternating current that feeds right into the local grid. Up top, seventy-seven 4 x 5' blue glass and silicon panels soaked up the warm sunshine, through a thin layer of pollen dust.
The gray units had read-outs that showed he'd produced 11,000 kilowatts of power today, and this would be purchased by the electric company at the going rate. Despite the size of his place, with sprawling barns and an expansive old house, he doesn't pay a dime for his electricity now.
And he's put in a wood-fired furnace and more solar panels to take care of his heating and hot water needs.
It is inspiring to hear the story and see these sleek devices working, showing that there are new ways we can tackle our needs for electricity and heat. He's just a little further along on the road than the rest of us are in 2008.
"I got a check for three grand from the electric company last year," Chris told us proudly. He showed us five converters, wall-mounted units that convert the sunlight into direct current then alternating current that feeds right into the local grid. Up top, seventy-seven 4 x 5' blue glass and silicon panels soaked up the warm sunshine, through a thin layer of pollen dust.
The gray units had read-outs that showed he'd produced 11,000 kilowatts of power today, and this would be purchased by the electric company at the going rate. Despite the size of his place, with sprawling barns and an expansive old house, he doesn't pay a dime for his electricity now.
And he's put in a wood-fired furnace and more solar panels to take care of his heating and hot water needs.
It is inspiring to hear the story and see these sleek devices working, showing that there are new ways we can tackle our needs for electricity and heat. He's just a little further along on the road than the rest of us are in 2008.
posted by Max Hartshorne at 9:14 PM
2 Comments:
But what did he pay for all the equipment required to soak up the sun ???
Good point, and the one sticking point for many solar-aspiring types. He spent 102K, got 52K back from the state and got a whole new barn that he needed anyway since the array is 8' high and the animals live underneath. In his case it was worth it and will pay him back in about 10 yrs...
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