Putney Community Solar Array panel owners Photo: Courtesy of Clean Energy Collective

The amount of solar energy hitting the earth’s surface in 40 minutes could provide power for the energy needs of the world’s population for one year. Let that sink in for a minute.

Now compare this to fossil fuels: all of our coal, oil, and natural gas combined equals 20 days of energy produced by the sun. In other words, in less than a month, the sun produces energy equivalent to all the earth’s fossil-fuel reserves. From a plain energy-in, energy-out point of view, solar power is a no-brainer.

Solar energy is also renewable. It’s continually available day after sunny—or cloudy—day. But the carbon-laden sources of fossil fuel renew themselves on a geologic scale that is imperceptible to us, rendering them nonrenewable in our lifetimes.

Even Thomas Edison, inventor of the electric lightbulb, recognized the value of solar energy and was ahead of his time when he said, “I’d put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we don’t have to wait until oil and coal run out before we tackle that.”

Sun Economics

Producing electricity from the sun requires solar collectors, called photovoltaic cells, which consist of films of silicon under thin glass. These PV cells are aggregated on panels that can be installed on a roof or the ground. Inside the PV cells, the incoming sunlight excites the electrons, thereby creating electricity that can be collected.

Solar systems that are connected to the electricity grid (the wires running outside your home or business) send that electricity back to the grid. The home or business with solar panels buys electricity from the grid and is credited for the electricity produced by its PV system.

Producing energy from the sun, as opposed to natural gas or coal, has many benefits, like a reduction in the emissions of greenhouse gases and harmful air and water pollutants. Locally produced power from any source, solar panels included, improves our energy security and independence. Additionally, with local production, our energy dollars are retained in our communities rather than exported outside our region.

Importantly, there’s also the cost savings of solar power. Solar panels can be expensive to purchase and install, but there are third-party leasing companies and zero-dollars-down loans to help with upfront costs. It’s the monthly savings that add up to a big difference in energy costs. Net metering, which allows power companies to credit homeowners for the excess power they produce, sweetens the pot. Some homeowners actually get a check from the power company, rather than the other way around.

Going Solar in Vermont

But Vermont is so cloudy and our winter is so long! It’s a concern that has many Vermonters worried that solar won’t work for them. But it does, even here in Vermont. In fact, Germany is the world’s leading producer of solar energy, yet it is cloudier than Vermont. According to SunCommon (www.suncommon.com), a Vermont solar power company, Burlington gets 83 percent of the sun that Miami does, and there are already more than 2,000 PV systems installed in Vermont.

Siting of solar panels, whether they are in Miami or Vermont, is a critical matter for optimal solar collection and energy output. There needs to be space available for roof- or ground-mounted panels, and they should be oriented to the south. Of course, some homes have too many trees, are north-facing, or don’t have room for solar panels.

Community Solar Projects

Community solar projects, offered by several Vermont companies, allow any Vermonter to take advantage of the benefits of solar power without installing panels at his or her own residence or business. These community energy systems provide a space for home and business owners to purchase and install solar panels that will generate a credit on their electricity bill. Participants can decide on the number of panels they purchase, thereby offsetting a portion of or their entire electric bill.

Putney, VT, is home to the Putney Community Energy Solar Array, owned by Clean Energy Collective. It’s a 144 kW solar farm made up of 576 panels that provide solar electricity to 43 homes and businesses. One participant, Laurel Ellis, bought five panels to cover more than 90 percent of her home’s electricity use; the panels are projected to save her $60,000 over the 50-year life span of the solar farm.

Now, Ellis wishes she had bought twice the number and said in a recent testimony, “I look at this as an investment that makes more sense than a savings account for the long term.” She actually looks forward to getting her power bill and likes that she is getting “free” energy that doesn’t harm the earth.

Jessica Turner also bought into the Putney array with 12 panels to cover 120 percent of her home’s electricity use. She bought more than she needed so that she would be covered for future additions to her power needs, like purchasing an electric car.

Turner anticipates more than $90,000 in savings over the life of the array. It’s like paying less than $0.06 per kW of power, far less than current rates at Green Mountain Power. Turner likes that it is up to each participant to determine how many panels to purchase. She says she feels good about helping to make her community more environmentally friendly.

Ariel Nelson, of Brattleboro, bought 10 solar panels in a nearby community solar project owned by Soveren Solar. With a quarter-acre lot in town, she didn’t have room for the panels at her home, and she didn’t want them there, anyway. She’s not even sure where the panels are located, but she likes that. “If I wanted to go see them, I’m sure I could,” she says. “But I don’t have to maintain them or install or repair anything, and that’s really nice.”

Her panels cost her $1,000 each, but with a 30 percent rebate on her income taxes from the federal government, they ended up costing $7,000 for all 10. Soveren Solar offers financing through Green Mountain Federal Credit Union, so she pays a fixed monthly loan payment. Nelson is just settling into her new utility bill, and she says sometimes there is a credit owed to her and other times she owes nothing. Aside from her savings she says, “I like being part of clean energy.”

Sarah Galbraith is a freelance writer living in Marshfield, VT.