Going Solar in Groton: Reducing Your Electricity Bill and Cutting Your Carbon Footprint
While solar panels are beginning to appear on rooftops around Groton they are hardly commonplace. If you are thinking about reducing your electricity bill, reducing your carbon footprint or are just curious about whether or not solar electricity is feasible in Groton, we decided to investigate the situation.
For this article we visited with Groton resident Matt Arner who owns the solar energy company SolarFlair Energy and has a solar installation on his home, and GELD Manager Kevin Kelly who, it turns out, also has a solar installation on his house and is in the process of installing a large commercial "solar farm" as part of the GELD electricity delivery system.
The most important factor in whether or not it is feasible to install solar panels on your house is your roof's exposure to the sun-a south facing roof with no surrounding trees to shade it is ideal. A south-facing roof provides the maximum exposure to the sun as it arcs from east to west during daylight hours. According to Matt, all solar providers will offer a free assessment service, which includes use of a device called a SunEye, that measures the amount of sun available on your home's roof, in addition to suggesting which trees or other obstructions to remove to maximize exposure to the sun. A minimum of four-five hours of sunlight exposure daily is required for a home solar installation to be economically feasible.
A typical home solar installation costs $20,000 for equipment and installation. Currently there are a number of incentives to help offset the cost of installing solar on your house. The Federal government provides a 30 percent tax credit against the total cost of installation. Massachusetts provides another 15 percent tax credit, but that is capped at $1000. Homeowners with solar also generate SREC's (Solar Renewable Energy Certificates) which are worth about $2500 per year.
The final financial incentive is purchase of the power produced with your solar panels by the local electric service provider. This is where Groton is less attractive than surrounding towns for homeowners hoping for a quick payback on their installation. In towns that are served by large commercial energy companies, the state requires that home solar users be paid the retail rate for the power they generate-essentially the electric meter runs backwards while they are putting energy into the grid.
GELD, as a municipal provider, is not required to participate in this state "net metering" program and will only pay home solar customers their minimum rate for generated power of approximately .04/kwh. GELD Commissioners believe that implementing such a program would place a burden on non-solar ratepayers to subsidize solar installations. As a consequence, this policy adds about two years to the time it takes for solar installations in Groton to pay off cost of installation with energy savings.
That said, GELD customers with solar panels will almost certainly see negative electricity bills. Matt showed me his negative GELD bill for December and I have to say that staring at the -$124.14 balance is surprisingly pleasing in its own right.
So the bottom line for Groton homeowners is that with the current government incentives, solar power is feasible for homeowners but the system will probably take five-seven years to break even. Positive environmental impact rather than quick payoff should be your primary goal.
For customers that don't have the extra $20,000 to spend on a solar installation, there are a number of loan and lease programs available wherein you make payments roughly equivalent to your no-longer-needed electricity bill until the system is paid off. A free solar evaluation by a company like SolarFlair will provide a complete financial picture of a potential setup including financing options.
If you are interested in reading further about this topic, we suggest starting with the State of Massachusetts' Clean Energy Center website at http://www.masscec.com/technology/solar-electricity
