Solar panel installers set a shining example
By Joann Groff joann@theacorn.com

BILL SPARKES/Acorn Newspapers ENERGY SAVER- Peter Dach of Calabasas displays the solar panels recently installed on the roof of his house. The panels cover 400 square feet and cost Dach about $44,500. He estimates his utility bill has been reduced by 90 percent.The panels generated about 7,800 kilowatt hours of power in their first three weeks.

Peter Dach stands atop his home in Calabasas, flanked by his pride and joy: two arrays- or about 400 square feet- - of solar panels. He looks down at the proliferation of red tile roofs below him in the Westridge and Calabasas Park communities.

"I think they should all have them," Dach said of his home's slabs of energy, reminiscent of rectangular slabs of black bathroom tile. "I can't believe that every house built nowadays isn't built with them."

Dach is among many local homeowners giving Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger some help with his pledge to put solar systems on 1 million roofs by 2017. More and more, people are making the switch in an effort to conserve Earth's energy as well as their own bank accounts.

When Dach first eyed his future home on Park Granada in Calabasas two years ago, the solar project crept into the back of his mind.

"I thought about it right away," Dach said. "I didn't buy the house because of it, but I looked at it and knew that it was a great house to go solar in. I always imagined having some solar impact, but it wasn't until I stood on the roof and saw the arc of the sun- I knew."

Dach, along with many other residents of the Conejo Valley, has made the choice to go solar. And as demand grows, so does the supply.

Germany-based SolarWorld AG became one of the three largest makers of solar panels in the world when it acquired a Camarillo facility from Shell Solar last July. The seven-building complex that makes up the North American division of SolarWorld AG is now the largest manufacturer of solar panels in the U.S.

SolarMarkt, one of largest solar wholesalers in Germany, recently set up shop in Northern California, offering solar products to the growing West Coast market.

Solar peer pressure

"America is on the verge of a solar power boom just like the one Germany had five years ago," said SolarMarkt U.S. CEO Elmar Niewerth. "Within one year, solar business exploded. It became a social issue if you didn't have a solar roof, and it will be the same here soon."

According to Niewerth, employment in the solar power field grew 6 percent in California in 2005.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Mike Lieberthal recently outfitted his Westlake Village home with solar panels, chiefly for financial reasons.

"Mostly, it was the money," Lieberthal said. "My bill is less and I like to keep my pool heated year-round, which makes my bill pretty high. It also increased the value of the house."

The installation process took about a month, Lieberthal said.

"They had to put panels the size of our clubhouse on a hill behind my house and run pipes to the house and the pool," he said. "It cost about $300,000. The state paid for about a quarter of it."

Indeed, Schwarzenegger's Million Solar Roofs Plan promises to turn solar technology into an affordable energy source for the average Californian within the next 10 years, earmarking $2 billion in incentives for residential customers and business owners.

Schwarzenegger signed the bill last August.

"When I ran for governor, I vowed to make the environment the centerpiece of my administration and turn back the clock on pollution," Schwarzenegger said. "My Million Solar Roofs Plan will provide 3,000 megawatts of additional clean energy and reduce the output of greenhouse gases by 3 million tons, which is like taking 1 million cars off the road."

Lieberthal said that going solar may not be so easy for everyone.

"It all depends; because I have a big house and property, my expenses are higher than the average home," Lieberthal said. "For the average home, it would take a lot longer to get their money back."

Dach said he should make back all the money he shelled out, about $40,000 after almost $15,000 in government rebates, in about seven years. And just one month after the panel installation, which took about two weeks, he has seen a major difference in his utility bill.

"I just got my first bill in the mail," Dach said. "It was 10 percent of what it was the month before. I know it's not summer, and I'm not running the air conditioning, but 10 percent. In a perfect world, I'd like to get to zero. I'd like to 'get off the grid' as they call it."

Dach, who lives with his wife, son and black Labrador, said his 12-year-old thinks the panels are "cool."

"He says my job is being a utility, " Dach said. "It's cool- I actually signed a paper that said I was a utility because I'm actually generating energy."

That's an excitement Dach said he wished could be shared by all.

"I don't want to get into a political diatribe here," Dach said, "but whether global warming is produced by (man or society) or a cyclical, natural thing, wouldn't it be amazing to stop it, to power every house with this?"

A part of the solution

The Southern California Edison Co. offers many services for homeowners who want to become involved in solar generation.

"We support the state's program because it provides additional power for a rapidly growing area," said SCE spokesperson Gil Alexander. "Power is green, it's renewable. And the solar initiative provides homeowners a way to feel they are a part of helping the state reach its greenhousegas reduction goals, which are the most aggressive in the nation.

"For many of us," he said, "to read news stories about environmental issues raises concerns, and then we wonder, 'what can I do?' One of the reasons we are doing all we can to help homeowners participate is because it's an answer to that question."

According to Alexander, the average cost for solarpanel installation is $2,500 per kilowatt of generating capacity, and the average installation is eight to 10 kilowatts. The average installation cost is about $25,000, less the $7,500 incentive. There is also a federal tax credit of another $2,000.

Priced by demand

After accepting the incentive, however, customers switch to a special rate. Whatever electricity the rooftop system doesn't generate is billed based on the rates Edison pays.

For example, nonsolar customers pay the same rate for electricity no matter what time of day or year it's used. But after accepting solar incentives, users are charged rates that vary based on peak and lowuse hours.

"As a part of providing you with that cash, there's a new rate for electricity," Alexander said. "It's priced by demand, priced the way we pay for it."

That economic aspect of the switch is related to early problems that occurred when customers installed solar panels but they weren't maintained, didn't work, or didn't generate much power because of placement.

Dach certainly doesn't fall in that category, although due to neighbors' concerns he was able to install only about twothirds of the number of panels he wanted. He keeps an eye on his electric meter daily, and even wakes up at dawn to see what energy the sun's early rays provide.

Earlier this week, he noticed the panels weren't working one day, and immediately called his contractor. Although the glitch was worked out, it was a sad afternoon for Dach.

"It's sunny and there isn't one cloud in the sky," Dach said, disappointed. "I wanted to watch the meter run backwards."

For more information, visit www.sce.com/rebatesandsavings/ californiasolarinitiative.