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Solar can pay dividends but requires investment
BY BLACKWELL THOMAS, The Southern
Friday, May 22, 2009 5:51 PM CDT
CARBONDALE — When much of Carbondale was in darkness after the May 8 wind storm, Hugh Muldoon’s Elm Street home was aglow in electric light.
Inside, Muldoon and his wife, Judy, had full use of his appliances and light bulbs. While utility crews worked day and night to restore power to the city, Muldoon was doing his part by letting friends and neighbors charge up their laptops and cellular phones at his place. He also sent an extension cord to his next door neighbor’s home for their use.
Muldoon’s enviable situation was not the result of good fortune but rather significant investment. And the black solar panels that line his rooftop are where he chose to invest for a number for reasons, including the possibility of prolonged power outages.
Muldoon’s photovoltaic solar cell system can capture up to 6.5 kilowatts (6,500 watts) of electricity a day — a fluorescent light bulb uses about 20 watts per hour. That capacity means he has enough electricity to last about two days or more depending on how much he chooses to conserve. And, if the sun is shining, his supply stays full.
“I started thinking about it in the early 70’s,” he said. “We kept thinking about it and the opportunity came up so we decided let’s do it.”
During the winter, when sunlight is at a premium, Muldoon said he is forced to go back on the grid and draw power from a utility provider.
Muldoon’s system was installed by Pomona-based Advanced Energy Solutions three years ago and he said the hardware and installation cost him about $21,000.
So far, he says the system has been well worth the investment.
“Typically we get 45 to 65 percent of our electricity needs from it,” he said. “But we didn’t do it for the money. We think it’s an environmental purpose, demonstration purposes and to do our little bit for the earth. It’s deeply satisfying knowing we aren’t polluting.”
Muldoon is also using geothermal technology to cool his house and power his clothes dryer during the winter so he’s not completely independent for his electricity needs.
“Those are still on the grid but right now we aren’t using either of them,” he said. “That (being dependent on a utility provider for the dryer and air conditioning) is a drawback of the geothermal. We’ll try to get that fixed one of these years.”
