Manitowoc Couple Go Solar Power

Manitowoc Couple Go Solar Power In Manitowoc, Wisconsin, Arnie and Shirley Kapitz have installed almost enough solar electric capacity to live grid-free.Kapitz, 81, used to work for Ft. Worth, Texas-based Entech Solar, formerly ENTECH, Inc. until its acquisition by WorldWater & Solar Technologies Corp. in January 2008. ENTECH designed and produced concentrating solar photovoltaic technology; WorldWater was an engineering services company that designed and installed solar projects. The new company, Entech, preserves the best of both worlds.The Kapitz solar installation, a ground-mounted array of 36 solar panels set on a platform tilted to about 32 degrees – the optimum angle for collecting solar irradiance both summer and winter at approximately 44 degrees latitude– delivers 7,200 watts of electricity.Each panel is about 40 inches wide and sixty inches long, and delivers 198 watts of electricity. The panels are constructed of a special glass that can withstand considerable impact, as from a hailstorm, for example, and are guaranteed for 25 years, though their expected useful lifespan is rated at 50 years. The electricity generated by the cells is measured on a separate meter and, because the system is grid-tied, goes directly into Manitowoc Public Utility’s power supply via the distribution line attached to Kapitz’ home.The system is still too new to determine the exact output, but Kapitz estimates it will supplant 66 percent of his home’s needs. The calculation is fairly accurate, given the fact that the average American home uses about 1,000 kilowatts a month, or 12,000 per year. Of course, the electricity generated also depends on factors like the solar panel’s efficiency rating, the amount of sunlight in any given year, and shading factors like trees. The one advantage of a ground-mounted array is that it allows easier snow removal, and snow is a large factor in Wisconsin’s weather, averaging 30 inches or more per season.The costs of the system, which have not yet been calculated, will be deferred by a federal tax rebate (under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009) and a cash rebate from Focus on Energy, a coalition of state government and private entities who promote solar, renewable energies, and energy efficiency upgrades by providing resources and financing.General costs for a solar panel installation like Kapitz’ run about $8 a watt, so the price – less incentives – is probably around $56,000 (a kilowatt is 1,000 watts). Kapitz estimates it will take between six and eight years for the system to pay for itself, in terms of electricity costs from Manitowoc Public Utilities. Green Bay-based Eland Electric Corp., a solar installer certified by the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners, installed the system.According to owner Rick Eland, regional interest in solar energy is rising steadily, with more inquiries in 2009 than the last three or four years put together – news that should lift some of the doom-and-gloom surrounding solar energy’s prospects in the face of the current recession.Though Kapitz’ system is grid-tied, and though most homeowners typically put in about half as many solar panels, the Kapitz household could – with advanced energy efficiency upgrades and some retrofitting – probably go off the grid if it had to. Studies show that the average 1,300-square foot home, if well insulated with energy-efficient windows and appliances (and a few concessions to energy conservation) can, even at 44 degrees latitude, function well on 700 kilowatts a month.As energy prices rise, and global warming becomes more of a concern, such measures may in fact become necessary, but the Kapitz household is well prepared for a Peak Oil (and Peak Coal), warming world.