Alternative Energy Workshop

I attended the Alternative Energy Workshop hosted by the Wicomico Environmental Trust on April 24, 20010. Present were representatives from Delmarva Power, a company that installs wind turbines, two solar photovoltaic system companies and a representative from an engineering firm.

The laws have changed and now utility companies are required to allow residential and commercial entities to have “Net Metering.” Net metering is where excess power generated by wind or solar at a commercial or residential site is credited to the consumers account. It does require permission from the utility and compliance with building and installation codes. The credits are limited to a one year period so it is important to properly size the system. The key point is that this means that you don’t have to buy batteries to store the energy which results in a much lower cost system.

The other important point to note is that there are currently several tax credits and other credits to promote the building of alternate energy systems. These credits are described at http://www.dsireusa.org/.

The notes that I took indicate that a typical residential solar photovoltaic system would cost about $30,000 with a payback period of about 5 years. Solar Cells are currently warranted for 25 years and the other key component, inverters, for about 10 to 15 years. Solar cells cost about $2 per watt.

Wind turbines need to be at least 50 feet above the nearby obstructions and have a payback period of 9 to 12 years with the incentives or 40 years without incentives. I heard that a typical wind turbine system will cost in the neighborhood of $60,000. There are still several zoning issues to keep in mind. Most areas require the height of the highest blade plus 10 feet setback from the property line. Wicomico County is in the final phase of their zoning requirements. This does not address any restrictions that may be a part of the Home Owners Association requirements.

The other possible way to reduce utility costs is to use geothermal heat pumps. The credits also apply to these systems. The engineer making the presentation noted that with the credits a geothermal heat pump can be installed for about the same cost as an ordinary heat pump. A geothermal system will use about ½ the energy of an ordinary heat pump. There are also attachments which allow the system to heat water at a much lower costs than conventional hot water heaters.

The other interesting note is that Delmarva Power considers itself as a transmission company and an electrical provider of last resort. Sometime in the next year, homeowners may be able to contract with power generators instead of having Delmarva Power buy it for them. It may be possible for groups to band together and get better rates. I haven’t researched how this applies to Choptank.

Terry Potterton