But in Port Townsend it's getting easier, thanks to a pair of Port Townsend High School alums, Steve Carr and Andy Cochrane.
They own Power Trip Energy and design and install photovoltaic (PV) systems, or solar power systems, as these are more commonly known.
Cochrane recalls that his biology teacher, Tedd Davis, piqued his interest in solar energy, but he did not pursue the interest. Instead, as young people do, he left town for college at Humboldt State University in California, where he studied marine biology. But Port Townsend had its hooks into him, and he returned a few years ago. As he looked around, he realized how much the town had developed, and although he didn't particularly like some of what he saw, he thought, "How an I going to live here without clenching my teeth all the time?"
By working with the community's growth instead of fighting it, Cochrane has found he is able to shape some of it into "a sensible path that I can live with."
That path led him down the alternative energy road, where he met up with his longtime friend Steve Carr, who had also followed a different path, spending nine years in Antarctica working for the National Science Foundation. It was on the ice cap that he was exposed to renewable energy (RE).
When Carr and Cochrane discovered their shared interest, "It made sense to organize the business around us," Carr said.
Power Trip Energy
Together they formed Power Trip Energy Corp. Cochrane is the up-front man, designing and selling the systems, and Carr, a qualified journeyman electrician, does the installations.
Power Trip Energy has found a niche that is part of a growing trend toward "green" energy. And to help fuel the growth, the utility companies and the State of Washington are providing incentives for both residential and commercial PV installations.
Nick Hill and Barbara Arnn last year moved into their new cottage on Umatilla Hill in Port Townsend. Their builders, Kimball and Landis, suggested they talk to Cochrane when they expressed an interest in a PV system.
"It is just the right thing to do," Hill affirmed. He feels people should "recognize the absurdity of using up all the fossil fuels." The 1,900-watt system "is working even better than we had hoped." With the current array of panels on his south-facing roof, Hill is considering adding another five panels to boost output.
Old thinking brings up visions of huge battery banks to store excess output. But new technology has changed all that. Now PV grid-tied systems can use the existing utility grid as a "virtual battery."
State incentives
Washington state enacted a law in 1998, and amended it in 2000, which allows utility customers with small-scale solar, wind and hydropower systems to send any excess electricity they generate back into the power grid. When a customer decides to take advantage of this, a special meter is installed that measures the amount of electricity that flows into the home from the utility and the amount that flows to the utility from the customer's renewable energy system.
The amount of power provided to the grid is subtracted from the amount used from the grid, and the customer is billed on this net amount, hence the term "net-metering." Especially in the Pacific Northwest, customers build credits in the summer during our long, sunny days for use during the darkest days of winter.
The state also provides an exemption from the sales and use tax on new small-scale RE systems. And last year, SB5101 and SB5111 were enacted to provide even more incentives for individuals and businesses to go solar. There are even more state and federal incentives and rebates available, and Cochrane is well versed in all of them. Hill laughed and commented, "Andy drives the train" when it comes to the forms and paperwork.
"The incentives are actually better for commercial use than residential," Cochrane said, but noted that the majority of systems Power Trip Energy has installed have been residential.
With so many myths surrounding RE, Cochrane knows it is going to take time to educate people, especially people in the building trades. He recognizes that people trust their architects and builders, but when the professionals they go to don't understand how PV systems work, they are not likely to recommend a renewable energy source for the project.
Eco Village
For the Port Townsend Eco Village off San Juan Avenue, the use of renewable resources is part of the definition of an Eco Village. Kees "Case" Kolff and his wife, Helen, brought in Power Trip Energy to install a PV system. Recently, with 25 people attending a two-week permaculture class, the fridges and freezers were running hard, but with the power from the PV array, the electric meter was barely moving, indicating that the majority of the power used was coming from the sun.
The control panel also indicated that by using PV, they were preventing vast quantities of CO2 from being expelled into the air from carbon-based power-generating plants.
Sarah and Owen Fairbank are familiar with alternative energy sources. Their little Renault 5 is a familiar sight as it runs around town, its jagged yellow lightening bolt on the side identifying it as an electric car. So when it came time to plan the power source for their home on the corner of Monroe and Lawrence in Port Townsend, there was no question that they would use PV. Sarah Fairbank reiterated what Nick Hill said, "It's just the right thing to do."
The Fairbanks are so convinced that they are looking into getting back-up wind power. "I'll look into it for you," Cochrane assured them recently.
Cochrane does caution prospective RE customers that it is not inexpensive to set up a system. And although the power costs per year will be minimal, it takes years to recover the costs of the installation.
"People shouldn't look at RE as a money saver," he said. But when people are looking to make a difference on the planet, it is getting easier and, he agrees, "It's just the right thing to do."
Solar Tour is Saturday
The Jefferson County Solar Tour is a free, 12-site event this Saturday, Oct. 7. Start by picking up information packets at Wildberry Farm at 2343 Thomas St. (off Hastings Avenue, west of Sheridan) - look for the Solar Tour signs.
Three of the sites are for drive-by visits only. The other sites have docents and are open for walk-through tours.
Eight of the solar energy projects are in Port Townsend, with one along Eaglemount Road, one near Lake Leland and one in East Quilcene.
For more information call Power Trip Energy Corp., 360-643-3080. Tour sites and addresses are:
• Wildberry Farm, Cochrane Family, 2343 Thomas St., Port Townsend
• Jonathan Clemens, 907 19th St., Port Townsend
• Davis residence, 627 Redwood St., Port Townsend
• Owen & Sarah Fairbank, 508 Lawrence St., Port Townsend (no docent, drive-by only)
• Annapurna Center for Self Healing, 538 Adams St., Port Townsend
• Steve & Cami Carr, 1015 55th St., Port Townsend
• Lee Doughty, 1108 11th St., Port Townsend (no docent, drive-by only)
• Nick Hill & Barbara Arnn, 776 Landis Lane, Port Townsend (no docent, drive-by only)
• Brenda Bole, 3441 Eaglemount Road
• Pacific Ecological Institute Solar Kiosk, 723 Leland Valley Road
• Benjamin Dow, 657 Wildwood Road, off Highway 101 in Quilcene
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