Mantecan converting new home into one big solar energy plant

source: Molly Dugan Modesto Bee 2002.8.19

MANTECA -- Lynn Wilkey doesn't mind the hot, sunny days of August that wilt most
valley residents.

In fact, he welcomes them.

That's because Wilkey will be the first Manteca resident to power his home entirely by
solar energy. This month, Sunlit Systems will begin installing 64 blue solar panels on his
rooftop that convert sunlight to electricity.

He looks forward to never having to pay a Pacific Gas & Electric Co. bill again.

"I don't see why anybody wouldn't want to do it," he said. "It's like free electricity for
life."

Solar energy isn't exactly free -- the 105-watt [5 kW?]photovoltaic system to power Wilkey's
2,600-square-foot house runs about $50,000 -- but it does cut out monthly electric costs.
Wilkey said his electric bills are typically between $175 and $250.

Under the "buy-down" program, the state pays up to 50 percent toward the cost of solar
panel installation for customers of investor-owned utilities, like PG&E and Southern California Edison. The total cost for Wilkey
will be about $25,000.

According to Tony Brasil, customer account supervisor for the state's renewable energy program, rising power prices and fears
of blackouts have encouraged more people to sign up for solar panels.

When the buy-down program started in 1998, there were about 30 to 50 applications per month. Last year, there were roughly 300
applications per month, most of them from residents.

"Some people are betting that utility rates will go up," Brasil said. "With (solar panels) you know what your electricity prices are
going to be."

Engineer Sunil Sinha founded Sunlit Systems, one of the 100 or so solar panel contractors approved by the state. He has noticed
the same surge in business, and credits it to more efficient solar panel technology and the state funding.

"Every week my phone gets busier," he said. "It's not only cost-effective, it's much better for the environment."

His company installs the 26-by-52-inch blue solar panels on the south and west sides of rooftops, and a small box in the garage
to convert the sunlight to electricity. Wilkey admits that the solar panels will make his new home stand out.

"I'm like a miniature power plant," he said.

Any extra energy that the solar panels produce during sunny weather will enter the power grid. Wilkey can use that power when
the sun does not shine.

If he uses more power than he produces over the course of a year, Wilkey will pay PG&E. But he doesn't expect that to happen.

He estimates the system will pay for itself within five years, and expects to save about $2,000 annually after that. The solar
panels typically last for 40 years.

Since Wilkey's wife runs a business out of the home -- she is a piano teacher -- he is eligible for a 15 percent federal tax rebate for
installing the solar panels. Businesses get similar tax benefits.

Wilkey admits that he was wooed more by the lower bills than environmental benefits.

"I'm not a hard-core environmentalist, but we should all be conservative in how we use our resources," Wilkey said. "If lots of
people did this, it solves a pollution problem, reducing the need to build power plants."

In 2001, the state approved $8 million for a similar solar panel buy-down program for residents who get power from publicly
owned utilities, including the Modesto and Turlock irrigation districts.

Bee staff writer Molly Dugan can be reached at 239-2152 or mdugan@modbee.com.