Every hour, the sun beams more than enough energy to satisfy global energy needs for an entire year. Photovoltaic cells, or solar panels, are a renewable energy strategy to capture a slice of the sun, one increasingly feasible and popular. In 2010 alone, according to the Minnesota Commerce Department, Minnesotans installed 248 new solar systems, tripling the previous year’s total, fostered by clean energy subsidies, lower photovoltaic prices and general sustainability interest.
These new solar installations add to those already in place in the Edina Countryside neighborhood: Flora Delaney of Bernard Place and Midge and John Holahan of Birchcrest Drive installed solar systems in 2009.
“We try to live comfortably and of course save money, but our prime motivation is in being environmentally friendly,” explains Midge. Harnessing solar energy was a logical next step for both households, culminating endeavors to lessen their ecological footprint.
Both the Delaney and Holahan residences date from the mid 1950s, (and boast that era’s building standards). Over time, the households opted to improve insulation and retrofit windows, among other efforts.
Residing in her house since 1999, Delaney, for instance, quadrupled attic insulation and purchased programmable thermostats and low-flow bath fixtures to reduce energy and water usage. The Holahans, at their home for over three decades, have installed energy efficient lighting and appliances, reducing electric costs by $20 a month alone. New mechanical systems including heating and cooling have also saved energy.
The Home Energy Squad, an Xcel/CenterPoint service that partners with consumers to reduce energy consumption, was one resource both Delaney and the Holahans utilized. They reached farther afield for solar options, however. Delaney’s online research led her to Northern Tool + Equipment, which offered a wide assortment of wind and solar energy devices commonly employed on outbuildings and cabins. Since she planned to power her 80-square-foot backyard office, a small rooftop panel was a feasible option. The Holahan’s more extensive system, installed by Solarflow Energy, helps power their residence proper.
Delaney’s rooftop array provides over three-quarters of the office’s energy needs. A deep-cycle marine battery stores electricity, with power drawn though an inverter as required. Complementing the outbuilding office, which headquarters her retail consultancy, is a sustainable landscape. Two vegetable gardens include one with a cold frame, a “passive mini-greenhouse” as described by Flora, where she can “harden off seedlings and get the benefit of early spring sun.” Her home-built compost bin helps to freshen her gardens’ soil.
Flora does not see her “conservation approach, for both energy savings and to be frugal,” as a sacrifice. In fact, a water garden completes the landscape and adds delight to her daily “commute” through her backyard.
In contrast to Delaney’s unit, the Holahan’s solar system rests on their house roof and is wed to the electric grid. Powering approximately a quarter of household electric needs (and Midge’s at home accounting and tax practice office), it actually feeds Xcel when harvesting excess energy.
The Holahan’s interest in sustainability was inspired by their utility-free cabin on a remote Canadian island outside of International Falls. There, they heat with wood, propane powers some appliances, and wind and solar energy is harnessed. Splitting time between their cabin off the grid and their more conventional Edina home, Midge says, “We have always believed that preserving the environment is the right thing to do.” Their hybrid car and their Edina home efforts manifest these beliefs.
Midge marvels that as spring turns to summer, “As the days get longer we can produce half of what we consume in a month.” She adds, “If every home in Edina did this, imagine what we could save!”
Get Solar Powered
Today, some 60 years after photovoltaic technology was developed, solar systems are readily available everywhere from big box outlets to local energy management companies. Here are a few area resources to get you started:
Home Depot 400 W. 79th St., Bloomington; 952.881.7020
Menards 7701 Nicollet Ave., Richfield; 612.798.0508
Northern Tool + Equipment 12205 River Ridge Blvd., Burnsville; 952.894.0326
Solarflow Energy 2740 31st Ave. S., Minneapolis; 612.605.5228
Xcel’s Home Energy Squad 866.222.4595
