
{"id":1025,"date":"2007-10-04T06:29:02","date_gmt":"2007-10-04T14:29:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.carrborocitizen.com\/main\/2007\/10\/04\/renewable-energy-the-power-of-the-sun\/"},"modified":"2007-10-04T06:32:11","modified_gmt":"2007-10-04T14:32:11","slug":"renewable-energy-the-power-of-the-sun","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/2007\/10\/04\/renewable-energy-the-power-of-the-sun\/","title":{"rendered":"Renewable energy: the power of the sun"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\u00c2\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.carrborocitizen.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/10\/edwitkinsolar1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.carrborocitizen.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/10\/edwitkinsolar1.jpg\" height=\"195\" width=\"260\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong><em>By Jack Carley<\/em><br \/>\nStaff Writer<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Environmentally conscious Carrboro took one more step toward sustainability when Carrboro Solar Works installed a photovoltaic solar array at the Pacifica Cohousing development.<\/p>\n<p>The array, resting atop the development\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s shared Common House, generates about 5,000 watts of electricity monthly while batteries store power in the event of a blackout.<\/p>\n<p><!--more-->A grant from the North Carolina State Energy Office arranged by Pacifica architect Giles Blunden\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Carrboro Collaborative Development Association paid for the panels.<\/p>\n<p>The panels generate electricity that is measured by a second utility meter and then, through an arrangement with Duke Power and NC GreenPower, sold back to the grid for about $25 per month per kilowatt. The electricity generated by the panels charges batteries, then flows through the grid to where it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s needed.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Solar is \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcelegant\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Ed Witkin owns Carrboro Solar Works and has been in town since 2003.<br \/>\nHe teaches solar energy workshops and built a solar-powered water pump for the community garden at Martin Luther King Jr. Park. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the community projects I find most interesting,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Witkin started working with solar technology in 1989 in Atlanta. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I got into solar by playing music, creating solar-powered PA systems.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I was inspired by solar because it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s very reliable and elegant \u00e2\u20ac\u201c there are no moving parts and the sun is the fuel.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<p>He says people are often unaware of where their electricity originates. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think most people realize most of our electricity in this state comes from coal. And most of that coal comes from mountains that are being destroyed in West Virginia.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<p>Witkin says that while renewable energy is important, he believes efficiency is even more so. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Solar is like the icing on the cake,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153We all have to learn to be more efficient.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<p>Witkin explains that buying a $15,000 solar array saves less than one-hundredth the electricity that could be saved by swapping $15,000 worth of compact flourescent bulbs for normal bulbs.<\/p>\n<p>David DelVecchio has been working with Witkin for about a year. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153People are [installing solar] for environmental reasons,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he says. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153They want to do something, so they ask us, \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcWhat can I do?\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 And our answer, typically, is \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcGet more efficient.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Efficiency is something we can do right now.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<p>DelVecchio says that before solar energy can catch on, the state needs to help. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153We need to hound the state Legislature for better taxes. They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re not serious about it.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<br \/>\nIntentional community<\/p>\n<p>Pacifica is an intentional community, designed and built in the spirit of sustainability and cooperation. To this end, residents share management of the community and resources like the Common House.<\/p>\n<p>The cohousing community uses solar energy in more ways than one. Another set of panels is used to heat water, others operate to power pathway lights and the homes are designed with passive solar principles to harness sunlight efficiently.<\/p>\n<p>The community is relatively new. Most of the houses now have residents and within about three months everyone should be moved in.<\/p>\n<p>Mark Kolman, leader of the homeowners\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 association, was pleased with the new array. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153As a community, we are delighted to have this system,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he said.<\/p>\n<p>On a cool evening, Pacfica residents have assembled outside the Common House. Witkin gives a tour and explanation of the new equipment. Residents of the brightly colored houses listen closely and ask questions about the hefty panels on the rooftop.<\/p>\n<p>As they inspect the batteries, talk turns to eco-collapse documentary What A Way to Go: Life At The End of The Empire by Chatham County filmmakers Tim Bennett and Sally Erickson. Other environmental films are suggested for community movie night. From there, they touch on the possibility of grid failure.<\/p>\n<p>They ask how well the array and batteries could power the cluster of homes if the grid weren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t working. Witkin suggests they try turning off access to the grid and testing the system, but doubts the batteries could power the separate homes for very long.<\/p>\n<p>But with the addition of the photovoltaic panels Pacifica is one step closer to being self-sufficient. Just in case.<br \/>\n<em><br \/>\nSee <a href=\"http:\/\/www.carrborocitizen.com\/main\/2007\/10\/04\/land-table-brief-solar-tour\/\">\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Solar tour\u00e2\u20ac\u009d <\/a>for details on the Chatham and Orange County Solar and Green Homes Tour this Saturday.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u00c2\u00a0 By Jack Carley Staff Writer Environmentally conscious Carrboro took one more step toward sustainability when Carrboro Solar Works installed a photovoltaic solar array at the Pacifica Cohousing development. The array, resting atop the development\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s shared Common House, generates about 5,000 watts of electricity monthly while batteries store power in the event of a blackout.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1025","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-community"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1025","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1025"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1025\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1025"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1025"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1025"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}