TO PV OR NOT TO PV

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It was a perfect arrangement, but it still required a bit of planning . As an uncle of mine used to say, "Don't jump off a diving board wearing a bikini." That is, be pre pared for the unexpected.

Utility companies make their money one very simple way: by generating energy and then selling it to customers. Why in the world would they want to buy it from me? Wouldn't I be a competitor?

Yet lo and behold, within a few weeks, Ed had a completed form direct from Holy Cross Electric giving their blessing, so to speak, to our planned event. Without waiting another second, we provided the initial deposit and set a construction date.

Being a school, SEI saved us a great deal of money by using our house as a class project. Of course, the thought of a first-year college student poking large holes in my roof came immediately to mind, but Ed and his staff quickly put those fears to rest.

"Our school is comprised of top-notch individuals from all over the world who have one common goal: to learn about and spread the knowledge of solar energy around the planet. Our students range from an 18-year-old science nerd already in his third year of college to a 63-year-old retired electrical engineer interested in bringing solar capabilities to decaying areas of Africa."

To top it off, these "students" were paying hefty fees for the privilege of learning the advantages of solar energy and how to apply them to the real world. These ladies and gentlemen were the real thing - goodhearted souls with a burning desire to help change the world.

Two weeks later, 21 students prepared to spend the next three days turning our simple shingled roof into a 3,000-watt lethal, but legal, power plant.

Day one was full of prep work. Dozens of large holes were drilled in the roof. Seemingly miles of wires were channeled down through well-placed tubing, all culminating at a predetermined location in the corner of our garage.

Day two was reserved for the crane truck, which took up all of our driveway and half of the street just to get stabilized. Hoisting eight $2,500 panels 75 feet in the air on a windy day was not an easy sight for the weak (or thrifty) to see, but this was a commitment we had made as a family. Damage from falling debris or unbalanced cranes was something for insurance companies to worry about, not us.

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