Do-it-yourself solar

Do-it-yourself (DIY) solar systems are starting to pop up across northeast Pennsylvania, after a series of free public forums hosted by the non-profit group Sustainable Energy Education and Development Support (SEEDS). SEEDS held a series of three workshops in April 2013, plus another session over two evenings in June this year. More than 40 people attended each session to learn how to self-install a solar photovoltaic (PV) system on their homes. For decades, solar PV has been easiest way to generate your own electricity, supplementing the utility-supplied electricity and greatly reducing your home’s electric bills. But over the past six years the prices for PV panels have dropped nearly 80%, so solar is now affordable for many more people. And for those who are comfortable using wire-strippers and driving lag-bolts, while also climbing on a roof, it’s even more affordable by doing the installation yourself.

This year’s workshop was taught by Blair Buselli of Shekinah Solar and Buselli Plumbing Heating & Electric of Beach Lake, PA, a nationally certified solar installer and electrician licensed in both NY and PA. Blair actually got into the solar business after attending a professional solar installer training class hosted by SEEDS back in 2008. Since then he and the family business have installed over 30 systems, both solar hot water and PV, across our region. This year’s DIY workshop covered all the basics of a residential PV installation, using the newer micro-inverter technology that simplifies compliance with electrical safety and building codes and therefore is much easier for the DIYer. The workshops covered topics such as safety issues, design and permitting, applying for interconnection with the utility, attachment methods for various roof types, installing the inverters, bonding and grounding, installing the panels, making the connections at the circuit-breaker box, commissioning the system, and then ongoing monitoring and maintenance. Buselli showed several videos recorded during an actual PV installation, as well as a training segment of an asphalt roof to demonstrate many of these concepts to the audience.

During this year’s session, there was also a brief segment on the economics of solar energy and how to calculate the rate of return if you are considering an investment in a PV system. New York residents are eligible for state renewable energy incentives that can pay for nearly a third of the cost, but require a certified and licensed installer. Therefore Sullivan and Orange county residents usually find it makes better sense (and cents) to hire a professional installer instead of DIY. Since the Pennsylvania Sunshine program is unfunded this year, there are no state incentives currently available for PA homeowners. However, PA and New York residents and businesses can benefit from a federal income tax credit of up to 30% for the cost of renewable energy systems (but not DIY labor), currently available through December 2016.

According to SEEDS Executive Director Jocelyn Cramer, as a result of the SEEDS forums held so far, at least four orders have been placed for solar installation kits, which include all the hardware needed for a basic 14-panel PV system. Buselli charged around $8,000 for this year’s kit, which, when properly installed on an unshaded, south-facing roof or other structure, should generate approximately 3500 kilowatt-hours or more of electricity annually for the homeowner.

SEEDS members Kathy Dodge and Pete Snyder of Lake Ariel, PA placed their order for a DIY kit last year and completed their installation earlier this summer. Snyder estimated it took him and his helpers about 60 hours to install the system on the metal roof of their studio. The steep roof and his choice to orient the panels in landscape (long-side horizontal) meant it was a more complicated installation than many. Each site and installation will be different, with various layouts and challenges. In addition, townships will have different permitting and inspection requirements. And the utilities may have differing requirements for approving the system, but all will require an electrical inspection, at minimum.

After the installation was finished and commissioned, Dodge said, “It’s exciting to see the electric meter counting backwards, knowing that’s money we won’t have to pay to the utility.” NY and PA, like most states, require their utilities to provide “net-metering” for small electricity producers such as residential PV systems. Net-metering means when the sun is shining and electricity is produced by the PV panels (measured in kilowatt-hours or kWhr) that the home can’t use right then, the utility will take the excess, sell it to the neighbors, and provide the PV owner with a credit for each kWhr. Then at night or on cloudy days, the PV owner can use those kWhr credits to get electricity from the grid without having to pay for them. This eliminates the need for expensive, heavy, toxic and high maintenance batteries or electricity storage for most PV systems.

PV system owners also get the comfort of knowing most or all of their electricity is being cleanly produced without the environmental damage, pollution and carbon emissions from the mining, drilling and burning of fossil fuels, or the concerns of nuclear power. There are no moving parts in solar PV systems and the components are often warranteed for up to 25 years. Many systems installed in the 1970s are still producing electricity for their owners. So while the payback period for a professionally installed PV system can be 15 or more years, the system will most likely be producing power for decades and protecting its owners from rising electricity prices far into the future.

Cramer said, “SEEDS is all about sustainable energy, but the least costly kWhrs are the ones never used. So energy conservation is always our first recommendation to homeowners and businesses.” Several other SEEDS forums this past year have been about building high-performance homes, heating systems, and how best to weatherize buildings to save as much energy as possible. This year SEEDS received a grant from the John and Helen Villaume Foundation to purchase a solar hot water system for installation on a Habitat for Humanity home in Wayne County. Since there was no new Habitat construction project this year, SEEDS volunteers visited several current residents of past Habitat homes and selected the best solar site. The Busellis donated their labor for the installation, and the sun will be fueling up to 50-80% of the hot water used in the home over the coming years.

To learn more, visit the SEEDS website at seedsgroup.net/ or call 570-245-1256.