Solar: A first-hand experience

As this is my first year at Oxy, I am really pleased to have chosen to attend a college with such an impressive group of students, staff, and faculty dedicated to preserving our earth’s resources and thinking so progressively. One specific project that I am especially impressed and excited about is the pending installation of the solar array. It is also one that I feel I have a personal connection with, for my family’s home is completely outfitted with solar.

In January 2001 there was a program between Sacramento Municipal Utility District and the City of Davis, which allowed for the installation. Fortunately, we also had the right type of roof, and our house was east facing. The State of California was also providing a $3 per watt subsidy, and the system cost $6 per watt, so basically a 50% discount. We put in a two-kilo watt system that took two weeks to install. It provides direct current electricity, so it powers everything on our energy bill.

Before the system was put in, we spent $700 a year on the energy bill, but this past year our bill was -27 dollars. We finished paying off the system one year ago, so now we have completely free electrons! All of the extra energy we produce is put back into the grid, for the whole community to use. Added benefits of the panels, is the ability to use it for science projects, watching the meter run backwards, and learning about alternative energy in general. Our system is in northern California so I can only imagine how much a system in Los Angeles would produce, with this constant sun.

I am very interested in what the subsidies are now for local families that want to put solar on their roof, both through the city and state, because the subsidies 9 years ago were pretty impressive. Even with state's help, the prices of getting a system on roofs has increased as well. If we were to put in an identical system today, it would cost three times the amount.

I hope that the school’s funding issue can be dealt with in some way, because I know that the payoff will most definitely be huge, in addition with all of its added benefits, and serving as a signature to the college. This is all very exciting.

Another issue that I wanted to touch on is the accessibility of recycling bins. I believe that wherever there is a trashcan, there absolutely must be a recycling bin next to it. The majority of the time when someone throws a recyclable away it is due to laziness. But by making a commitment that the bins will always be next to each other, we can increase the chances that that lazy student does not make the mistake.