Solar Panels in the North Country

The advantages and disadvantages of solar energy in the North Country

Story and photos by Jarrett Borrie

Green energy alternatives have increased significantly over the past two decades in the United States and the North Country, appealing to both consumers and commercial interests throughout the area.

Solar energy first appeared on the scene during the Industrial Revolution. During that time, the solar energy that was harnessed was a different form than what we know of today. The energy was harnessed and turned it into steam to power machines in factories.

That form of solar energy has since given way to a new form of solar energy called photovoltaic processes, which uses transistors and semiconductors, to store and release power to homes and businesses.

North Country businesses and residents over the past five years have come to acknowledge its significance as an innovative form of energy in the area. Triangle Electric is an example which has seen the potential use that solar energy can play. They have even started installing solar panels in the area, about five and a half years ago.

According to Tom Hollingsworth, who works for Triangle Electric, in the past few years many people in the area have had questions regarding solar energy because of rising fuel costs and uncertainty in the economy.

One of the biggest questions that many wonder is how efficient these solar panel systems are in the North Country when compared to other parts of the country.

Currently there is a program funded by the Municipal Electric Utilities Associations working in connection with the town of Rouses Point, New York to see how efficient solar energy is in the North Country.

According to George Rivers, the mayor of Rouses Point, the program is intended to provide statistical information on how changes in temperatures and the amount of daylight hours relates to the efficiency of the solar panels.

In the North Country, due to the winter and fall months, the amount of light that solar panels receive is about four and a third actual daylight hours per day, when compared to southwestern states such as Arizona which average six daylight hours per day.

"Production is less, because we don’t have as many light hours," Hollingsworth says.

This doesn’t mean that a person can’t power their entire home on solar energy in the North Country. It means that they will have to buy a system that fits the needs of their home depending on the average wattage that their home uses, according to Hollingsworth.

"An average house uses about 6,000-7,000 kilowatt hours a year."

This roughly translates to an average cost of about fifty thousand dollars to install a solar panel system that could handle up to seven thousand kilowatt hours a year. To help with the costs associated with a setup this large, the state and government both have rebate programs, depending on the cost of the system, with a cap of $5,000 from the State of New York and a cap of $2,000 from the government.

The costs associated with this setup means that it would take about ten to twelve years before somebody would actually see a monetary return after buying this system, which tends to be a turn-off for some in the area who are looking to buy solar panels for their homes.

"The average person can’t wait that long, so to speak," Hollingsworth says.

On the other hand, there is a sunnier side to owning solar panels in a home in the North Country.

"Your not dependent on the power company," Bokus says.

According to Matt Bokus, solar panels basically keep him independent from the electric company the entire year, except for the main winter months between November and February, when home heating and fuel costs are at their peak in the North Country.

"There is no maintenance on the panels themselves.  On a quarterly basis you have to add water to the batteries, and clean off the terminals."

To Bokus, solar energy is a very simple and maintenance free way, of being somewhat independent from the control of the electric company. There is one drawback to powering a house entirely on solar energy, according to Bokus.

"You have to be conservative to some extent.  Anything you run simultaneously with a high wattage is of some concern."

Solar energy indeed has come a long way from its initial introduction one hundred years ago and like all things, have its pros and cons.  The biggest problem for most people in the North Country though, is the cost, and until prices drop significantly, costs will outweigh the actual efficiency of solar panel units.

Do you think solar panel technology is expensive at the present moment?