Home of Liz and Joe Rowland in Owego.
Home of Stacy and Bo Robinson in Apalachin.
Home of Ben and Linda Frisbie in Apalachin.
Home of Frank and Meredith Bocek in Apalachin.
This past Saturday, April 18, was a beautiful day for the Owego-Apalachin Solar Tour, part of Southern Tier Solar Work’s (STSW) effort to educate the public on where solar energy stands today and provide the opportunity to join a ten-week program aimed to minimize the cost for all.
Four families generously offered to share with the community how their solar systems work, the clean energy they produce, the cost savings they create, and other details of their experiences thus far. Visitors were treated to the surprise of witnessing an operating wind turbine.
Liz and Joe Rowland have a 3.2 kilowatt (kW) solar electric system and a 10 kW wind turbine. These two systems provide power for their home and electric car, as well as Joe’s honey business. They use their electric car for honey deliveries and commuting 30 miles to work.
While the Rowlands have had their solar panels installed a decade ago, the other three homes on the tour, owned by the Robinson, Frisbie and Bocek families, solarized their homes just last year. All are happy with their systems and excited to share what they have learned with others in their communities. Rick Gridley, a Vestal resident and visitor on the tour, said, “I am most impressed with the amount of CO2 reduced [by going solar].” Cost savings was big on all of the visitors’ minds and free solar electricity within just a few years was appealing.
STSW’s 2014 pilot program in Broome and Tioga Counties installed 386 kWs of solar photovoltaic, surpassing its goal and thereby enabling customers to get the lowest price on their installations. This year’s campaign, called Solarize Southern Tier East, continues to include Broome and Tioga while adding Delaware, Otsego, and Chenango Counties. STSW has contracted four companies to complete installations: ETM and Taitem, which have joined together for this project, Renovus, and Direct Energy Solar.
Community meetings to educate the public on solar energy will continue until early June, at which time the campaign will end and installations will begin. For more information, go to the STSW website at www.southerntiersolarworks.org where a list of events and other details can be found, or call Program Manager Adam Flint at (607) 873-9220.
