Schools, businesses and homeowners are tapping into solar power for greener energy and savings

(Editor's note: This is the first in an occasional series of stories about the environment and sustainability in Petaluma that the Argus-Courier will be running during the year.)

Hard to believe it's been 41 years since solar energy stopped being a pipe dream and became a reality. Today, solar systems are all around - and their popularity in Petaluma is on the upswing.

"Interest in solar has definitely picked up in Petaluma over the last year," says Heath Hutchison, field marketing specialist for REC Solar on McDowell Boulevard.

There are several reasons for solar's growth here.

"Because of the economy, the local solar market saw a drop of roughly 30 percent in 2009 to 248 kilowatts of residential installations permitted, but that more than doubled in 2010 to 521 kilowatts that were permitted. The growth can be also attributed to the fact that prices for energy from fossil fuels keep rising," Hutchison said.

In addition, more Petalumans are making energy-efficiency improvements to their homes since a City Council decision in September made it easier to take advantage of a countywide energy program.

The Sonoma County Energy Independence Program, a county initiative, encourages people to cut energy use by providing loans to install solar panels, insulation, or double-pane windows. The program, commonly known as SCEIP, lets people make improvements to their home immediately and pays back the cost on their property tax bill at 7 percent interest over five years.

But the solar energy movement is not limited to homes.

Kenilworth High School converted to solar a few years ago and this week, Casa Grande and Petaluma high schools will go live with new solar installations expected to save the district $200,000 in annual electrical costs by harnessing the power of the sun. The combined one-megawatt system will offset the school's electricity purchases by more than 60 percent per year.

Last November, Alvarado Street Bakery converted to one of the largest commercial solar systems in Petaluma (1,722 panels supplying 40 percent of its electrical needs from the sun). The company posts daily usage and other solar-related data on its website.

For instance, as of Tuesday, Alvarado's conversion to date had prevented 64,910 pounds of carbon dioxide, 92 pounds of nitrogen oxide and 233 pounds of sulfur dioxide from polluting the atmosphere.

Albert Straus of Straus Organic Family Creamery is leasing more than half of a 55,000-square-foot building on Industrial Avenue that was converted to solar by its previous tenant, soap manufacturer Avalon Organics. Straus has been gung ho on alternative energy for years.

"We've used methane power on our farm since 2004," says Straus, "and all our delivery trucks and all-terrain vehicles are electric. I drive an electric car. So when we were looking for a building for expansion, I definitely wanted a location where solar or some other alternative energy was used. We moved in about a year ago and it's worked out very well."

Straus' sustainability and communications manager Brie Johnson adds, "The 378 panels on our roof provide the equivalent of 106 kilowatts of AC electricity for the huge 1,200-square-foot freezer and 5,000-square-foot refrigerator in our warehouse. Our office electrical usage is next to nothing. Our electricity use for the year was around 94,000 kilowatt hours, which is low, because the refrigeration system, which uses most of the energy here, was not installed until July of 2010."

Currently, REC Solar's biggest customer is Infineon Raceway, which is adding 1,652 solar panels on five arrays around the property. However, Jay Hermon, the company's sales manager, says that the biggest local trend is residential solar energy.

"Solar is cheaper than buying power from PG&E," Hermon says. "For anyone billed over $150 a month, the investment in solar electricity is providing a better return than the stock market for anyone with a decent roof for solar panels. The net turnkey installation cost is typically between $14,000 and $22,000. There are also some excellent financing options that allow customers to switch to solar for free and immediately start saving." Hermon adds, "And there are still great rebates and incentives left."

The biggest factor in the cost of installating solar power is not necessarily the size of the home, but how much power is used in the home. Someone in a 900-square-foot home can easily use more electricity than someone in a 3,500-square-foot home - so the person in the smaller house would actually need a larger, and thus more expensive, system.

But for Patsy and Steve Parsons, roof-mounted solar panels were out of the question. Their west Petaluma ranch house is 109 years old.

"When we went solar in July 2010, we chose a ground-mount solar field because of the age of the house," says Patsy. "The panels are heavy. We got two previous bids and asked for a third to compare with the one from Smart Energy USA. Our final decision was based on price and products made in the USA."

"When we got our first bill, we were credited for the gas, the electric, everything. We had a minus bill," said Steve Parsons.

The couple found their kilowatt hours increased over the past two months, but Hermon explained why: "December and January are by far the worst months for solar production, so it's not uncommon to see this at all."

"Thanks for some good news," Patsy Parsons responds. "I hope we have lots of sunshine in the coming months."

(Contact Bob Canning at argus@arguscourier.com)