Peterson/Stewart Home

Owners: Jeff Peterson & Nancy Stewart

Location: 750 Round Lake Rd., Luck, WI 54853

Phone: 715-472-2728

Email: peterson [at] lakeland.ws

Installer: Legacy Solar

Installed: April, 2009

Components: 8 Sharp 187-watt PV modules, Fronius inverter

This grid-tied photovoltaic system is rated at 1.5 kW, though output has at times surpassed that level. The array is fixed in orientation at 10 degrees west of true south to provide optimum output during times of peak system load. Angle from horizontal is adjustable to account for seasonal variations in the sun's position in the sky. Owners make those adjustments themselves four times a year.

Maximum daily output is 10 kW hours -- greater than homeowners' normal consumption. Polk-Burnett Electric Cooperative (PBEC) provides net metering, so excess production is compensated at the retail rate. Expectation is for this system to provide about 40% of electric needs over the course of a year. Electric bills, formerly $70-$80 per month, have been reduced by $20-$25 per month.

Total installed system cost was approximately $15,000. A 20% incentive from PBEC and anticipated federal tax credits of 30% effectively cut that cost in half. Still, payback at current electric rates is 20+ years. This will, of course, be shortened any time electric rates increase.

Photo: Mounting pole set in rebar-reinforced concrete capable of withstanding 100 m.p.h. winds.

Photo: Installer Kris Schmid attaching ground wires.

Photo: Lightning arresters, inverter, circuit breaker inside garage.

Photo: Display shows current production in watts per hour.

Photo: New meter under old measures outgoing kilowatts. Monthly credit from PBEC is based on difference between top reading (incoming) and bottom reading.

Photo: Manual disconnect on garage exterior provides redundancy to protect line workers.

Photo: Installation crew: Dan Perkins, Kris Schmid, Dave Jacoby. More photos of installation process are available here.

Photo: Visitors always welcome!

Osceola Middle School

Owner: School District of Osceola

Location: 330 Middle School Dr., Osceola, WI 54020

Contact: Bob Schmidt, Buildings & Grounds Director

Email: schmidtb [at] osceola.k12.wi.us

Phone: 715-294-4140

Designer: Energy Concepts, Hudson, WI

Installer: Steiner Plumbing & Heating, River Falls, WI

Components: 32 - 4' X 10' SolarSkies collectors; drain-down system

Installed: August, 2008

The following article appeared in the Winter 2009 issue of The Renewable Quarterly, a publication of RENEW Wisconsin, a nonprofit advocacy group based in Madison, WI:

Solar-Heated Pools Pass the Test at Osceola Middle School

by Michael Vickerman

If you're wondering whether a solar hot water system can also be an effective teaching tool for students and community residents alike, look no further than the Osceola Middle School.

Since it went on-line in August 2008, Osceola's solar installation has been doing double duty, quietly heating three indoor pools -- a community spa, a wading area, and a competition pool -- and the building's domestic water while demonstrating to schoolchildren how renewable energy can be captured and put to productive use.

For school leaders, the project was as much about educating Osceola residents young and old as it was an investment in lower operating costs.

Photo: Members of Polk County's Renewable Energy Committee meet with Osceola school officials.

"This is about being a leader in our community," says Bob Schmidt, who heads the maintenance operations at the middle school. "If we want to walk the talk with young people, we need to be out in front and show the way to the future. There is a lot of teaching potential in having solar panels on the roof."

"We have to prepare our students for a renewable energy future, because that's where the jobs of tomorrow will be found," adds Schmidt.

Photo: This real-time display is accessible by students as they monitor the system's performance.

Perched above the school entrance, the solar arrays are impossible to miss. As they walk into the school, the students are reminded that their school is harvesting the sun's radiant energy every day.

While in science class, students can track how much heat the system can capture and deliver on a sunny day and compare that to its output on an overcast day. The sophisticated monitoring system archives time and temperature data in 15-minute intervals, allowing future science classes to draw comparisons with real-time data. Indeed, if ever a solar energy system came with its own lesson plan, this is the one.

Photo: Bob Schmidt (third from left) explains the the mechanics of the system.

For the school district, the installation's educational value is equaled by its estimated impact on its bottom line. With the aid of a $46,000 award from Focus on Energy, Osceola's $170,000 investment in solar energy should be fully recouped in 10 years. From that point onward, the installation will begin saving taxpayer money while helping sustain a highly valued recreational activity for the 2,700 residents in this northwestern Wisconsin village, especially during the long winters.

Each year Osceola's solar thermal system should offset the consumption of 3,612 therms of natural gas that would otherwise heat the 200,000 gallons of pool water inside the building.

Schmidt and other officials from the school researched projects at schools around Wisconsin before deciding on a proposal by a renewable energy engineering firm, Energy Concepts (ECI) in nearby Hudson. ECI's Craig Tarr, a licensed Professional Engineer, has been working in building and facility engineering for two decades. He is now using this background to merge renewable energy into specialized solar and wind applications for large-scale public and commercial buildings.

Photo: This thermal pool blanket saves energy, water, and reduces the need for chemicals previously lost to evaporation.

Of the many features that Tarr custom-designed for this installation, he is proudest of the controls package that allows each of the pools to be solar-heated at different temperatures. The system is configured to allow the solar heated fluid to transfer heat, in series, to the pool that needs the most heat.

An investment like this usually prompts customers to think of new ways to reduce fossil fuel use. District officials are weighing a more ambitious renewable energy initiative that will involve the other four buildings in Osceola's educational campus. Whatever direction the school district settles on, it can count on Focus on Energy to provide it with technical, financial and project facilitation support.

GREATMATS.COM

Owner: David Butler, GREATMATS.COM
Location: 117 Industrial Ave., Milltown, WI 54858
Phone: 715-825-4926
Email: info [at] greatmats.com
Contractor: Kris Schmid, Legacy Solar, Frederic, WI
Installed: 2007-2008

GREATMATS.COM sells custom floor coverings for industrial, athletic, commercial and residential applications from its warehouse in Milltown's industrial park. In the fall of 2007, owner David Butler contracted with Kris Schmid to install two photovoltaic (PV) solar arrays along the south side of his property. A year later he added a second pair, easily making this the largest PV installation currently existing in Polk County.


The installed cost of the complete system came to about $118,000, of which 25% was returned as a cash grant from Focus on Energy. Federal business tax credits reduced the price by another 25%, and an accelerated depreciation schedule made the project even more affordable.


Owner David Butler (blue shirt at left) talks about his system with a tour group. With an output rating of 11 kW, his four PV units provide 135% of his business's annual electrical needs; the excess is sold back to Northwestern Electric under a program called net metering--basically the meter runs backward when he's producing more power than he's consuming. His first check from the power company is in a frame on Butler's office wall.


These PV arrays are equipped with gears and motors that allow the panels to remain oriented toward the sun throughout the day and across the seasons. Called a dual axis tracking system, this feature significantly boosts power output.


Butler tells visitors that he didn't invest in his solar panels for the payback, which he calculates at about 11 years at current electricity prices (and figuring in the various incentives). "If you believe, like I do, that we need to move away from coal and nuclear power for the good of the planet, then I think we each have a responsibility to help make that change happen in whatever way we can," says Butler.


Installer Kris Schmid of Legacy Solar explains the controls and monitoring devices.

Schmid / Allen Home

Owners: Kris Schmid & Colleen Allen
Location: 864 Clam Falls Trail, Frederic, WI 54837
Phone: 715-653-4308
Email: kris.schmid [at] centurytel.net
Contractor: Owner
Year Built: 2003

When I asked Kris when his house was built, he said "Well, we started in 2003!" Like many owner-builders, Kris and Colleen still have some "finishing touches" to add to their super-insulated home near Clam Falls. One major project left to be done is an active solar heating system that will warm an insulated bed of sand under the basement floor, in turn providing radiant heat to the living space throughout the winter. The sand bed and tubing are already in place.


This 32-foot square home comprises a total of about 1500 square feet of living space on the first floor and second floor loft. Kris & Colleen utilized what's called "strap wall" construction for tighter and better insulated exterior walls. Fewer windows on the north and west sides reduces heat loss and cold air infiltration.


This massive concrete block, brick-faced wood heating system is the central feature of the home's interior. Beneath the brick is a contorted system of channels through which hot gases must pass -- and give up much of their heat -- before exiting the chimney. (There's a bypass lever for direct venting when starting a fire.) The hardware is from the Canadian Heat Kit company.


With some passive solar assistance, Kris & Colleen get through most winter days with one firing of the stove. The fire is allowed to burn with maximum oxygen to minimize creosote and transfer as much heat as possible to the masonry. Once the fire has died down, dampers are closed and the heat is retained. They use about three cords of firewood in a typical winter -- a number that should be reduced significantly when the active solar system is in place.


The back side of the fireplace contains a brick oven which functions best as a slow cooker, though it can get hot enough for bread and even pizza.


Kris & Colleen own a solar business, Legacy Solar, so of course they have a photovoltaic array in the backyard. This eight-panel system provides about 100 square feet of collector area, producing a monthly average of about 125 kilowatt hours -- just about all they need. They are members of Polk-Burnett Electric Cooperative, which has a net metering policy in place; any production beyond Kris & Colleen's immediate needs is sold back to Polk-Burnett, effectively running the meter backwards.


Here Kris is explaining the tracking function of his PV system; a set of gears and motors periodically adjusts the pitch and orientation of the array to keep it facing directly at the sun throughout the day. With rebates and incentives factored in, such a system would cost roughly $13,000 installed according to Kris.


Kris & Colleen's home was a stop on the Polk County Solar Home Tour last October. Here Kris explains the inverter box and metering system to an interested participant. All grid-tied systems must be equipped with safety features that prevent home-generated power being sent to the grid when it's down.

Tuynman Wind System

Owner: Tony & Karen Tuynman

Location: 2386 - 120th St., Luck, WI 54853

Phone: 715-472-2083

Contractor: Owner

Installed: 2003

This wind installation, at 199' total height (200' being the level at which the FAA requires lighting), is well above the tree line and very visible to anyone driving south of U.S. Hwy. 48 on Co. Rd. GG. When I first visited the Tuynmans, they had two systems in operation; they have since sold the smaller one, a 10 kW Jacobs on a 120' tower. (If I can track down the new owner I'll include a blog entry on that one, too.)

Tony picked up the red-and-white former communications tower from a salvage yard in South Dakota. The 20 kW Jacobs wind charger that sits on top also came used and in need of refurbishing. Doing all the work himself saved them a bundle; the Tuynmans estimate that if they'd purchase everything new and paid someone to install it, they'd have spent $60,000. Their actual investment was closer to $11,000. They realize additional savings because Tony has done all the maintenance himself -- greasing fittings every spring and fall and changing gearbox oil every other year. He says the height doesn't bother him!


















Polk-Burnett Electric Cooperative is the Tuynman's other electricity provider, paying retail prices ("net metering") for any wind-generated electricity beyond the homeowners' needs. Tony related to a recent tour group that he did have to pay for the expense of a larger transformer when he first installed his wind system. The Jacobs is cranking out between 600 and 1800 kilowatt hours per month, with the average being around 1000.


















The Tuynmans have been very gracious and welcoming with groups wanting to get an up-close look at their wind system.

Leef / Norlander Home

Owners: Linda Leef & Wayne Norlander
Location: 2357 - 210th St., Luck, WI 54853
Phone: 715-825-6610

Email: linda_leef [at] msn.com

General Contractor: Mark Morgan, Bearpaw Construction, Strum, WI
Solar Contractor: Kris Schmid, Legacy Solar, Frederic, WI
Year Built: 2006

Linda and Wayne opened their home to participants in last fall's Solar Home Tour. What follows is the text of a handout they provided to their visitors.

Thank you for visiting our home. We have tried to incorporate as many alternative and green concepts into our home as we could while maintaining its integrity as our functional home and while staying within our budget. These items include:

Solar hot water heat: The solar panels on the east side of our home provide most of our space heat and also most of our domestic hot water. Our home is raised on a sand bed with the tubes from the solar hot water heater at the base. The hot water provided by the solar panels heats the entire sand bed providing a heat storage system and heating our floors. This is backed up by an on-demand gas water heater with pipes just below the floor. When there is demand for hot water, the water from the hot water storage tank (which has been heated by the solar panels) flows through the on-demand gas hot water heater. If it is not up to temperature, the on-demand heater heats it up to temperature.















Photo: A small photovoltaic array provides DC power to the circulating pump.

Passive solar design: While a passive solar design calls for all of the rooms to open to south sunlight, we modified the design so that most of our living space (all the most used rooms) receives south sunlight. The house has three foot overhangs. This shades the interior during the hot months when the sun is high in the sky. In the cooler and cold months when the sun is further south in the sky, the sun shines in through the windows, warming the interior floors and air. We have tried to keep obstructions out of the way so that the sun can shine in onto the dark colored floors.














Photo: Note where sunlight hits floor in October; by December it will reach much further into the room.

Thick walls: Our exterior walls are 12" thick with eight inches of cellulose insulation, ship lap siding and concrete board exterior siding. The interior walls are insulated from the exterior sheeting to prevent heat transference. The cellulose insulation was blown in damp so that it would stick to the walls, preventing the slumping that can occur over time with cellulose.















Photo: A "sun tube" brings natural light into a back hallway.

Environmentally friendly materials: As many materials as possible were purchased from sources that were regional and/or environmentally friendly in their manufacturing processes. We tried to use recycled materials whenever possible. We tried to be careful that all materials within the home contained no urea-formaldehyde or other chemicals which would off-gas into our indoor air. This included paints, floor and cabinet finishes and door and cabinet construction materials.

High efficiency appliances: We purchased a high efficiency gas on-demand water heater (domestic hot water and space heat backup to solar hot water) and all appliances are as high efficiency as possible. We use compact fluorescent bulbs wherever possible.














Photo: Gas powered on-demand water heater (grey box on right) provides domestic hot water and back-up in-floor heat when needed.

High efficiency windows and doors and entry rooms: All doors and windows are high efficiency. The windows are all from Andersen as are the patio doors. We have designed the house so that the most frequently used doors enter into a space which can be closed off from the rest of the house to prevent cold drafts from entering the house when someone enters.

Multi-purposing: We tried to make most of the space in the house not just usable but USED, with most spaces serving multiple purposes. This allowed us to keep our square feet down without losing function.














Photo: Red tubes go to sand bed; black tubes to just beneath the floor.