Tenney neighborhood association president goes solar

Monday, March 29, 2010

From an article in the newsletter of the Tenny Lapham Neighborhood Association:

Richard Linster and Patty Prime, 432 Sidney Street, have bounded into the future by converting their home into a minipower plant that uses the sun to produce clean renewal energy.

Richard wanted to be part of the alternative energy future. The first step was an appointment with Larry Walker, Madison’s “Solar Agent”. His services are provided free of charge through the MadiSUN Solar Energy Program. solar@ cityofmadison.com. Larry Walker evaluated their property to see if it was suitable for solar power collectors and determined that it was. Richard and Patty were on their way to “green”.

Maximum power production from solar collectors requires that the solar panels face the sun at an optimal orientation and that the view of the sun be unobstructed. The amount of power generated by the panels and an early payback time rely on this optimal orientation.

Having a site that works well, Richard and Patty chose to install a solar electric system known as a photovoltaic or PV system. This system produces electricity as opposed to other solar systems that produce heat, often for hot water. They installed 25 (PV) solar panels that will generate 5.8kW (kilowatts) of electricity.