This southwest activist is powered by the sun
Local resident wants to “solarize” the neighborhood with collective purchasing
Brian Olsen / The Southwest Community Connection
Ron McDowell stands next to his newly installed 4-kilowatt photovotaic solar system. The Arnold Creek resident wants to help solarize Southwest Portland.
ARNOLD CREEK – Twenty years ago, Ron McDowell (a.k.a. Mac) immersed himself in computer software when that was the coming thing. He just “cashed out” of that business and now is intrigued with solar power.
Solar was once a more noble pursuit than lucrative, but tax incentives and rebates are making the use of solar to help power the homes of Southwest Portland residents increasingly popular.
This new popularity makes it the perfect time for the bright and friendly former software project manager to reinvent himself and pursue sustainability consulting.
His stated goal is to “solarize” Southwest Portland neighborhoods. McDowell and other solar ambassadors are connecting local residents interested in solar through a project called Solarize Southwest Portland.
Solarize Southwest Portland is a grassroots initiative started by Southwest Portland residents who want to invest in solar electric systems for their homes. They help educate interested parties about solar, connect residents with Energy Trust of Oregon-approved, state “tax-credit certified” solar contractors that will perform free site assessments, and use collective purchasing to get bulk-priced discounts on solar panel installation.
“We had 20 people at our kick-off meeting, all local residents, and we’re just now getting the word out,” McDowell said.
Because of collective purchasing power, tax incentives, and rebates, McDowell feels the cost to solarize is lower than ever.
“Economies of scale are there,” he said. The pay back period for a two-kilowatt photovoltaic system can be four years depending on what percentage of annual electricity use it provides and “then you’ve got that free energy for the next 25 years after that.”
Solar tax incentives and rebates include: the State of Oregon’s $3-per-watt tax credit, up to $6,000 (taken over four years); the federal government’s 30 percent tax credit off the up-front cost after rebate (no cap); and the Energy Trust of Oregon’s solar installation rebate that can cut costs by thousands.
Participants are worried about the effects of coal power
The group's recent “arm-chair” discussion, or as McDowell also jokingly called it, a “Prius convention,” took place at his Southwest Portland home with his solar contractor.
The course of the discussion shifted from dollars and cents to the environment when McDowell’s solar contractor, John Patterson – who recently wrote the book, “Footprint: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Extinction” – pointed to the 2,000 tons of carbon dioxide a large coal plant produces in an hour.
Over 40 percent of Oregon’s power comes from coal-fired plants, according to the Sierra Club. For McDowell and many others, this is the purest motivation for solar.
Despite Portland’s notoriously rainy weather, it has “two-thirds as much usable solar energy as anywhere in the country,” Patterson added. Direct sunlight is six times more valuable, he acknowledged.
McDowell explained that the southwest exposure of his solar panels give him good sunlight throughout the year. On a recent typical Portland day, the sky was overcast and the 4-kilowatt photovoltaic system, just installed on his pool building, was generating 422 watts.
He estimates the system will satisfy all of his power needs and then some this summer. In a satisfied and pleased tone, he explained that the power he will be putting back on the grid will help power his neighbors’ homes.
But solar is not a one-size-fits-all system, McDowell cautioned. He recommends getting a solar site assessment to reveal the solar viability of a residence. Many contractors will do a free site assessment, which includes pointing out opportunities for energy-efficiency improvements.
For those who decide solar is a good option, he said: “On-grid systems should use a contractor for a lot of good reasons, and connecting something correctly to a roof is risky business. There is also balance of system components involved, and dealing with electricity is dangerous for the average Joe. Plus, to get the Energy Trust of Oregon (ETO) rebate, we are required to use an ETO professional trade ally.”
Solarize Southwest Portland will be holding four workshops at Southwest neighborhood schools in March and April and is setting a deadline of May 15 to sign up for collective purchasing. They will be putting out for bids from local solar contractors and a decision on a contractor will be announced March 24 at the Energy Trust of Oregon’s “Better Living Show” at the Portland Expo Center.
More information:
For more on this program or to sign up, visit www.solarizesouthwestportland.org.