The electricity comes from solar photovoltaic panels
located on the roof of their home that provide 800 watts of electricity
that are emissions-free and generated by sunlight. The energy
can be used in their home or added to the statewide electrical
grid through an interconnection agreement with Blue
Ridge Electric Membership Corporation, the electric utility
that serves his home and some other 68,000 member-owners in northwest
North Carolina.
“Harvard and Mackie are our first members
to utilize our residential small generation interconnection rate
and we’re pleased NC GreenPower has approved them to be
a provider to the statewide renewable energy program,” said
Doug Johnson, chief executive officer of Blue Ridge Electric.
While Blue Ridge sets forth standards for interconnection to ensure
safety and power quality, NC GreenPower has full authority to
qualify and approve all suppliers to the NC GreenPower program.
The Ayers will receive payments from Blue Ridge
Electric for every kilowatt hour that is sold back to the utility.
He will also receive an additional premium from NC GreenPower
for each kWh generated. The NC GreenPower premium comes from individuals
and businesses across the state who voluntarily elect to make
tax-deductible contributions of $4 or more per month on their
utility bill to support renewable energy development in North
Carolina.
Blue Ridge Electric also participates in this program, allowing
members to add on contributions to their monthly bill by simply
signing up online or by calling or coming into their local office.
To date, 189 Blue Ridge Electric members have signed up for NC
GreenPower and a total of $17,088 in contributions from these
members has been sent by the cooperative to NC GreenPower to help
support the development of renewable energy. Together, the utility
and NC GreenPower payments will help the Ayers to offset the cost
of their system.
“Renewable technologies are often higher in
cost than traditional resources despite their cleaner attributes,”
said Bob Zickefoose, resource manager for NC GreenPower. “One
way we can help individuals interested in developing this technology
is by providing a per-kilowatt-hour premium to recover some of
their costs. Together, with the payment the supplier receives
from their utility, it can make a real difference.”
Zickefoose praised the efforts of the Ayers and Blue Ridge EMC
for their work in adding more renewable energy to the grid.
“These are pioneers in many respects. The work being done
by utilities like Blue Ridge Electric to enable new energy sources
to come on the grid and the willingness of individuals like Harvard
Ayers and Mackie Hagaman to take these important first steps will
help this industry to move forward in the years ahead.”
Putting Words Into Action
For Harvard Ayers, developing cleaner energy sources is part of
a lifelong commitment to educating students and others on the
relationship between community and the environment. As an anthropology
professor and environmental advocate, Ayers has spent a lifetime
studying the impacts of development and energy consumption on
natural resources and human society.
As part of that mission, Ayers founded Boone-based Appalachian
Voices, an advocacy group whose mission is to protect and restore
the ecological integrity, economic vitality, and cultural heritage
of the central and southern Appalachians. He also recently created
Arctic Voices, an organization working to address the impacts
of oil exploration issues in Alaska.
“Our nation is so invested in oil at present, that as interruptions
appear, it becomes clear that we have to head in other directions,”
said Ayers. He sees developing cleaner energy alternatives as
essential to preserving the environment and creating a more stable
energy economy. As an advocate of these things, Ayers is working
hard to be an example as well.
“It’s easier as a leader to be able to talk about
these things when trying to do them,” said Ayers.
A Model Home
In addition to the solar photovoltaic system providing electricity
to the house, the Ayers’ home also features both active
and passive solar heating and solar hot water heating. The features
were added to the house during its construction by Sundance Power
Systems, Inc., a Mars Hill-based solar technology provider for
both residential and commercial applications.
Additionally, lighting fixtures throughout the home take advantage
of energy saving compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs. And to
save energy on the road, Dr. Ayers was one of the first in Boone
to purchase a Toyota Prius hybrid-electric vehicle. But despite
these innovations, the professor underscores his real-world approach
to energy and the environment.
“I am just an average person wanting to show that someone
in a conventional house can do it," Ayers said.
While the cost of installing solar technologies can be prohibitive
for some homeowners, there are many ways to help lower the initial
investment. Adding energy saving technologies when a house is
under construction can minimize the time and cost involved in
installing them. And many lenders today now offer energy efficient
mortgages to help amortize upfront costs over the life of the
loan.
North Carolina also offers substantial tax credits for renewable
energy additions and energy saving installations. Coupled with
tax credits made available in the newly passed federal energy
bill, savings can help defray a significant portion of the investment
in these technologies. And homeowners who utilize solar photovoltaic
electricity may also be eligible to receive payments from their
electric utility and the NC GreenPower program for any electricity
that their installation adds to the state’s power supply.
Find out more about Blue Ridge EMC at www.blueridgeemc.com.
Information on tax incentives for solar technology installation
can be found through the NC Solar Center at www.ncsc.ncsu.edu.
