Mountain View-based SolFocus solar panels soak up rays on a sunny afternoon. The Solfocus corporation claims that its panels are twice as efficient as traditional silicon panels. Leading the company is Morgan Hill resident Mark Crowley.
Solar energy generation seems to be heating up in Morgan Hill, particularly as the city sets an ambitious environmentally friendly agenda for the future with its so-called carbon diet.
"More people are looking at all kinds of environmental initiatives in their lives," explained Tony Eulo, Morgan Hill's environmental program administrator. "We have some installations that are very noticeable."
Eulo does not believe the solar energy trend is limited to Morgan Hill. Even with the increased popularity of solar power, fewer than 1 percent of all Morgan Hill residents have installed the technology in their homes.
Since 1999 the city has issued permits for 74 solar roof panel installations and 25 smaller installations. Also, more local companies are emerging to provide installation and repair of solar energy generation equipment as well, according to local solar energy consultant Greg Sellers.
"It's starting to take off," Sellers said of the industry. He attributes this phenomenon to a number of factors including an abundance of new homes and a high rate of home ownership.
Significant financial incentives offered by the state and the federal government have also spurred many local residents and businesses to convert to solar energy. Through California's Solar Energy Initiative PG&E offers to reimburse residential customers $1.90 and commercial customers $1.55 per watt of solar power generation they install, according to Steve Reese of the San Jose-based solar energy company Suntek.
"You might be able to enjoy other things, but it (solar power installation) is the only remodel you can do on your house that's eventually going to pay you back," said Reese.
Though the federal government's incentive program is set to expire in January, new perks continue to appear for those willing to use solar. Eulo is finding inspiration in a "revolutionary" new incentive system proposed by the city of Berkeley that would allow homeowners to include the installation of solar energy systems as an assessment on their property tax bill. Eulo hopes something similar to Berkeley's initiative may someday take hold in Morgan Hill.
"We'll let Berkeley figure it out and blaze the trail so to speak, it's a complex issue," said Eulo. "We would want to work with other jurisdictions in the county."
Conversion to solar power comes with large environmental incentives as well. By converting to solar, a household with an electricity bill of $150 per month could reduce its carbon dioxide output by 426 pounds each month, according to calculations from the findsolar.com Web site and local environmental officials.
Though not directly related to the local surge in solar power, longtime Morgan Hill resident Mark Crowley has been appointed as president of the Mountain View-based SolFocus corporation in August.
SolFocus develops cutting edge solar energy generation technology for large scale commercial and industrial energy consumers and has created panels that it claims are twice as efficient as the average silicon cell. The panels utilize germanium-based compound semiconductors originally designed for space applications, and Solfocus claims that their system uses 1/1000 as much material as traditional solar panels. This results in higher energy production from a system that costs less.
"It's sort of a sexy product compared to the average solar panel you put on the roof," said Crowley.
The cooperation is transitioning from its research and development phase to a commercial distribution phase, and SolFocus hopes its highly efficient system may create large scale solar energy at a cost competitive with that of fossil fuels, Crowley added.
"In general, I think Morgan Hill has been aware. Most residents here want to do the right thing," Sellers summed up his views on the trend. "The potential is there. I think we're on the verge of having it realized."
Why Solar is Hot
A household with an electricity bill of $150 per month could reduce its carbon dioxide output by 426 pounds each month by converting to solar. Only 1 percent of homes in Morgan Hill have solar power. You can still be the first on your block to convert. Solar conversion is one of the few ways to get paid for remodeling your home. Through California's Solar Energy Initiative PG&E offers to reimburse residential customers $1.90 and commercial customers $1.55 per watt of solar power generation they install.
Justin Pittman
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