County tracking growing use of solar power
PANAMA CITY — Converting sunlight into electricity is not a new technology, but its increasing use in Bay County has prompted a change in how the county permits the solar energy systems.
The county builders services office added categories for alternative energy supply systems this month, setting aside unique permits required to install systems that use sunlight to create electricity, also known as photovoltaic (PV) systems.County officials caution this is no change to the permitting process. Permits are required for all energy systems, and PV systems had been lumped in with regular electric systems. The new permits cost the same as the old ones ($15 base fee, with $50 charged for the first $1,000 in value, and $8 for each additional $1,000), according to Building Official Mike Geralds, but they give the county a way to track the new systems.
“It just helps us know what it is, and track how many of them there are,” Geralds said. “Since we’ve seen these systems now on this scale, and more of them, I wanted to delineate it.”
Geralds estimated there are three or four of the systems in the county, but wanted to get the new permit established before they became more prominent. there are hundreds of solar water heaters, Geralds said, but they are less complex than the larger energy systems and do not require a new permit category.
The county commission approved the new alternate energy category Feb. 2, after Geralds reassured them they were not adding a new fee, or increasing a current one.
“It makes sense,” said Commissioner bill Dozier. “We’re just trying to create a tracking system. … I wasn’t interested in charging more fees.”
Brian Kehl is a former general contractor who decided to turn to green energy as a new line of work last year. Working as an independent contractor for SunWorks Solar, a Jacksonville-based company, Kehl installs solar water heaters, pool heaters and energy systems.
Water heaters are still more popular now, Kehl says, because they’re the most cost-effective. Solar-electric systems, the photovoltaic panels that collect sunlight from rooftops and generate power, usually provide about one-third of a home’s energy needs, but can cost $35,000 or more.
Kehl recently installed a system on a new gymnasium at Tyndall Air Force Base that cost more than $200,000. Without federal or state rebates, however, Kehl said similar systems can take more than 20 years to pay for themselves in energy-bill savings.
A solar water heater can bring back its worth in savings in a few years, according to Kehl, who says they can cut a power bill by 30 percent while costing about $5,000.
While the energy systems might be a bit pricey now, Kehl believes advances in the near future could drop the cost.
“In our area, unless there’s some kind of incentive, it’s going to be hard for people to afford to go green,” he said. “The technology is going so fast, though, I think we’re at a point where, over the next five years, we’re going to be seeing some new stuff come out.”
County tracking growing use of solar power
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Tags: alternative energy supply, county officials, energy supply systems, new technology, panama city, sunlight
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