Opinion: Ditch fossil fuels, invest in solar

by Sherry Tolle

We have always wanted to wean ourselves away from dependency on oil-based energy. We experienced the OPEC oil embargo, saw environments contaminated, and watched as oil companies made billions of dollars in profits.

Forty years ago we investigated the possibility of a wind turbine, we studied the pros and cons of solar and considered the earliest electric cars. The technologies were in their infancy and the start up costs were more than we could bear. We revisited these ideas over and over throughout our married life. The technology was constantly improving but the costs remained prohibitive.

We began our shift away from fossil fuels by installing a pellet boiler and have now invested in solar. The solar company we chose, SunCommon, believes every Vermonter should be able to afford solar. We discussed putting a net-metered solar array on our barn roof. SunCommon offered low interest loans to cover the expense. We would save over our current electric costs but due to our age and income, it did not make sense financially for us. We instead decided to invest in a percentage of a net-metered Community Solar Array (CSA). SunCommon guarantees we will save 7% on our electric costs. Our CSA is located in Leicester. The great thing about a CSA is that you do not need to live near it, you only need to be a Green Mountain Power customer, to benefit from the solar credits.

We discovered we have a good area on our property to host a CSA. The array will serve about 25-30 homes. The project is in the permitting process and if all goes well the array should be operational by spring. We feel good about being able to assure that our friends and neighbors can take advantage of this affordable solar solution.

For forty five years we’ve hoped to reduce our carbon footprint, and we find it is never too late to make a change. We feel good about that and saving money feels good as well.

Sherry Tolle is a SunCommon Community Solar land host in Barnet, VT.