Going Solar
August 12, 2008
Imagine, the electric company sends you a check every month for the power you generate.
While most of us are staring at soaring fuel and electric bills, Monica Merel of Maplewood is helping homeowners fight back. Her company, MGM Properties, is busy installing solar panels on the roofs of homes and businesses in northern New Jersey.
MGM just completed the rooftop solar panels on the new Meadowlands Science Center in Lyndhurst, at De Korte State Park. The Meadowlands Commission calls it a state of the art “green” school, with science and environmental education programs available to some 40,000 visitors each year.
Merel, one of a handful of licensed female electricians, takes the sun seriously. A gauge on her own front lawn calculates the exact amount of sunlight available, while a field of solar panels on her roof absorbs light and feeds her meter, sending the dial spinning backwards.
“It means that you are generating power when that goes backwards,” Merel says smiling. “We celebrate when that goes backwards.”
The field of solar panels and all the assorted hardware costs about $30,000 to install on a home. But roughly half the cost can be recovered through state rebates and tax credits. And since the excess solar energy collected is sold back to the utility company, your electric bills will shrink to next to nothing. Monica’s averages $3-$5 per month for her spacious center hall colonial.
This venture is not for those who prefer their home to blend into the character of the neighborhood; the cluster of solar panels re-defines your roofline. Your house will truly stand out. And everyone will know you are saving a bundle by going solar — helping to solve the energy crisis, each time that meter clicks backwards.
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