Colo. Springs Utilities rebate helps Old Town Bike Shop go solar

The bike shop parking lot was the second choice for siting the solar array, but made little difference in system performance. (Photo by Gary Hoffmann)

Taking his cue from the bicycles he sells, John Crandall of the Old Town Bike Shop in Colorado Springs, Colo., uses very little fossil fuel to run his business.

The bike shop, which gets 70 percent of its power from wind, recently became the first business to take advantage of Colorado Springs Utilities' solar incentive. "Our goal is to get our electricity from 100-percent renewable energy," the owner explained of the solar array in his shop's parking lot.

Long-time renewables advocate

That has been Crandall's dream ever since Jimmy Carter put PV panels on the White House. It took years, however, to make the project a reality. "The prices were prohibitive, and through the '80s and '90s, utilities weren't interested in promoting renewable energy," he said.

Like many who strongly believe in the potential of renewable energy, Crandall knew that would change someday. He continued to get involved locally in environmental issues, and became better acquainted with his city's power provider. While participating in Springs Utilities' resource planning process, Crandall learned about the Springs' customer rebate program.

In 2006, Springs Utilities created the solar rebate of $3.75 per AC watt for business and residential customers. With that incentive in place, the time was right for the Old Town Bike Shop to take the solar plunge.

Logistical obstacles to overcome

Some of the more concrete aspects of the project didn't fall into place easily. As a pioneer, Crandall had to work through the local permitting process. "Businesses may have to get more permits than residences," said Deb Mathis, who now manages the Springs Utilities Renewable Energy Rebate program. "That's especially the case for businesses like the bike shop located in historic districts."

The building did, indeed, pose a siting problem. Although the roof's unobstructed exposure made it the perfect place to mount panels, its age did not. True to its name, the building is almost a century old, and the steel trusses supporting the roof were fragile. Also, Crandall had put in a new roof with upgraded insulation in 2004, "So we wanted to keep the penetration to a minimum," he said.

Engineer Scott Harvey of Art of Engineering originally advocated for placing the array on the roof, said Crandall. "Then, after several months, he was the one who finally squelched the idea. He just couldn't guarantee the strength of the trusses," he recalled.

Different site costly but workable

Plan B—putting the array in the shop's parking lot—came with its own set of challenges. The panels were to be mounted on a big wing supported by three I-beams. Drilling holes to set the I-beam, the auger struck cement just below the asphalt pavement. The crew dug out the cement and resumed drilling, only to have one hole hit a cement wall. "It was like an archaeological dig," recalled Crandall. "That day alone added $1,100 to project costs."

The change of location turned out to have little effect on the system's operation. "The lowest edge of the array is 12 feet high—it would have been 14 feet on the roof," Crandall pointed out. "There's one tree that shades some of the panels this time of year, but that's not a big problem."

On the positive side, he added, the parking lot array is much more visible to the public. "Hopefully, it will get people thinking and asking questions about PV."

Up and generating

Concrete barriers and antique building materials notwithstanding, the ground-mounted, 4.2-kilowatt array began generating power in November 2007. The first full month, it provided 28 percent of Old Town Bike Shop's electrical requirements. "Our goal was 30 to 35 percent, so we are close to that," said Crandall. "Our peak output has reached 4.6 kW, but it averages between 3.5 and 3.6."

Photovoltaic panels perform best in cold, clear weather typical of Colorado Springs winter days, Crandall noted. "But it will be interesting to see what the output is around the equinox when we get the most direct sunlight, and the shop's demand is the lowest."

Old Town Bike Shop's electrical requirements don't change much throughout the year. Instead of air conditioning, two big fans provide cooling in the summer. Efficient electric and gas radiant heaters warm the shop in the winter, so lighting represents most of the shop's demand.

Project opens doors for others

Crandall, who has an engineering degree, said he learned a great deal about solar power from Jeff Scott of Sol Source, a solar design and installation consultant. The team that installed Old Town's array included Sol Source; Art of Engineering; Jim Fladlund, a general contractor and bike shop customer; and Nick Ordahl, who installed the I-beam structure that supports the array.

Springs Utilities installed two meters on the array—an automated meter to measure the system's cumulative output and an analogue unit for net metering. "If the system produces more electricity than needed, the customer can watch the meter spin backward," said Mathis.

Both business and residential customers sign an interconnection agreement giving Springs Utilities the renewable energy credits for the system.

The project was a learning process for Crandall and his construction team, as well as Springs Utilities. "OldTown Bike Shop really paved the way with all the players," said Mathis. "We now have three more, fairly large commercial customers wanting to install solar. One is considering a 30-kW system."

Renewables are long-term investment

Crandall enjoyed the experience of working with a committed team, noting that everyone involved gave up a little profit to get the array built. He admits that it will be a while before he sees a return on his investment, even with incentives. That shouldn't deter businesses from installing solar systems, however. "The cost of energy may dip, but it never really drops," said Crandall. "At today's utility rates, the return on a solar system is going to be around 5 percent. That's a very safe investment, even without figuring in the likelihood that energy prices will rise."

Mathis agrees that solar power can be a solid, long-term investment for businesses, and offers this advice. "Meet with a licensed contractor first to make sure the project is feasible—from a code standpoint as well as construction," said the program manager. "Then get at least a couple of estimates before choosing an installer."

Businesses have different—usually greater—electricity needs than homes, so they may require more equipment, too, she added. "For example, a commercial facility may have a three-phase system, requiring multiple inverters,." Mathis said.

Don't neglect energy efficiency

Homes and businesses may have different electricity needs, but both types of consumers can use energy-efficiency measures to make the most of any resource. In addition to improving the old building's roof insulation, Crandall retrofitted the work area with high-efficiency radiant heaters and T-8 fluorescent lights. "That was 11 years ago, before Springs Utilities started offering rebates on efficient lighting. I've given them a hard time about that," he joked.

Rebate or not, the measures have paid off: The highest monthly utility bill Crandall has received is $610. "That's pretty good for a 100-year-old, 6,000-sq.ft. building with no wall insulation," he said.

That's a good utility bill, and an even better example to the Colorado Springs business community.

Resources

Old Town Bike Shop

Colorado Springs Utilities Green Power program

Colorado Springs Utilities

Colorado Springs Utilities solar rebate

Art of Engineering

Sol Source

People

John Crandall

Deb Mathis

Related articles

Energy Services Bulletin, October 2004:
Issues management involves Colorado Springs ratepayers in resource planning

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