Rating:

0.0 (0 votes)

It's a busy week for Butte's National Center for Appropriate Technology as they prepare for the Montana Renewable Energy Fair, but that doesn't stop them from giving people interested in alternative energy a preview of what they can expect.

Today, members of NCAT took a small group on a tour of a house that features solar panels on the roof that work together with the local power grid to reduce the property's electricity use. The home owner explained how the solar panels supplied power to the house and how the process for financing and installing the system on other properties could be done.

"Right now on average we are putting anywhere from 650 to 700 kilowatt hours per month." said Gary Wyss, homeowner of the property,
"It'll vary seasonally. But you can see the plot goes up and down, up and down. Probably a day like today where the sun's out and you get maximum output but then it goes behind the clouds too and it drops off quickly."

Wyss says that even with Federal grants helping, it'll still take 20 years for the system to pay for itself, but that it's more about reducing carbon footprint then saving money.

Tomorrow's Renewable Energy Fair will open at 9am at NCAT's location on Continental Avenue. Admission is free, and entertainment, workshops, and kid's activities are all provided.