“We generate far more than we are using,” Jeanne McDowell said. “The money we earn pays for our electricity, fees, charges and taxes, and some of our gas usage. This summer, we have earned a two-month credit and will apply that toward future bills.”

The McDowells are among three households and one business in Fond du Lac currently generating solar power, said Alliant Associate Product Manager in Renewables Tracy Vail. It’s a small but growing group, Vail said.

A bi-directional digital meter installed in the McDowells’ laundry room clocks the electricity produced, as well as the amount the McDowells use. An inverter mounted in the same location hooks into the main fuse box and changes the current from direct (DC) to alternating (AC) for use in the home.

Nearby, the McDowells keep a daily log of their energy creation. By mid-July, they had saved 55,000 pounds of CO2 and logged more than 3,300 kilowatt hours since the panels went live. For comparison, a watt is the gauge of how much energy an appliance burns in one hour, and a compact fluorescent bulb burns 12-14 watts in an hour.

“Eleven a.m. is the best time” for energy generation, John McDowell noted. “And a cool, sunny day creates more electricity than a hot, sunny day when the UV is blocked.”

Environmental conservatives

Their life experiences and current living situation influenced the McDowells’ decision to install the solar panels. Together, the couple has lived and worked abroad as teachers for a number of years in Germany and Japan, where solar panels may be compulsory in all new construction by 2030, according to a May report in the Nikkei business daily.

“We’ve lived in countries where energy is more expensive,” Jeanne noted. “And, we’ve always had an environmental conscience.”