MADISON, WI - A new store on Madison's Far East Side is pinning its hopes on renewable energy as it opens its doors this weekend. Just inside those doors at Off the Grid are comfortable chairs aimed at enticing people to plop down with brochures, books, magazines and the Internet as they ponder energy choices. "If you want to come and sit and read, that's great," said founding partner Richard Fitzgerald. "I'm hoping there will be some interesting conversations."
A little farther into the store, visitors will find a large section of roof displaying photovoltaic panels that convert sunlight into electricity. The store is selling the solar electricity systems, which consist of the panels, inverters and mounting equipment, starting at prices of $18,000 for a 1.5-kilowatt system and $21,000 for a 2-kilowatt system, including installation by Town and Country Electric, Sun Prairie.
Opening just as gasoline prices hit record highs and as Madison touts a $200,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to encourage solar power, Fitzgerald thinks the time is right for his new business. Already, 85 customers of Madison Gas & Electric Co. are operating privately owned solar electric systems, the utility said. Statewide, 330 residential and commercial solar electric systems have been installed, according to Focus on Energy, a partnership of organizations focused on energy efficiency and renewable energy projects.
MGE allows customers who invest in solar electric systems at their homes and businesses to sell their solar energy to the utility through its Green Power Tomorrow program. From Fire Station No. 7 on McKenna Boulevard to the Goodman Pool to every high school in its service area, MGE is running solar projects to study their performance and demonstrate them to the public.
The city program, dubbed MadiSUN, hopes to encourage more businesses and homeowners to turn to the sun for electricity and heat. Off the Grid also will sell solar hot-water systems, dual-flush water-saving toilets, tankless water heaters, solar-powered attic fans, back packs and radios. Classes will be offered on topics related to renewable energy and sustainable living.
"My primary goal is to start to create awareness about renewable energies and how available they really are and how well they work," Fitzgerald said. "I don't want to preach to anybody. What I want to do is make people aware of what's going on in the world." Fitzgerald and his business partner, Robert Boardman, also own the Rosati's Pizza restaurant on Commercial Avenue.
After a long career in the pizza restaurant business, Fitzgerald, 48, was looking for something new when he paged through a catalogue for Madison Area Technical College last year and enrolled in an introductory course on photovoltaic systems. Since then, he's taken more courses and become an alternate energy enthusiast who zips to work from his nearby home in an electric vehicle that he plugs in at night. He's not a car dealer, but a salesman from Green Autos in Janesville will demonstrate low-speed electric commuter cars Saturday.
There are at least four Dane County companies that sell, install and maintain solar power systems, and another 20 businesses statewide, but Fitzgerald believes he's the first to open a retail store for renewable energy systems. "I don't want to be Best Buy," he said. "I want more education involved, but I'm approaching it as a retail business. A lot of people want to use renewable energy. They just really don't know how."
Information is available on the Internet and in publications "but there's no one-stop place where you can go" to see a solar system set up and gather information on permits and financial incentives, Fitzgerald said. He'll help customers connect with Focus o
Source: RedOrbit.com