Last November, the Massachusetts Audubon Society installed a set of solar panels on the grounds of the Oak Knoll Wildlife Sanctuary here in Attleboro, as part of the organization’s push to reduce its carbon footprint and make all of its properties “clean and green.”

On Saturday, Oak Knoll’s director, Tara Henrichon, unveiled the panels to the public at its first Solar Open House.  More than 30 guests dropped by to check out the two massive photovoltaic (PV) panels, which were perched about eight feet off the ground on concrete posts in the garden behind the Nature Center at 1417 Park St.

Henrichon said the PV panels are already generating enough electricity to cover a good portion of the Nature Center’s requirements. "And over the course of a year, we expect the panels to offset an estimated 90-95 percent of our energy usage," she added. 

As for saving on that electric bill, Henrichon said she anticipates saving all of the usual $850 they would typically spend annually.  Of course, they still have a payment for the panels themselves, but over the long term, she said, "we anticipate additional cost savings."

Corey Bullock, a representative from groSolar, the company that installed the panels, led a technical discussion and answered questions about the benefits of installing such a system.

Bullock said Oak Knoll’s PV system could produce 4 kilowatts of electricity a day in bright sunny conditions, which are more than enough to meet the needs of the Nature Center.  When it’s very sunny, any excess power produced goes back to the grid and Oak Knoll gets a credit on its electric bill.  That comes in handy on dark winter days when less energy is produced, and more is needed from the grid.

As a homeowner myself, I was curious about the cost of installing such a system.  Bullock said homeowners could install a basic PV system for as low as $15,000.  Then, federal and state rebates, as well as the Solar Renewable Energy Credit (SREC) program—which lets you sell excess power back to the grid— can potentially bring that price down by half. Bullock says there are also payment plans that make the solar investment feasible for the average homeowner. 

That prompted a question: what if I decide to sell my house after I make this investment?  “You can transfer the payment plan to the new owner, or buy the system outright,” he said. “But typically, it stays with the house. Solar panels tend to add about $20,000 to the value of your house.”

Speaking of value, Henrichon said that Mass. Audubon financed the Oak Knoll system to the tune of about $20,000 while a $10,000 clean energy grant from the state made up the difference. In return, Mass. Audubon will see energy cost savings while also bringing its operations more closely in line with its mission.  So far, Mass. Audubon has installed 30 PV or solar hot water systems at 20 staffed sanctuaries across the state, as part of its renewable energy efforts, and is using the systems as educational tools in its quest to help people step ever more lightly on our fragile planet.

I am on board with that. But, like many of the guests at the open house, I arrived wondering whether going solar was a real possibility for my home (and budget), or just, well,  pie in the sky. 

Alex and Cindy Karol, Attleboro residents who own and operate Pleasant Auto Center on Pleasant Street, said they are eager to adopt cleaner energy systems in their 15,000-square-foot building. 

“We’re a growing business, but as you grow, so do the bills,” said Alex Karol. “We’re looking for some relief.”

The Karols have already use a waste-oil furnace to recycle motor oil onsite, but would like to engage a PV dealer to perhaps partner with them by “loading up” their huge roof with PV panels in exchange for advertising space.

Attleboro residents Dave Pospisil and Chris Pinette, who are both working in the field of renewable energy, attended to find out more about getting certified to install PV systems locally, and help home and business owners to better understand and manage the technical and financial aspects of going solar.

That sounds good to me, and in fact, groSolar's Bullock said he is happy to sit down with interested individuals to show them how a PV array might work in their home or business.  If I decide to have that discussion, I'll be sure to share it with you here.

Meanwhile, not everyone came to the open house to suss out a panel installation.  Jim Jamison of Attleboro said he wasn’t in the market for solar power at the moment, but came to check out the PV array and support Oak Knoll as a member of Mass. Audubon.  “I really think they made a nice clean installation,” said Jamison. “It looks good in the natural setting, not industrial.”

Indeed, the panels do look pretty cool.  In the spring, they’ll look even better when Kathi Gariepy, one of the center’s education staff and a master gardener, sets to work on the garden she’s planned for the space beneath the panels.

If you’d like to learn more about Oak Knoll’s solar panels, you can check out Mass. Audubon's Clean Energy website, the groSolar website, or stop by the center during regular hours to have a look.