Running with Sun Run

by Amy Kirtland

View of roof panels

I just signed a new lease. No, not for a car, not for a piece of property, but for photovoltaic panels.  The panels are “parked” on the south facing roof of my house, and they were installed a few weeks ago. I put $0 down and have signed a 20-year lease agreement that will essentially fix my electrical costs for the next 20 years for a price of $45 a month.  The 13 panels on my roof make up a 2.8 kW array that will produce enough energy to cover 96% of my family’s electricity usage.   If the system produces more electricity than we use, our utility meter will “run backwards,” and we will receive the credit from Xcel.