Lake Region Electric Cooperative
Turn that open space on your property into a renewable power source!
With GoWest Solar, members now have the option to purchase small, ground mount solar arrays that will be installed on their own property. The arrays are designed, installed, and maintained by Lake Region Electric Cooperative. One of the unique features of the arrays is their 240-degree southwest alignment which optimizes electricity production during the early evening hours of summer when electric demand is high and market value is greatest.
Paul Steffes is the first LREC member to have an array installed on his property as a part of the co-op’s new GoWest program. “I am an early adopter,” he explains. “It seems like the whole world is doing solar and I wanted to see what it’s all about. I am excited about having solar and seeing how this works first-hand.”
A small hill on Steffes’ property near Pelican Lake was selected as the best site for his 6 KW array. Steffes had the site prepped and then Lake Region’s energy services crew installed the solar panels in early July. After the array was set up, the crew then reseeded the surrounding area.
“The installation process went perfectly,” Steffes comments. “I like the fact that the array is ground mounted so I don’t have anything on my roof. I have easy access to the equipment and I can clean off the snow in the winter. It seems like a great system.”
“GoWest is ideally suited for farmsteads or country homes with open property, little or no shading, and considerable electric usage in the summer,” explains Dan Husted, vice president of business development at LREC.
Husted continues, “Members directly benefit from the GoWest energy production by avoiding the purchase of higher cost summer electricity. They also receive a GoWest demand credit which further lowers their summer bills. During hot summer weather, GoWest gives you the freedom to run your air conditioner without worrying about your electric bill because you are supplying your own electricity even during peak hours.”
With GoWest Solar, every kilowatt hour (kWh) you produce with solar and use in your home is a kWh you don’t pay for on your electric bill. Based on 2017 residential rates, you save 12.2¢ for each kWh you offset in the summer and 10.9¢ the remaining nine months. A 3 KW system produces over 3,500 kWh a year and up to 450 kWh a month during the summer. A 6 KW system, like the one Steffes purchased, produces twice as much. In addition, you will receive a demand credit on your bill during June, July, and August—$63 per month for a 6 KW system and $31 for a 3 KW system.
As the owner and innovator behind the Steffes line of electric thermal storage (ETS) heating products offered at LREC, Paul Steffes says he is looking forward to doing a little R&D and utilizing the industry leading capabilities of the SolarEdge inverter to direct excess solar power to one of his company’s Steffes water heaters. He is excited about the possibilities this new technology will provide and is interested in creative ways to utilize solar energy.
“We have that little hill over here,” he says, gesturing across his property toward the newly installed GoWest Solar array. “It just looks perfect up there.”