Jim Hall stands outside his freshly solarized home in Gilsum, New Hampshire. Jim's interest in electric vehicles lead him on a path to discovery more about, and ultimately investing in, clean and affordable solar energy.
One weekend a year, the tiny town of Gilsum, New Hampshire blooms with visitors to the Rock Swap & Mineral Show. The event is a vestige of Gilsum's origins as a quarry town, its numerous mines providing a source for feldspar, beryl and mica through the 1930s. It is here that solar customer Jim Hall lives, his 5.1 acre property nestled against a small brook that feeds a swamp downstream. From their home, Jim and his girlfriend Wanda have observed birds and wildlife in abundance, including Wood Ducks, Hooded Mergansers, Great Blue Heron, and Cooper's Hawks among others. Every year they enjoy the unique and strange call of one of Jim's favorites, the "Thunder Pumper" as he likes to call it, or properly known as the American Bittern.
With so much to enjoy in his surroundings, Jim now helps preserve the beauty of his environment with a solar powered home. A Top Gear fan who regularly keeps up with the vehicle market and new releases, Jim drove a Ford C-Max Energi off the lot in July 2016. It was this purchase of an electric vehicle that set the wheels in motion for his renewable energy transition. Jim got to thinking about the possibilities of powering his transportation with clean energy from the sun.
Solar Powered Transportation - and more
After replacing their aging roof, Jim found ReVision Energy through a web search and had an initial site visit with solar designer Craig in October of 2016.
Jim says, "My gut told me to continue with ReVision. The more interaction I had with them the better the experience was. All options were explained clearly and professionally, with no gray areas or absolutely anything that left me in the dark."
Once the ball got rolling, Jim found the solar process became quite enjoyable. With the office and operations team at work, areas he worried might be a hassle - red tape and documentation - were instead a breeze. He says, "Everything was laid out with a clear path as to what needed to be done and exactly what steps needed to be completed for this to happen."
ReVision installed Jim's 6.62 kW solar array in February. The system is grid-tied, meaning it will harvest as much solar electricity as possible and send it into Jim's home, meeting any real-time needs for electricity such as charging his electric car, running the fridge, well pump, computers, etc.
Any excess generation will be exported to the utility through a net metering contract, powering his neighbors's homes (and reducing wear and tear on the local utility grid) and earning Jim credits. Jim can use those credits to reduce his electric bill for the times he still needs grid electricity.
Jim's array will produce roughly 6,629 kilowatt-hours of clean electricity each year, enough to power 20,000+ miles of electric vehicle driving, and a good portion of his household 'plug' loads as well.
Charged Up, Ready to Go!
Thanks to well-coordinated timing on the final project inspection and hardware upgrade from the local utility, Jim was able to power up his system the day after installation.
He says, "I was impressed from start to finish with everyone I worked with at ReVision Energy. I'm looking forward to many years of solar-powered driving!"
