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Medical School — Tulane University, New Orleans, LA Surgical Residency — University of Tennessee, Memphis, TN
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Please join us for one these upcoming community events: • April 21st – Earth Day at See ‘N’ Save, 1–3 pm • May 19th – Spring Clean-up Day at the Transfer Station • June 2nd – Annual Trash Bash Fundraiser • June 16th – FREE Composting Workshop
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• July 2nd – TVCR Nonprofit Night with Slow Food in the Tetons at Grand Teton Brewing Company
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Earth Living A
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Conscious Box brings green, ethical products to your doorstep By Rachael Horne tvn staff hree former Teton Valley residents have brought to life a monthly subscription service whose goal is to introduce their customers to a range of companies that support a sustainable, healthy, and fulfilling lifestyle while minimizing their negative impact on the planet. If you’ve heard of Birch Box, then you know how it works. Jameson Morris, Jessie Richardson and Bjorn Borstleman took that idea, coupled with their passion for an eco-friendly lifestyle to deliver ethical, sustainable and honest products to your doorstep with Conscious Box. Every month a subscriber gets a box of goodies, all stamped with an approval that they are free of harmful chemicals and produced sustainably. The company was launched about six months ago and since then, Conscious Box has been introducing people to smaller business with a sustainable attitude. “We’re excited to introduce people to better and natural alternatives, not only for the planet but for yourself,” said Borstleman. In March, some of the products included a raw chocolate fudge bar, a household sanitizer made out of parsley, finger paints made out of plant extracts and natural lip gloss among other items. Conscious Box puts an emphasis on discovery
for their customers. “Discovery leads to enlightenment, stronger understanding of others, and better personal and planetary health,” they explained. “By finding conscious businesses that support your personal needs, you can do a lot for the world just by making responsible shopping decisions.” Conscious Box is a cool way to introduce people to smaller companies that offer alternative products, but more than that it’s a way to make a difference as a consumer. “We believe that the choices we make as consumers are some of the bigger decisions we make in our life,” said Borstleman. “By putting support behind people doing the right thing is the best thing we can do.” The company is also committed to overcoming the problem of greenwashing. Used to describe deceptive business tactics that lead consumers to believe something is “green” when it really isn’t, “greenwashing” is rampant in today’s markets. The folks at Conscious Box hope to educate, inform, and prevent consumers from falling for these tactics by providing them with products that are authentic and purposeful. Conscoius Box offers three different plans. A monthly subscription starts at $12 a month plus $7 for shipping. The more months you commit to up front the lower your monthly subscription. To find out more about Conscious Box or sign up for a subscription visit consciousbox.com
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Conscious Box Brings Green, Ethical Products to Your Doorstep
4 In Teton Valley, Tomatoes Need Houses, Too
6 Heat From Below: Alternative Power Source Slowly Gathering Steam in the Valley
9 Regeneration: A Brief History of Recycling in Teton Valley
10 Protect Your Home from Wildfire
12 Step-By-Step DIY: Homemade Chicken Coop Teaches More Than Building Technique
14 Solar Electrical System Costs Dropping
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In Teton Valley, tomatoes need houses, too. By Bridget Ryder TVN staff ecessity, as they say, is the mother of all invention. For Casey Eason, a collision of economic and natural need, and his own sense of vision, gave birth to a new business that makes life in Teton Valley more sustainable. Just in time for the 2008 economic downturn, Casey Eason took a job as sales manager for Grand Valley Log and Lumber, in Driggs. Six months later, with building around the country practically at a standstill, he found himself general manager for the company, which hoped to start a high-end log cabin home company. Three years later, the investors pulled out and left Eason without a job. Enter necessity. Eason realized that log cabins were “losing fashion” and he needed to reinvent the business. He also recognized that life as America knew it was changing—people had to live with smaller budgets and an interest in gardening was growing. He saw young families in Teton Valley wanting to grow their own food and teach their children where food comes from, too. But gardening in a climate with snow on the ground six months out of the year, strong winds, intense ultraviolet rays, and sudden hailstorms necessitate a protective structure equipped to handle tough weather. Eason had seen the failure of most greenhouses used in the valley, many aluminum structures “shredded in a wind storm” after only a year
Casey Eason with his own invention, the “egg plant,” half growhut, half chicken coop. tvn photo/Bridget Ryder
or two. Gardening and sustainability needed a little help. Enter invention. Eason’s brain storm resulted in Grow Huts—greenhouse-like structures suited for growing fruits and vegetables in adverse conditions. Eason combined twin wall polycarbonate and rough-sawn dead standing wood into a greenhouse strong enough to withstand wind, hail, and snow load. The polycarbonate insulates from both the sudden cold spells of spring and summer that freeze plants to death and the high level ultra-violet rays of the valley’s altitude that burn and shrivel leaves. Even on a wet, cloudy, 40-degree day, the inside of the grow hut is already more comfortable than outside. “If we would have had the sun peak through even for a few minutes, this would really have heated up,” Eason said. The grow huts not only act as instruments to a sustainable lifestyle, but are also sustainable in themselves. Because Eason uses dead standing wood, no trees die to make the huts. Neither will the polycarbonate end up in
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the dumpster next winter. According to Eason, it is designed to last at least 10 years. Eason builds his grow huts to function as permanent structures that increase the productivity of the land where they are placed. He estimates that a standard 9-foot by 10-foot grow hut has enough room to produce fruits and vegetables to feed a small family. The space can be triple layered for greater productivity with beds on the ground level, beds built into waist-high bins and hanging planters coming from the ceiling. With a few upgrades, such as thicker polycarbonate siding or wood paneling along the bottom, and a little heating, gardeners can exercise their green thumb year round, Eason says. Aesthetically, Eason took his inspiration from the old farm outbuildings scattered throughout the valley. The rough sawn-wood frame authenticates the barn, cabin, or shed shape of the grow huts. The details such as Dutch doors and triangle-tipped gambrel rooks on the barn roof add functionality and style. “I wanted in some way to mirror local architecture,” he said. In fact Hal and Iola Blake, owners of the iconic guest ranch, Moulton Ranch, near Teton National Park, not only purchased one of Eason’s first grow huts for their home in Idaho Falls, but are also awaiting the delivery of another Eason invention to replace a
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1/2 chicken coop + 1/2 Grow Hut greenhouse = 1 “EggPlant” 100-year-old barn on their ranch. However, local isn’t in the architecture alone, Eason keeps almost all aspects of his business—from where the wood comes from to his clientele—within a 250 mile radius. His crew of three hand-builds all the grow huts at the mill on the edge of Driggs. He sticks with structures that he can both build and deliver with his work crew. Mail order kits sent all over the country are out of the question for Eason. The raw logs, tree trunks bare of branches, are delivered to the mill from Montana where Corey, Mike, and Dalton cut, saw, and sand them into grow huts and then deliver them to the customer’s door step. And not only is it local but also creative. He has his standard model, but he gets a little smile in his eyes when he shows off his built-to-suit creations and his up-and-coming chicken coops. First, there is the half chicken coop, half grow hut eggplant. For the Blakes he worked out a hybrid grow hut and storage barn. The third of the building with polycarbonate siding will be a home for the plants an flowers Iola brings over to the Teton ranch from Idaho so that “they can flourish a bit
more before we put them out,” Hal Blake said. The rest of the barn-like structure will store equipment. Eason’s building crew is also putting the finishing touches on the first chicken coop. A custom coop for Driggs resident, Patricia Karnick, the coop is a kind of all-in-one, gated community for chickens. After years of envying the “sustainable paradise[s]” of neighbors, she decided to start raising chickens on her five-acre lot. She knew what she wanted in a coop too—something insulated, portable, and self-contained. After looking all over the Internet, she took her request to Eason who accepted the challenge of building her dream chicken coop. Eason thought and planned and brought his sketches to his master builder, Corey Raymond. The end product? An insulated slanted roof structure, built on wheels, with a variety of little doors and windows for easy feeding and egg-gathering. Eason even designed an extra shelf to keep the birds’ water free from their own feces. It also has drop-down fencing along the bottom to let the chicks strut around without being loose in Karnick’s yard.
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The hybrid grow huts are the result of a risky winter for Eason. Certain that he had found his niche, Eason “went in for broke” and kept his crew working in the cold months, hoping that spring would see more sales. His hopes have not been disappointed. He now faces the opposite problem—barely being able to meet the demand for his grow huts. However, though necessity had a hand in starting Eason’s new company and sales make it sustainable, Eason also has a philosophy behind his work. The father of two will be working with his own daughters this spring in the family grow huts equipped for chickens, rabbits, and gardening. Eason wants them to know where their food comes from and “make the connection that food is something that takes time to cultivate.” He does have one more grow hut creation in mind, though. “A structure under 200 feet where my daughter can have a greenhouse, chicken coup, bunnies, and a milk goat all-in-one,” he described the ultimate grow hut. Just another way Eason hopes to turn necessity and invention into sustainability.
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Heat From Below: Alternative power source slowly gathering steam in the valley By Bridget Ryder TVN Staff magine the bowels of the earth—swirling hot lava, rocks with gases burping from between their crevices—constant, contained energy and warmth even as summer turns to fall and fall turns into a long, cold Teton Valley winter. Greg Stone loves those winters. He snowshoes with friends and enjoys the view of the mountains from his living room. That is why he decided to build a house near Driggs into which he channels all that energy beneath his feet. “One thing we were really passionate about was to build an energy efficient home.’” He said. Efficient energy options for heating in Teton Valley come in limited supply. Without natural gas available, valley residents usually chose between oil, electricity, propane and wood to power either a stove or a forced air system respectively. But the Stone’s elected for another, less common system, a geothermal heat pump. According to Tim Crow, founder and owner of Spectrum Heating, who manufactures his own geothermal heat pump in Odessa, Wash., the technology became popular in the 1990s when the federal government started offering tax credits to those who used the system. His brother, Dave Crow, owner of Crow Heating in Teton Valley installed another, similar system for Greg Stone. Crow buried 3,200 feet of fluid-filled geothermal pipe outside the Stone’s home. Even in the dead of winter when the outside temperature hits -5 the fluid in the pipes remains a constant 34 degrees F. Passing through the heat pump, the water warms the pump’s refrigerant vapor to 34 degrees. A compressor then warms the vapor to a 120-degree liquid. This hot liquid refrigerant gives up its heat to piping which is pumping liquid into the Stone’s storage tank. That warm liquid is then on call
to be pumped into tubes hidden in the flooring of the Stone’s house where its heat radiates through the Stone’s house. Geothermal heating systems function in a variety of ways but the principles of its efficiency come from two things: the constancy of the earth’s temperature and the small amount of energy required to operate the geothermal pump. A forced air system uses air from the outside to pull heat into a building. As the winter progresses the outside has less heat to offer and therefore the system losses efficiency. But even with three feet of snow on the ground and record low temperatures, the earth will keep the water in the Stone’s geothermal pump at about 34 degrees. A few small motors that work with just a small burst of energy pump the water through pipes and the compressor. “It uses 120 amps to start and then backs down to nothing,” Dave Crow said of the geothermal heat pump his brother, Terry, designs and manufactures, an amount of energy not
unusual for geothermal systems. The efficiency leads to savings, too. Stone did his research and found out that “using Fall River electricity as the standard, the energy you get from propane is at least 10% more expensive than electric, whereas pine at $150/ cord is half the cost of electricity.” According to waterfurnace.com, replacing fossil fuels with a geothermal system equates to taking two cars off the road. While the earth gives up her heat practically free of charge, the installation of a geothermal system costs a pretty penny. But the efficiency pays off in the long run. According to Dave Crow, for every dollar spent on energy, a geothermal system returns $5 worth of heat. While his friends spend around $400 a month on heat, Stone heats his 3,600-square-foot house for about $100 per month. He figures he will see a return on his investment in about 12 years. Federal tax breaks also help lower the costs of installment. Geothermal heat pumps count among Energy Star products—those distinguished by the federal government as paying “you back in lower energy bills within a reasonable amount of time, without a tax credit,” according to energystar.gov. However, through 2016, the government is offering a tax break of 30 percent of the installation costs of heat pumps. Teton Valley also has an important local link to geothermal heating in the Crow family.
Greg Stone demos his geothermal heat pump. tvn photo/Bridget Ryder
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Dave Crow owns the business in Victor that he runs with his son, Dave, and son-in-law, Jason. In his shop sits a geothermal heat pump designed and manufactured by his brother Terry. Besides the next-ofkin link, Terry’s heat pump operates with all standard parts that can be purchased locally. For example, clean air filters maintain the system at maximum efficiency and need ot be replaced about four times a year, Terry says. For his system, standard filters available at ACE Hardware for about $8 do the trick. The Crow business is also International Ground Source Heat Pump (IGSHP) certified, an important detail for anyone hoping to get a tax break for putting in a geothermal heat pump. According to Crow, in the fine print of the federal deal, IGSHP-certified personnel must install the heat pump. Proper installation plays an important role in the efficiency. One improper pump or tubing connection equals loss of heat. “You can’t have just somebody slap it in there,” his son-in-law, Jason added. The Crow crew has installed approximately 20 geothermal heat pumps in Teton Valley, including the pump that kept Greg Stone’s home warm while was out for a snowshoe hike. Renewable, accessible, efficient. Stone unties his snowshoes and steps into his home, the earth he has just walked now wrapping him in comfortable warmth.
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Regeneration: A Brief History of Recycling in Teton Valley By Tanya Anderson Teton Valley Community Recycling 2011 was a landmark year for recycling in Teton Valley. The Teton County Transfer Station received the new baler in June, began baling recyclables in July, sold its scrap metal pile in October, hired a recycler/operator in November, and sold its brush and lumber pile in November. 2012 is shaping up to be an even bigger year, as the County sent its first full truckload of cardboard to a recycler in February, and began accepting #1 and #2 plastic bottles the same month. They are currently working to master baling paper products. In the next few months, residents can expect to have a fully operational Recycling Center that accepts glass, aluminum and tin cans, plastic bottles, cardboard, newspaper, magazines and office paper. It might seem as though recycling has only existed in the valley for the past twelve months, but the true history of recycling in Teton Valley started much earlier with the farmers and ranchers who settled here. Survival in the high plains demanded a frugal lifestyle, and the valley’s settlers were no exception. The agricultural tradition of not letting anything go to waste remains strong in the valley today. Conventional recycling of household waste has taken much longer to establish. Isolation from large population centers with recycling manufacturers, small population density, and limited financial resources all serve as barriers to recycling in the valley. The nonprofit organization, Teton Valley Community Recycling (TVCR), was founded in 1997 to develop waste reduction solutions for our rural community.
TVCR’s first recycling program involved volunteers setting up a Pro-tainer in the Broulim’s parking lot on Saturdays to collect community recyclables. This program required significant volunteer time, cost the organization money, and was quickly overwhelmed by the amount of recyclables collected each week. Clearly, there was demand for a larger recycling program. A second program involved satellite bins for the drop-off of recyclables, which were picked up monthly by Headwaters Cooperative Recycling Inc. of Montana. These sites were also quickly overwhelmed by the volume of recyclables, and there was a high level of misuse when the bins weren’t staffed. While the program was popular, it was not sustainable. 2010 marked the dawn of a new era with the opening of the permanent Transfer Station. Now, recyclables are collected at the Transfer Station and baled in the white Recycling Center tent. Residents and visitors may drop off recyclables on days that the Transfer Station is open to the public. Another option became available to the community in October, 2010, when Dave Hudacsko and Aaron Hamby founded R.A.D., “Recycling Alternative Distribution LLC”, a private curbside recycling company for valley residents and businesses. For a small fee, you can set out your recyclables at the curb and forego trips to the Transfer Station. With just over 2% of the county signed on for curbside pickup, they already contribute
more recyclables than drop-off users. The combination of these two options for recycling in the valley is more sustainable than previous than previous programs. Teton Valley has already seen both environmental and economic benefits of recycling. Approximately 111 tons of recyclable waste was diverted from the landfill in 2011. The selling of the scrap metal pile brought in over $123,000, while recycling one truckload of cardboard saved the county approximately $1200 in disposal fees. The Transfer Station has hired one staff position focused on recycling, and R.A.D. currently employs four people. If these impacts were possible with a relatively small number of participants, imagine the potential if 100% of valley residents and businesses recycled! To help bring the full potential of recycling to fruition, TVCR’s role has shifted to waste reduction education, outreach and advocacy. Despite past challenges in establishing a local recycling program, the future of recycling in Teton Valley is bright. For more information on recycling in Teton Valley, see tetonrecycling.org, tetoncountyidaho.gov, or TheRADRecyclers. com.
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Protect your home from wildfire By Ken Levy TVN Staff significant portion of the valley’s residents live in or close to the wildland/urban interface, where national forests, Bureau of Land Management or other undeveloped ground meets or approaches their properties. Much of that wild ground can be prone to wildfires, and those in close proximity can protect their properties from the catastrophe of wildfire with the right kind of landscaping and home protection. According to the University of Idaho Extension study, “Protecting and Landscaping Homes in the Wildland Urban Interface,” homes should be built on flat ground, since fire tends to burn uphill rapidly.
File photo/TVn
The report suggests using fire-resistant materials to build your home, such as tile, metal and asphalt for roofing and brick or stucco for walls. Shake shingles, whether untreated or poorly treated, can be true fire hazards.
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Enclose undersides of decks, porches, eaves, sofits and fascia, and cover vents with noncombustible screening to keep flammable objects larger than one-quarter of an inch from invading the space. Avoid PVC and vinyl.
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Illustration courtesy Lorraine Ashland from the University of Idaho.
Tempered glass and double-pane windows are recommended for large windows and those in high-risk areas. Remove debris from roofs and gutters regularly to remove risk. The report recommends treating an area at least 100 feet from the home by removing flammable brush, dead trees and shrubs. Trees should be pruned up 6-15 feet to minimize ladder fuels. Driveways, gravel, concrete or paved walks can be attractive and effective hardscapes that serve as firebreaks, and gravel mulch, instead of bark, adds an extra measure of security. Firewood should be stored 30-100 feet from structures and should be free from vegetation near the pile. No plants are completely fireproof, and your selections aren’t nearly as important as how you place them on your property and how well you maintain them. Choose plants for the landscape that don’t accumulate dead material and have low-growing branches. Select fire-resistant plants and vegetation that have high moisture content in their leaves, are slow growing, have open, loose branching habits and have little or no accumulations of dead vegetation, such as hen and chicks, the report recommends. Other plants are dependent on local growing conditions, so visit Trail Creek and MD nurseries for their recommendations. Lupine and serviceberry are among many that are suggested by the report. Plant materials can be concentrated in islands, such as raised beds made from nonflammable materials. Grass is very fire-resistant, but keep it watered when possible and short. Keep all landscape materials well watered. Prune tree branches back if they’re within 10-15 feet of each other, if possible, and prune dead branches as needed. Watch for plant litter, such as pine needles, to gather in corners of your roof, at the foundation or in gutters, since burning embers could collect in the same areas and cause ignition. For further information, visit firewise.org,
Proper landscaping can help save your home from fire.
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Step-by-Step DIY: Homemade chicken coop teaches more than building technique By Scott Anderson TVN Staff grew up loving animals. We had chickens, turkeys, rabbits, pigeons, pigs, dogs, and just about every other random animal you could think of. Most of the animals we owned ended up having the same fate; they would up on the dinner table—except for our dog of course. I wouldn’t consider us farmers or even ranchers, but I did have a crush on Little House on the Prairie’s Laura Ingalls, so I’m guessing that somewhat qualifies me. After
living in the valley for a year, my family and I decided it was time to get into the chicken business. How hard could it be? You feed the chickens and they give you eggs. That’s how I remembered it as a child. The more I talked about chickens the more excited my kids got... until I knew I passed the point of no return, and we had to get them or forever I would be known to my kids as the animal-hating dad who won’t let them do anything. Next thing I knew we were standing in Longhorn Corral picking out baby chicks. My
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children’s grins were as big as Christmas morning as they picked their future egg layers. Once home we brought them inside as the kids showed off their birds to their Mom and gave them creative names like Blackie, Snowie, Rooster and Shivers. It was about this time reality set in, and I knew all 15 chicks could not live in that cardboard box forever, so off to Ace and Valley Lumber I went. Step 1. Researching the right coop to build. To help me decided on a coop design I went to my good friend Google to get ideas. There were so many types that is was mind-boggling, so I ended up going with my own design, something that wouldn’t cost me more then $100 and would fit all 15 chickens. To help keep it simple and costs down I made sure my measurements and cuts did not exceed 4x8 since that’s the average sized wood planks I would be using.
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Step 2. Once I sketched my design it was time to make it a reality. I first worked on the outer section so it could stand up, making it easier to visualize where my lay boxes, food, water, and heat lamp will go. It’s important when designing a coop to make sure you have enough room for all of that. It’s surprising how a coop that seems too big shrinks in size when you add your hens and supplies. Step 3. The Lay Box In my opinion this is one
and
of the most important parts of the coop. There are many different shapes and sizes you can use. Basically you want a clean, dry and relatively dark box. When making a lay box remember to follow a few simple rules: One nesting box is sufficient for every 2-4 hens. Size: 12x12x12 inches is sufficient, I like making them a little bigger so my hens can stand up and turn around. Also make sure to add a lip to the front to keep nesting material and eggs in the box. Nesting material: Straw or wood shavings work well. I like straw because it’s cheap and handles moisture better. Sloped top: I like to slope the top to keep hens from roosting and pooping on the top of the box. Height: I like mine about a foot above the ground. Not too high that they can’t get in but low enough they don’t end up sleeping in the nest box. Step 4. Protection Raising chickens in the valley has taught me a very important lesson: predators will find your hens unless protected. I’ve had dogs, coyotes, skunks, and even owls kill our chickens.
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And they are very creative in how they enter your coop. To keep them out, I placed my coop on fencing so a dog would have to dig eight feet to get to them. Unless my neighbors’ dog has seen “The Great Escape” they won’t have a clue how to dig that far. I’ve Alcatrazed my coop because I got tired of feeding my chickens for months just to have them eaten by my neighbors’ dog. Step 5. Realism The last thing to remember while building a chicken coop is it will look a lot better in your mind than in real life. I’m no Charles Ingalls and don’t pretend to be. I’m sure there are a lot better ways to house your chickens but learning by mistakes is half the fun. After months of raising chickens and costs of feed surpassing the egg count, I realized the value wasn’t better-tasting eggs but the lesson it taught my kids about responsibility. I was not raising chickens but responsible, hard-working children.
The almost finished product, minus the sloped top. tvn photo/scott anderson
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Solar electrical system costs dropping By Ken Levy TVN Staff ith prices going down and benefits going up, solar electric systems are looking like a bright investment. Solar panels can help users make their own energy, whether they’re on or off the electrical grid. Most residential users opt for a system that augments their on-grid services to help reduce costs, said Andy Tyson, who runs the Victor office of Creative Energies. Cabins and off-grid houses are common applications for solar and other alternative energy systems, as are agricultural and other locations that don't have access to the grid but need power. "Usually, that system is powered by batteries," said Tyson, and they get charged by wind generators, solar panels or other choices.
Crews from Creative Energies do a solar installation near Grand Teton National Park. photo by Mark fisher
"If you've got a summer cabin in Island Park that doesn't have electricity, you may have a small solar array with batteries, and that allows you to have lights, radios and cellphone chargers and all that," said Tyson. The other side of that is the boom in the solar industry: adding solar to homes and other facilities that already have electrical connections. "They would like • Certified Nursery Professionals to make a portion • Certified Plant Diagnostician of their electricity, • Landscape Architect FREE n e maybe to fix their Gard Classes long-term rate," he Supplies • Design Build Professionals said, so they're not affected by rising We have a complete line of hardy, high-altitude trees, electrical rates over shrubs, flowers, ground covers, berries and bedding plants. time. "Maybe they
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want to produce power that isn't also producing carbon emissions or some other pollution issues," he said, "or they want to make it right there on site and don't want to deal with the transmission and impacts of that." Designing a system that works with your needs starts with assessing how much power you're already using. Depending on space and roof configurations, CE can configure how many solar panels are needed to meet your needs. Available space, how much electricity you want to generate, budget and how to integrate the system aesthetically all play into decisions you'll make before you install. Generally, these systems don't require batteries. That saves money and maintenance concerns, Tyson said. "We're just putting in solar panels that offset the amount of use." The technology behind the solar panels is almost as simple as sand itself. A cell of
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Call today for a free estimate Open 8am to 6pm Monday – Saturday 7095 S. Hwy 33 Victor (208) 787-2470
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silicon is a 6 x 6 thin wafer. Photons from the sun hit the wafer and create an electric current. The bottom layer has more electrons than the top, and when the sun hits it, "it makes the one side want to move its electrons to the other, which creates a little bit of a circuit," said Tyson. The cells are connected in a series, and that's harnessed from panel to panel. Wiring allows the electrons to go back where they were. There are no moving parts. "It's a nice piece of highly-refined sand that you put in the sun, add a little bit of wiring to it and you've got power,” Tyson said. The panels are connected to an inverter, which is then connected to the main utility panel in the home. The system is always up and running and makes power when it can. Panels are mounted facing south, at a 30-45 degree angle, and clear pretty well, even in the winter. Your electric bill is credited through net metering, which looks at net monthly and annual usage, and whether you made more power than you used. "As the power is produced from the sun, if they're not consuming it all right then, that power goes back onto the grid for someone else to use," said Tyson, and the meter records a credit. But most people aren't trying to be a utility and make more power than they'd use in a year, he said. "You're just trying to offset what you use, or a percentage of it," said Tyson. Surprisingly, the valley is a "pretty good solar resource, way better than most places. We have better solar resources than Florida." That's because of the valley's high altitude, "cold, crisp, clear days in the winter" and clear summer days, unlike the cloudy, hazy weather often seen in Florida. Cooler days end up helping solar electric panels perform better, Tyson said. Solar is one of the few power sources out there where the cost is decreasing, and many people in the valley are using it for 100 percent of their electricity, said Tyson. But you get better bang for the buck if you're already on the grid and augment with solar, he said. Otherwise, you'll need a battery bank to store your power, and will need to
make more power in the winter. You can be saving additional money as well, since there is a federal tax credit of 30 percent of the system's cost, Tyson said. A state tax deduction can be taken over five years as well, he said. Low-interest loan programs are available in the region from the state, which adds to the incentives, he said, USDA loans are available for agricultural users, along with about 25 percent of system costs available as a grant and the tax breaks as well. Solar panels have no moving parts and carry 25-year warranties. "It's just sitting there, making power." Wind needs to be consistent for effective power generation, and "big, gusty, crazy winds isn't really that great for a wind turbine." Some do work well that way, however and turbines can be configured for most situations. Hydro generation doesn't involve dams. Some water is diverted from streams or drainages into a penstock for a portion of the channel, where it goes past the turbine and back to the stream. Stream flow is maintained in the streambed at all times to avoid affecting fish and habitat. You need to have a physical drop to the water, which limits this option to locations in the canyons with access to the stream and rights to the water, even though it's a non-consumptive use. Tyson partners with Scott King, with whom he founded the company in Lander Wy., and Toby Schmidt, who runs the firm's Salt Lake City office. The firm designs and installs solar, wind and hydroelectric systems, and has dabbled in solar thermal and geothermal technologies, said Tyson. The business is focused on electrical systems, and is licensed electrical contractors in all three locations. Creative Energies does residential, agricultural and public installations. An example of the latter is the solar panels connected to the Driggs sewer lagoons that will be integral with the city's upcoming wastewater treatment facility upgrade. Victor City Hall also sports an array of CE's solar panels, as does Rexburg High School, Tyson said.
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Teton Valley News 16
earth living 2012