Steve Rypka stands by his solar-powered home in Henderson. He chose the home in part for its orientation, so the solar panels could face south, for maximum effect. Photo by JANE KALINOWSKY/REVIEW-JOURNAL This solar-powered home in the northwest valley has solar panels strategically placed among roof fixtures. Photo by Craig L. Moran. Chris Brooks, director of renewable energy for Bombard Electric, designed the solar power system for his home. Photo by Craig L. Moran.

Steve Rypka's home electric bill for August was a whopping $6.30.

He and his wife do cool their almost 2,100-square-foot Henderson home in summer, but dodged a hefty power bill because they generate their own electricity via a rooftop solar energy system.

The $6.30 actually represents a monthly $6 fee to tie into Nevada Power Co., plus 30 cents tax, Steve Rypka says. In August, the Rypkas consumed zero power from the utility company, subsisting on their own electricity production. In fact, their system produced more power than they used.

Whenever the Rypkas generate a power surplus, their solar system routes it to Nevada Power, which issues them a credit against future billings. The system still generates electricity on cloudy days, but less than in bright sun. If the Rypkas use more than they produce on a given day, the house automatically gets power from the utility company.

Rypka says solar power is a "no-brainer" in the sunny Southwest. An audio engineer who has worked in the entertainment departments of local casinos, he criticizes the American reliance on fossil fuels such as petroleum for electricity -- for the transportation expense, dependence on foreign powers and resulting air pollution.

"It doesn't make sense going halfway around the world, drilling a hole 2,000 feet into the earth (to pump petroleum), loading it on a ship that has to cross the ocean. You have to process it (into power) and then transmit it," Rypka says.

He and his wife, Marsala, shelled out more than $40,000 to design, purchase and install their solar system, which they turned on in May. But they lowered their final cost by participating in an incentive program offered by Nevada Power, which granted them a rebate of $25,000, for a final cost to the Rypkas of more than $15,000.

The power company offers a rebate to private parties who reduce the overall power demand by installing generating systems that have been approved as safe and efficient. The financial incentive was larger for early participants like the Rypkas. As more parties apply, Nevada Power has accommodated them by increasing the total dollar pool for the rebate program, called SolarGenerations, but reducing the reimbursement rate. The Rypkas received a rebate of $5 for each watt their system produces; the current rebate amount is $3 per watt. That's a rebate decrease of 40 percent, but still a significant lure.

Steve Rypka is not a doctrinaire environmentalist. He says, "I like technology, but I also like simple living, simple solutions."

He and his wife started researching solar power about seven years ago when they began plans to downsize from an older home in the valley. They moved into a new one-story Pulte home in Sun City Anthem in January. They chose an Energy Star home model, which -- like Energy Star designations on appliances -- means the product meets a performance standard for energy efficiency.

To maximize summer shade, the couple chose a home that faces north and south. That means the next-door houses help shield the Rypkas' from the heat extremes of eastern light in the morning, and western light in the afternoon. They also chose a roof configuration that enabled them to place their rooftop solar system to face true south, which grants them the most steady sunlight -- and the optimal production of electricity.

They hired a contractor who has a renewable-energy division to design a solar system that takes into account the conventional one-story home's compass orientation, the slant of its roof as well as the Rypkas' energy consumption.

The rooftop system is called a photovoltaic array. It is a series of panels that convert light into direct electric current, called DC. The current travels via wiring to a device in the garage, called an inverter, that converts DC power into alternating current, or AC, which is the type of electricity used in U.S. buildings.

Solar power generation is entirely different from heating the water for a backyard swimming pool by running the water through an array of pipes on the house roof. That is passive solar heating of the water, and no electricity is generated.

The Rypkas' solar system has no batteries to store power on-site. Instead, extra power is fed into Nevada Power's grid, for a billing credit to the Rypkas. If Nevada Power's grid were to fail, the Rypkas' system would stop generating and they could not draw out any of the surplus energy they had supplied to the company.

Chris Brooks, director of renewable energy for Bombard Electric, says he counsels local clients every day not to buy a battery-storage system, but instead, a "grid-interactive" system like the Rypkas have. Storage made sense only in the days when Nevada Power did not accept or give credits for surplus power, according to Brooks. Transferring electricity into and out of batteries can decrease the final power yield by as much as 30 percent, he says.

Brooks does advise clients who are "off grid" -- out of reach of Nevada Power's network -- to include battery storage in their solar system design. But clients in a city would do better to buy a conventional power generator if one goal is to be able to run electric appliances during a blackout, he notes.

Brooks, too, recently added a solar energy system to his own house, a two-story in northwest Las Vegas. A scissors lift is used to put equipment and installers on the roof. Brooks' system is rated to produce enough electricity to meet about 90 percent of his household's need, based on an analysis of wattage consumed over prior years. Brooks expects to pay Nevada Power about $10 a month for the extra power his family will need, at current prices. That still beats the $110 he was paying per month in prior summers.

Given the peculiarities of his roof, Brooks could not design a system to meet 100 percent of his power needs, without creating ugly aesthetics. That is, the southern-facing portion of his roof had various vents and pipes, which broke up the available space for the photovoltaic array.

And he chose not to prop up his solar panels to the 30-degree angle that is optimal for power production. A typical roof slope is about 22 degrees, which reduces solar production. But propping the panels is "ugly," he says.

The better look is to align panels flat on the roof. Best of all are "roof-integrated" solar panels, which are installed during home construction, flush with the roof itself. Pinnacle Homes built such a solar home as one of the models at its tract, The Vinings, in southwest Las Vegas.

Brooks says potential clients typically raise several worries when they ask him about solar energy. After the ugly factor -- which he says is unfairly exaggerated -- people cite the high cost of installing. Brooks and Rypka say it depends on how you look at it.

Consumers don't flinch at spending $20,000 upfront to obtain transportation, in the form of buying a car, Rypka says. So he doesn't understand why they balk at putting out a similar sum in order to lower their power bills to virtually nil. A car depreciates rapidly, while the typical solar system has a manufacturer's warranty to last decades.

Wouldn't you want to be the person who 20 years ago bought a 20-year supply of gasoline at 1985 prices? Brooks makes that analogy to electricity that is solar-generated, noting that power prices will only rise for the majority of consumers, without solar systems, who have to pay for electricity as they go.

Brooks says research by the home appraisal industry found solar energy systems rate high as a home improvement that increases a home's value. On the other hand, he reports, installing a solar system does not raise a home's assessed value, which is used to calculate the property tax.

By JOAN WHITELY

REVIEW-JOURNAL

Steve Rypka's home electric bill for August was a whopping $6.30.

He and his wife do cool their almost 2,100-square-foot Henderson home in summer, but dodged a hefty power bill because they generate their own electricity via a rooftop solar energy system.

The $6.30 actually represents a monthly $6 fee to tie into Nevada Power Co., plus 30 cents tax, Steve Rypka says. In August, the Rypkas consumed zero power from the utility company, subsisting on their own electricity production. In fact, their system produced more power than they used.

Whenever the Rypkas generate a power surplus, their solar system routes it to Nevada Power, which issues them a credit against future billings. The system still generates electricity on cloudy days, but less than in bright sun. If the Rypkas use more than they produce on a given day, the house automatically gets power from the utility company.

Rypka says solar power is a "no-brainer" in the sunny Southwest. An audio engineer who has worked in the entertainment departments of local casinos, he criticizes the American reliance on fossil fuels such as petroleum for electricity -- for the transportation expense, dependence on foreign powers and resulting air pollution.

"It doesn't make sense going halfway around the world, drilling a hole 2,000 feet into the earth (to pump petroleum), loading it on a ship that has to cross the ocean. You have to process it (into power) and then transmit it," Rypka says.

He and his wife, Marsala, shelled out more than $40,000 to design, purchase and install their solar system, which they turned on in May. But they lowered their final cost by participating in an incentive program offered by Nevada Power, which granted them a rebate of $25,000, for a final cost to the Rypkas of more than $15,000.

The power company offers a rebate to private parties who reduce the overall power demand by installing generating systems that have been approved as safe and efficient. The financial incentive was larger for early participants like the Rypkas. As more parties apply, Nevada Power has accommodated them by increasing the total dollar pool for the rebate program, called SolarGenerations , but reducing the reimbursement rate. The Rypkas enjoyed a rebate of $5 for each watt their system produces; the current rebate amount is $3 per watt. That's a rebate decrease of 40 percent, but still a significant lure.

Steve Rypka is not a doctrinaire environmentalist. He says, "I like technology, but I also like simple living, simple solutions."

He and his wife started researching solar power about seven years ago when they began plans to downsize from an older home in the valley. They moved into a new one-story Pulte home in Sun City Anthem in January. They chose an Energy Star home model, which -- like Energy Star designations on appliances -- means the product meets a performance standard for energy efficiency.

To maximize summer shade, the couple chose a home that faces north and south. That means the next-door houses help shield the Rypkas' from the heat extremes of eastern light in the morning, and western light in the afternoon. They also chose a roof configuration that enabled them to place their rooftop solar system to face true south, which grants them the most steady sunlight -- and the optimal production of electricity.

They hired a contractor who has a renewable-energy division to design a solar system that takes into account the conventional one-story home's compass orientation, the slant of its roof as well as the Rypkas' energy consumption.

The rooftop system is called a photovoltaic array. It is a series of panels that convert light into direct electric current, called DC. The current travels via wiring to a device in the garage, called an inverter, that converts DC power into alternating current, or AC, which is the type of electricity used in U.S. buildings.

Solar power generation is entirely different from heating the water for a backyard swimming pool by running the water through an array of pipes on the house roof. That is passive solar heating of the water, and no electricity is generated.

The Rypkas' solar system has no batteries to store power on-site. Instead, extra power is fed into Nevada Power's grid, for a billing credit to the Rypkas. If Nevada Power's grid were to fail, the Rypkas' system would stop generating and they could not draw out any of the surplus energy they had supplied to the company.

Chris Brooks, director of renewable energy for Bombard Electric, says he counsels local clients every day not to buy a battery-storage system, but instead, a "grid-interactive" system like the Rypkas have. Storage made sense only in the days when Nevada Power did not accept or give credits for surplus power, according to Brooks. Transferring electricity into and out of batteries can decrease the final power yield by as much as 30 percent, he says.

Brooks does advise clients who are "off grid" -- out of reach of Nevada Power's network -- to include battery storage in their solar system design. But clients in a city would do better to buy a conventional power generator if one goal is to be able to run electric appliances during a blackout, he notes.

Brooks, too, recently added a solar energy system to his own house, a two-story in northwest Las Vegas. A scissors lift is used to put equipment and installers on the roof. Brooks' system is rated to produce enough electricity to meet about 90 percent of his household's need, based on an analysis of wattage consumed over prior years. Brooks expects to pay Nevada Power about $10 a month for the extra power his family will need, at current prices. That still beats the $110 he was paying per month in prior summers.

Given the peculiarities of his roof, Brooks could not design a system to meet 100 percent of his power needs, without creating ugly aesthetics. That is, the southern-facing portion of his roof had various vents and pipes, which broke up the available space for the photovoltaic array.

And he chose not to prop up his solar panels to the 30-degree angle that is optimal for power production. A typical roof slope is about 22 degrees, which reduces solar production. But propping the panels is "ugly," he says.

The better look is to align panels flat on the roof. Best of all are "roof-integrated" solar panels, which are installed during home construction, flush with the roof itself. Pinnacle Homes built such a solar home as one of the models at its tract, The Vinings, in southwest Las Vegas.

Brooks says potential clients typically raise several worries when they ask him about solar energy. After the ugly factor -- which he says is unfairly exaggerated -- people cite the high cost of installing. Brooks and Rypka say it depends on how you look at it.

Consumers don't flinch at spending $20,000 upfront to obtain transportation, in the form of buying a car, Rypka says. So he doesn't understand why they balk at putting out a similar sum in order to lower their power bills to virtually nil. A car depreciates rapidly, while the typical solar system has a manufacturer's warranty to last decades.

Wouldn't you want to be the person who 20 years ago bought a 20-year supply of gasoline at 1985 prices? Brooks makes that analogy to electricity that is solar-generated, noting that power prices will only rise for the majority of consumers, without solar systems, who have to pay for electricity as they go.

Brooks says research by the home appraisal industry found solar energy systems rate high as a home improvement that increases a home's value. On the other hand, he reports, installing a solar system does not raise a home's assessed value, which is used to calculate the property tax.