Woe is the aging process! It creeps up on us very gently every day. If we’re lucky, we don’t lose it all at once. I don’t think it’s something a ‘one-a-day’ can mend. Well, it’s simply inevitable.

The numbers keep going upward. In the old days, analogue car odometers only went up to 99,999 miles, so when a car turned 100 thousand miles the odometer turned to 00000.0. And at that brief moment, if we were lucky enough to catch it, we sometimes pulled over just to get a Kodak or Polaroid photo for a keepsake. It was like getting a new ride without the new car payment. Yip-ee! Well almost.

Much like the ticking away of that car odometer, Solar/PV ownership operates on a slow and steady principle, and somehow I turned 100 and totally missed it! The numbers add up. System 1 has produced 72,211 kWh, System 2 = 18,066, and System 3 = 13,487. My roughly 5.29kW PV has grown to a little over 11.01kW over the past ten years, generating a whopping 103,764 kWh, for a grand total of 103.76 MWh life-time-to-date site generation. Heck, I didn’t just miss 100! I missed 101 and 102, and barely even caught 103! Can 104 be that far in the rear view? Well, I certainly hope so!

Where does all that electricity go?

Well, aside from every power outlet in the house, the EV battery, and then onto the grid, mostly in MY pocket. Really, ALL in my back pocket. Since I own my solar I didn’t have to pay the utility for 103,764 kWh of power, nor delivery of that energy. At my rough rate of $ 0.18 cents per kWh that is a whopping $18,677.50 of electricity cost avoided. Adjusted for pre-tax income at 22% it adds up to $22.786.57 (ever further skyward if you find yourself in the 30-38% income earning tax brackets). That is tax-free income I didn’t have to work to earn.

Ownership of a VARA SOLAR PV system definitely works for me!

Kermit the Frog said, “It ain’t easy being green!” but with VARA SOLAR it is! And with the Federal government still offering 26% towards your solar PV installation/ownership, you only pay 74% of the initial investment, but you own 100% of the revenue! In addition, some states still offer local incentives like energy credits to sell on the open market. For example, in New Jersey, a 10kW system generates about $250 per month in Solar Renewable Energy Credits for fifteen years.

Just like me, perhaps someday with a bit of long-term, “steady Eddie” patience, you too can turn 100, and feel fantastic about it! Heck, maybe you can even stop for a moment, break out your Kodak or Polaroid (fine, smartphone) and preserve the accomplishment. Your grandkids will probably find it quaint.

The best time to start is right now, because just like your electric meter, it keeps on adding up those numbers whether you like it or not. My advice? Get Solar PV and push it back your way!

Next month: why you absolutely have to get rid of your methane kitchen cooktop.