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The sky is blue, the sun is green photo by Bob Pennell Ashland solar-energy project brings �green power� to light By Sara Murphy ASHLAND � This city known for Shakespeare also may have the world�s only solar-powered police station. On a good day, the top of Ashland�s cop shop can soak up enough rays to spark life into 15,000 100-watt light bulbs. Though the 15-kilowatt solar electric generating system on the roof doesn�t supply enough energy to fully power the police station � which runs day and night, rain or shine � city officials say it�s a step toward a "greener" future for the Ashland electric grid. "These systems are going to be on the roof for 30 years," said Frank Bignola, a University of Oregon solar energy expert. "People will get used to seeing them, then they�ll get used to ignoring them." Solar celebration What : A ceremony celebrating completion of Ashland solar energy program. When : 10:30 a.m. today. Where : Ashland Civic Center, 1175 E. Main Street. A headline in Thursday�s Mail Tribune gave an incorrect day for this event. The panels on the police station are part of the Ashland Solar Pioneer Program, a city-sponsored initiative to teach citizens about solar power as an alternative energy source and to make system costs more affordable. The civic center, which is connected to the police station, is home to one of the program�s 5-kilowatt systems. Similar systems sit atop the Southern Oregon University library and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival�s brick administration building. At each of the project�s four sites, energy generated from the sun�s rays will help feed the building�s electrical needs. "The power produced from this system first goes for use by this building," said Ashland administrative services director Dick Wanderscheid. "Any surplus energy that�s not used will actually turn the meter backwards." The civic center is the only building in the program that may not use all the energy it generates. At the others, solar energy will help cut back on the amount of conventional energy the organizations buy from the city, Wanderscheid said. The Ashland electric grid uses about 19 megawatts � or 19 million watts � of energy per year. Most of the power on the grid is purchased from conventional sources, mostly hydroelectric power produced by dams, but some also comes from the burning of fossil fuel and nuclear power. As part of its effort to support environmentally friendly power, the city�s municipal electric utility agreed to purchase one megawatt of "green" electricity each year from the Bonneville Power Administration. That�s energy generated in the Northwest from solar energy, wind or methane produced from "rotting garbage," Wanderscheid said. But it doesn�t come cheap. "The difference between buying a megawatt of green power and a megawatt of conventional power is about $135,000," Wanderscheid said. Since solar-panel technology is still relatively new and rare, the system could take up to 100 years to pay for itself. "You have to deal with this issue of getting people to pay the big cost up front, but then they get free power for years," Wanderscheid said. Because of those costs, Ashland�s solar project is more idealistic than economical. Luckily, Ashland citizens are idealistic enough to make it work. More than 250 residents agreed to a $4 per month voluntary surcharge for the next two years to help pay back SOU and OSF for their investments, which will probably total about $15,000, Wanderscheid said. He is one of the "solar pioneers" who volunteered to help pay for the program and "get the satisfaction of supporting solar power." What the university and the Shakespeare festival get is special reimbursement from that surcharge for every kilowatt hour of energy generated by their solar panel systems, which will help them recoup their investments in less than 10 years. In the future, Ashland plans to promote the solar program to smaller businesses and homes. Wanderscheid said the city may offer loans or by-the-kilowatt rebates to folks who install solar panels on their roofs. "I saw thousands of square feet of roofs out there as I flew over," said Doug Boleyn, a Portland energy consultant. "They�re keeping people dry but not producing any energy. Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA