Resort creatively lowers electric bill

By Krissi Krob

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Posted: Friday, February 22, 2008 10:14 AM CST

Sterly Engman, an owner of Angels Camp RV & Camping Resort, displays the 456-panel solar array installed last fall at the park. Enterprise photo by Krissi Krob.

When the power bill at Angels Camp RV & Camping Resort got too high, the new owners did more than just shut off a few lights to conserve energy. They decided to go solar, installing 456 170-watt solar panels in a field by the park.

The grid is complete and ready to go, and the park owners are waiting for some last-minute paperwork to be completed before they can turn the system on.

The panels work by capturing sunlight and converting the energy within that light spectrum into a direct current of electricity. That electricity is then transferred to an onsite inverter, which converts the DC electricity to alternating current electricity, which can be used to power a home, office or RV park.

Construction began mid-summer and was completed in December.

“It was quite a major project,” Sterly Engman, one of the RV park’s owner’s, said.

It was also an expensive one. The grid was installed to the tune of half a million dollars, but the benefits will far outweigh the costs over time, Engman said. The owners anticipate monthly savings of $2,000 or more, he said. Also, the system will operate the entire park, including heating the swimming pool.

For the complete story, see Friday’s print edition of the Calaveras Enterprise or our e-Edition.

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