Boxerwood Goes Solar

Image

A long-term dream is now a reality: Boxerwood has just installed an 11.05 kW solar array, which will supply all of our electricity needs for the Lodge. We recently converted our heating system to electric, and will also be converting our water heater, so that all of our energy usage in the Lodge will be from one renewable source.

The process began in 2018, when Boxerwood began exploring the possibility of converting to solar power. One issue was the lack of shade-free space. The Lodge roof receives too much shade and faces the wrong direction (south-facing is ideal). After consulting with solar experts, we concluded that the best option would be a ground-mounted array in the field. Fortunately the distance from the Lodge was within the practicable range (although just barely) – about 300 linear feet.

The next obstacle was financial. Boxerwood did not have the up-front capital to purchase an array, so we began to look for a donor who could help finance the system. We were fortunate that long-time Boxerwood supporters David and Cathryn Harbor heard about our need. Together we created a win-win arrangement in which the Harbors purchased and own the array. Over the next ten years the Harbors will recoup their investment via monthly payments Boxerwood makes to them using the same rate we have already been paying for conventionally produced electricity. This fancy footwork required a bit of finesse, and we were fortunate to receive the assistance of Cameron Calder, a law student at the Community Legal Practice Center at Washington & Lee, who worked with us to navigate and resolve various legal and financial complexities.

Once we worked out these details, we were ready to install the array. From multiple bids, we chose to work with AltEnergy, a national company with branches in western Virginia. The AltEnergy team installed the array over the course of a single week in late January. Boxerwood is delighted to now be solar-powered, and we are grateful to the Harbors for their partnership. For them, this was an opportunity both to support Boxerwood and to invest in the green economy. For us, going solar means yet another way of putting our values into action--and inspiring others along the way.