21st century technology powers 18th century house
By Gene Robbins, Managing Editor
Making hay while the sun shines
21st century technology powers 18th-century house
From left, Randy Smith, John Williams, Harry Smith and Brian Deene stand near the array of solar panels installed on part of a hayfield on East Mountain Road. The Smiths hired the company represented by Williams and Deene to install the energy system.
Solar
– 8SOLAR-
Gene RobbinsManaging Editor
Part of the Smith family hayfield on East Mountain Road has given way to a 21st century crop kilowatts.
Perhaps a half acre on the open field next to the circa-1725 house and 19th-century barn has made way for four rows of solar panels that should generate enough electricity for the Smiths to offset the power needs on their family compound, saving about $12,000 a year.
The project, which was activated Memorial Day weekend, may be the largest residential solar project in Somerset County, said representatives of American Renewable Energy, which built the project.
Expensive? The Smiths won’t say precisely. They’ll only say its price is about the cost of a three-bedroom, 3,000-square-foot house in Hillsborough. Even at that, it should pay for itself in five years, Harry Smith said.
There are all kinds of economic and tax incentives, including a 30 percent federal tax credit in the first year, said Brian Deene, senior project manager for ARE, the 4-year-old Piscataway-based company that built the project.
As the system continues to work, it’ll also bring the Smiths energy certificates that can be traded like stocks and accumulate like dividends.
While it makes economic sense, Mr. Smith sees solar power as another facet of a life of community service. He designed the municipal complex and oversaw the construction of the YMCA; similar work in building the 4-H center in Milltown and the Flagtown firehouse. He sold 55 acres of his property to Somerset County to allow an open-space link between the Sourlands Preserve and Ann Van Middlesworth Park.
"The community’s been good to me, and I’m just giving back," said Mr. Smith, a Rotary Club member who lives by its motto of "Service Above Self," he said,
Mr. Smith said he’s endured doubters and conspiratorialists who think solar power is environmental jive. But it’s only modernizing the power of the sun a concept embraced in ancient Egypt and earlier and is not going to go away, Mr. Deene said.
In the sunny daytime, all of the solar panels will generate a maximum output of 600 volts of electricity, similar to what an arc welder would produce, Mr. Deene said. It makes the meter on the side of the house run backward.
At night, the Smiths will draw electricity from the regional power grid. Interestingly, the panels, whose efficiency will be impaired slightly on the hottest days, will generate the most electricity in April and October, said John Williams, vice president for residential sales.
The 40 kilowatts per year will be enough to power the homes, swimming pool, lighted tennis court and barn, which serves as a family "party room" and a repository of treasured collectibles. The state won’t allow a project to go bigger than expected use on the property unless you build a solar farm, which Mr. Smith said he’s thinking about.
The Smiths first thought about solar panels on the barn, but even covering the entire south-facing roof would have generated about 35 percent to 40 percent of their needs, Mr. Smith said.
There are no batteries, but 176 panels, each with 60 silicon wafer-thin tiles with interconnected electrical contacts. The power goes into an underground cable to the buildings. The panels point true south, Mr. Williams said, and their angle to the sun is adjustable to the season.
The Smith family has a strong community tradition. Brother Elliott was a state assemblyman about 30 years ago and his father, C. Elliott, founded the Hillsborough Planning Board in 1942, he said. Harry’s son, Randy, has had many local government volunteer posts, including the Municipal Utilities Authority and Board of Adjustment.
Randy Smith, his wife Diane and their four sons live in house nearer the road. Harry Smith and his wife, Vera, live in part of the barn.
"My sons will be the fourth generation to live on this property," Randy Smith said.
With the solar project up and running, Randy Smith said he plans to convert his heating system from a natural gas-fired boiler to electricity to further cash in on the savings.
Working with the Smiths was both easy and a challenge, Mr. Williams said. It was straightforward because the Smiths understood the technology, but challenging because the Smiths knew the electrical business sufficiently to have higher expectations, Mr. Williams said.
Mr. Deene said he often fields questions from solar doubters who think the whole emphasis is a fad.
But it’s not the same as 8-track players or CB radios, he said. Solar power saves the environment and make money, he said. It makes sense, even for buildings heated with wood more than 275 years ago.

