Crestline resident commits to harness sun

One Mountain Brook residence can now harness the power of the sun.  

In mid-September, Samuel Yates made city history when he installed Mountain Brook’s first ground-mounted solar energy power system at his home on Lake Drive in Crestline. Yates said the 40-module, 12,000-watt system can generate about 40 percent of his home’s energy during daylight hours. 

“The recommendation is to always invest in solar. Buy one. You need one for your house,” Yates said with a chuckle. “I say that tongue in cheek.”

Yates is the owner of Eagle Solar & Light, a company that specializes in the design, installation and service of solar energy systems for residential and commercial use. He founded the company in March and has since completed projects throughout the Birmingham metro area, including installations at the Alabama Environmental Council Community Recycling Center in Avondale and the climbing tower at Red Mountain Park. 

The systems installed by Eagle Solar & Light convert sunlight into a usable form of energy. They are intended to shift buildings to at least partial reliance on solar power, which is clean and renewable.

Before his team of five started construction on the ground-mount system in mid-August, Yates said he first had to gain approval from City Hall, the city planning commission and his neighbors. 

Once he got the green light, Yates said, the installation process lasted four weeks. The system became energized, or fully operational, Sept. 22.  

“Everybody’s interested because you don’t see them anywhere in this town,” Yates said. “This is like solar in general: There’s so little sold that people don’t know much about it, but they’re very interested and ask great questions.” 

Yates’ rectangular grid is in a grassy space behind his backyard. It is secured in the ground by concrete, and he said it can sustain winds of up to 150 miles per hour. Notably, the grid is equipped with a sprinkler system that Yates has been running for six hours a day. The solar modules lose efficacy if they get too warm, he said, so the constant mist prevents them from overheating. 

Yates said the retail price of the system, including installation,  hovers around $30,000. He said it is projected to generate $2,100 in annual utility savings. 

Yates said the average residential solar system typically pays for itself in 10 to 12 years. Corporate installations, on the other hand, pay for themselves twice as quickly, Yates said.     

“Everybody’s concerned about economics, but many people are concerned about other things as well: leaving this planet in better shape for our children and grandchildren, for example, reducing our carbon footprint,” Yates said. 

For more information on Eagle Solar & Light, call 202-2208, go to eaglesolarandlight.com or find it on Facebook.