TULSA, Okla. — An initiative to Solarize Green Country is underway to provide a cleaner and more resilient Oklahoma.
Tulsa resident, Julie Skye, said going solar changed her life and she hopes others will join the movement.
“Every time I drive up to my house, I feel that I have taken control of my future and I am empowered,” Skye said.
It only takes one glance at Julie's home to see she's an environmentalist. From her flourishing gardens and creek-side abode to the solar panels glistening on her roof.
“Today I can be wasteful,” Skye joked. “I leave the front door open because I have solar. So, the whole concept of conservation I built into my house, and how to make it as energy efficient as possible."
Skye recently invested in solar panels installed by Solar Power of Oklahoma https://solarpowerok.com/ and joins the initiative to Solarize Green Country. The movement is to make solar energy and battery storage more affordable and accessible for homeowners, businesses, and nonprofits in the area.
“Right now, Oklahoma has .6 percent of the state has solar,” Mark Heiliger, Solar Advisor for Solar Power Oklahoma, said. “It's also the sixth sunniest state in the U.S., so we have some of the most potential, but some of the least amount of production.”
Solarize Green Country consists of a group buying program to ensure fair prices for consumers, meaning the more people who buy, the cheaper the cost, which is the goal.
“Solar power is the most efficient and cleanest way to produce energy and it is an ability to take control back from the monopolies of electric companies and really create and own your own production of electricity,” Heiliger said.
For Skye, it's also a way to get peace of mind when natural disasters strike, like the June derecho or the ice storm of 2007.
“I want to know that the next time we are without power for a week, I'm not without power,” Skye said.
This kind of power independence is only possible with a battery-operated system, but solar panels can still be used to decrease power bills without it, which Skye said is still a win. She also said the investment is already showing reward.
“My monthly payment is less than my average payment for my electricity bill every month,” she said.
For Skye, solar power means less time worrying about her bills and more time tending to her gardens and life essentially off the grid.
For more information about Solarize Green Country visit https://www.solarcrowdsource.com/campaign/solarize-green-country/
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