Powered by our own roof
This page was first written before we went solar. Today, most of our energy comes from the solar array on the home studio roof, and Rick installed it himself.
In fact, Rick built bäh-fō! sTudio from scratch, from digging the trench to doing the roof, and that’s him in the photos of building the studio. How many engineers know how to produce a hit song and also dig a trench for the studio? Or DIY the roof and install the solar?
Our system
- About 21 kW of solar panels, a Sol-Ark 15K inverter and 45 kWh of battery storage (three batteries of about 15 kWh each, wired in parallel).
- The 15K runs the whole house and studio. Everything is on it, not just a few “critical circuits.”
- Rick did it all himself, one step at a time: we started with a Pika system, moved up to a Sol-Ark 12K, then upgraded to the 15K.
- On the roof: 43 Silfab 300 W panels. Beside the back studio wall: nine 420 W panels. In the Florida room the panels are mounted vertically, and their black backs help heat the room in winter.
- We’re off grid more often than on, with whole days fully off grid even in December. Our goal is 100%.
- Driving on sunshine: from 2013 to mid-2026 we drove about 250,000 gas-free miles, mostly charged from our own roof, starting with a 2013 Nissan Leaf.
- The system was paid for by the gas money we didn’t spend.
A new mini array for the studio
In October 2026 Rick started building a new mini array dedicated to the studio: four Silfab 300 W panels on tilted racking on a southwest-facing cement wall. He installed the first panel on October 25, 2026.
Talks
Rick also shares what he’s learned with the community. In October 2026 he gave “Demystifying EVs” for the Green Conshy Collaborative, and “Demystifying Solar” is coming.
Why we are Green
We believe that the Earth is our mother, the source of all
life; that we are interconnected with all other life on the planet.
We humans share common ansestry with other creatures and must live in harmony
with, in stead of domion over, other life on the planet. We should treat
the Earth like our mother, cherish and protect her, preserve her natural beauty
for all future generations.
Air Polution The Largest Single Issue We Face Right
Now.... and it is tied to water and land pollution - CO2 emissions will top 40
Billion tons this year. This is the cause of global climate change.
Global Warming Is A Reality and it is caused by
human activity.
THEREFORE: We are
active & aggressive in reducing our carbon footprint on the Earth.
We must be in balance with the
rhythms of nature. A green company is one that lives in harmony with all
the inhabitants of the Earth. Humans are part of this world, not outside
of it not above it. Our modern economic system is based on a misguided philosophy
and will by it's nature colapse. Global warming and the destruction of a
habitable biosphere by mankind is a reality. Only those who are paid by large corporate
fossil fuel interests say otherwise. The
changes that are taking place on the planet should be obvious even to the most
obtuse observer. Therefore, we are trying to be as energy
independent as possible. We will to do our part in this fight to eliminate
fossil fuel burning especially for transportation, electrical generation and
heating.
You can be the change yourself. Make up your mind that you will be green
and start the process.
How We Are Green
Before going solar, we powered the studio with 100% wind and solar energy, both non-polluting clean energy sources, through:
CleanChoice Energy (formerly Ethical Electric).
We donate a
portion of all our income to environmental awareness and political action on
these issues.
We use 100% recycled paper when we must print.
Our Printers use 100% recycled cartrages, which we load ourselves.
Conservation
- electricity - all studio illumination provided by LED lights which are up to 98% more efficient than regular light bulbs.
- gas - we don't buy it. Transportation started with our 2013 Nissan Leaf, 100% electric. From 2013 to mid-2026 we drove about 250,000 gas-free miles, mostly charged from our own roof.
- water - all the toilets and shower heads are low flow.
- water - we collect rain water for garden & washing cars etc.
Power Generation: the early days, before the solar array
- we have made our own battery banks that can run for months at a time to generate small amounts of electricity.
- we conserved so much that solar & wind power is our exclusive source of power.
- Backup power - we use a tri fuel generator (gas, natural gas and propane) we run the generator off of propane. Soon to be replaced by a hydrogen system.
- The studio will run for several hours if the main power goes out. So far it has been enough time to finish an recording session. This actually happened once read more here.
We Are Recycling
- paper
- cardboard
- plastic
- aluminum
- steel
- copper
- clothing - etc.
- composting of all kitchen scraps, and yard waste
- when shopping we bring our own bags
- we have stainless steel water bottles and have stopped buying bottled water (ours system is double filtered)
We recycle as much as we can.
Our goal is to be 100% alternative power and 0% fossil fuel in the near future.
More coming soon.
