“Solar, Wind and Wood: Sustainable Energy Options”

Solar power as a backyard moneymaker — for nearly no upfront costs? Ohio State University’s Fred Michel will talk about it at an upcoming sustainable energy workshop in Wooster.

“Solar, Wind and Wood: Sustainable Energy Options” takes place 7-9 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 23, at the Prentke Romich Company (PRC), 1022 Heyl Rd. (County Road 39). Admission is free and open to the public.

A composting and bioenergy researcher by day, a solar energy proponent by night — fueled by sunlight captured during the day of course — Michel will discuss residential solar photovoltaics (PV), including from his own experience with his own home system.

“There are so many incentives, not to mention environmental reasons, to install solar PV, that every homeowner should be seriously considering it,” he said. “Together these incentives make installing a solar system a money-making proposition.”

He’ll explain the process of getting PV installed on your home and how a solar PV system can provide a greater return on investment over the next 10 years than investing the same amount of money in the bank.

Further, he noted, a new Ohio law on municipal financing “allows you to pay off the investment in your PV system through an increase in your property taxes and makes the upfront costs of installing PV essentially zero.”

A Wooster resident, Michel holds a joint appointment with Ohio State’s Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC) and with Ohio State University Extension.

Also on the panel:

• Bernie Caldwell, owner of Caldwell Energy Options and a high school industrial technology and physics teacher, on wind power.

• Mike Powers, lead design engineer with Meggitt Aircraft Braking Systems, on solar thermal and passive solar.

• John Lehman, assistant store manager and stove department manager with Lehman’s of Kidron, on wood stoves.

The second in a series of homeowner clinics sponsored by the Wayne County Sustainable Energy Network, the program will feature a question-and-answer format, and participants are encouraged to bring their questions for discussion.

For more information, call 330-262-7785 or visit http://www.wcsen.org.