In early August, Libby Hill activated her new SolarEdge phone app and saw what she had been waiting for: Her rooftop solar panels were generating electricity at last.
It was October when Hill started talking with friends and researching options in earnest. “I honestly am flummoxed about how to make my personal carbon footprint lower,” she wrote in an email to this reporter at the time. Research led her to Solar Switch, which organizes group buying programs, and a referral to a solar installation company, Nelnet Renewable Energy. Using satellite imagery, Nelnet confirmed that, even among the big trees of northwest Evanston, her house has enough sun exposure to make rooftop solar cost effective.
By then it was February. Nelnet technicians inspected the roof and, after some discussion, presented a proposal to install 12 panels on the south-facing half of the roof. Thanks to federal funds allocated in the 2022…
