The Wilsons can do that because, for the most part, their home is energy self-sufficient, thanks to the recent installation of solar panels on the roof. The panels essentially sit there, collecting sunlight that is then turned into energy used to power the home’s electric needs and heat the structure.

Actually, the home still receives electricity from Halifax Electric Coop, just as it always has. The difference now is the home is also producing electricity and sending that power out via a second meter. That electricity goes on the power grid and is sold to North Carolina Green Power, a non profit agency trying to supplement the state’s utility company’s power needs by collecting energy from renewable sources, then feeding that energy onto the electric grid.

After careful study and planning in choosing and installing the solar power system, the Wilson’s say over the course of a year they will put more power onto the grid than they will take off.

But, there will be some energy from the home’s solar power unit that will never go onto the grid. The home’s heat, for instance, is solar powered. Robert Wilson explained the three largest of the solar panels are water-heating units. The water goes through the panels, then flows into a holding tank in the house, here it is used to heat the structure. During periods of cloudy days, or at night when winter temperatures drop considerably, the system has a propane backup that keeps the circulating water hot.

The 22 electricity producing solar panels – known as solar photovoltaic panels – are more light sensitive, meaning even on cloudy days they can store the sun’s energy.
In addition to the power being generated and put out on the electric grid, Robert said they could live off of the solar-generated power during a power outage. He lifts a large lid of a wooden storage bin to reveal a bank of 24 batteries, all resembling car batteries. The power generated by their solar unit is stored here first, and only after the batteries are full does it flow from the house.

“If the power went out and we had no sunlight, we could make it three days on the electricity stored here,” he said.

Jean Wilson, who says theirs is the first solar energy home in the area, has been wanting to do this for a long time.

“This is a dream of mine that started back in the 1970s, when we had the first energy crisis,” she said.

During that period, when many of the world’s petroleum producing nations banded together to limit world supply, the Wilsons were living in Goldsboro, and the expense of utilizing solar heating made it impossible for them.

Technology advancements have made it more affordable, and the couple knew they would one day have a solar-power home.

“When we looked for land at the lake, we didn’t even look for anything on the south shore.” She explained that a home on the north shore, with a clear view to the south, has more exposure to the sun.

In 1991 they built their Lake Gaston home – the log cabin being another dream for them – and they’ve been living there full-time since 1999. Even in building the home, Robert Wilson said they paid careful attention to making the house efficient. He said the logs used in the home have a high insulation factor, and the windows are also of the type that h old in heat.

Despite advances in technology, putting in a solar power system can still be expensive. Robert said theirs cost about $58,000.

“People ask us all the how long will it take for us to get our money back out of it,” he said. Over the course of a year, he said they will earn more on the electricity they sell than what they pay, and he said there are a number of federal and state tax incentives that, over time, make the move more affordable.

“It’s about more than that, though. Like anything else, there’s more than the monetary value of what we are doing,” Robert said.

“It’s sort of my mission,” said Jean,” to share with the world that God provided all the energy we need. We don’t have to send him a check every month. It’s all right there in the sun. It doesn’t pollute the environment; it’s not dependent on some other country providing us with resources.”