April 2013 - Volume 13 - Xcel Energy

thing that makes economic sense over time. And the more people
invest, the more the technology will advance and become more
cost effective for others.”
Karadza pointed out, for example, that with incentive programs
offered by utilities and state and federal governments,
he’s seen the costs of production decrease. When he first installed
his PV system, the PV cell price per watt was $2.40, and
today it is as low as 80 cents per watt.
“The PV system has worked flawlessly,” he said. “It’s been
a reliable and maintenance-free system.”
The obvious success of his PV system encouraged him to explore
other energy-efficient possibilities. He purchased a Toyota
Prius hybrid gas/electric vehicle, and loved it.
But he wanted to see about increasing the vehicle’s range
by making modifications to the car’s battery system. He realized,
however, that it would be more cost-effective to purchase a fully
electric vehicle (EV) due to the high cost of batteries required for
the modification.
Karadza eventually found a Nissan Leaf that had been salvaged
and required extensive body and front-end work. He decided
to purchase it, and set about restoring the EV.
“I’ve always had an interest in high-tech, state-of-the-art
technologies,” he said. “So the possibilities of owning an EV
were very attractive.
“The Nissan Leaf I purchased needed a lot of work to get
it back on the road,” Karadza said. “The cost of reconstruction
wouldn’t make sense for most people, but with my past experience
in vehicle restoration and passion for pursuing the project,
it became a reality.
“My EV purchase was based on the same principles of environmental
stewardship and compliments the PV system,” he added,
“as my excess generation capacity now supports EV charging.”
The only drawback with his Nissan Leaf is the limited range
of only 80 to 100 miles. That is fine for his daily 12-mile commute
to Prairie Island, he said, but added that it would be nice to take
the vehicle on vacation trips.
In Minnesota, however, as well as many other states, a network
of charging stations for EVs is not yet well developed. But
there are definitely possibilities for this to happen in the future,
he said.
“Many EVs can recharge in about 20 minutes, about the
time it takes to sit down and have a cup of coffee,” he said.
“Perhaps charging stations could form a strategic alliance with
coffee shops or similar businesses. I look forward to the spread
of dedicated EV charging stations as this technology is hopefully
embraced by a larger population of commuters.”
Renewable
Karadza was able to do much of the installation work
himself on the solar system at his house (pictured
on page 16), which saved a good deal of money and
made the option all that much more attractive. In addition,
he did plenty of work on a damaged Nissan
Leaf (top, before and after) that he bought at auction,
and also has a wind turbine on his property.
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