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LIFE
Casey Cook of Iowa City pulled out his cell phone and showed me on a special app what the solar energy array he owns was producing for the Pit River Tribe, located some 1,800 miles away in Northern California.
“There was some worry about the fires out there clouding up the solar panels,” he said, “but I can see they are producing normally. Actually, I can check hourly if I want to. It’s California, so of course they get a lot of sun.”
Cook likes the fact that, thanks to his efforts, this American Indian tribe is not only saving on electrical costs, but benefitting the environment as well. And if he, as the owner of the array, can break even or make a little money in the process, so much the better.
“I’m not in it for the money,” he told me. “But I’m not in it to lose money either.”
At 69, Cook says contracting with nonprofit organizations on solar energy projects like this one has become his “retirement passion." He maintains nonprofits are “the odd man out” when it comes to reaping the full benefits of that technology.
Why?
Places like churches, schools, hospitals, tribes and social service nonprofits pay no taxes, he pointed out. That prevents them from enjoying the government tax breaks that make solar so much more attractive to regular businesses and homeowners.
So he figures one solution is for a “social entrepreneur” like him to contract with a nonprofit to build, own and maintain a solar array and transmission equipment attached to a nonprofit’s building. Cook hires solar energy installers to build the systems for him.
The private investor/owner can then reap the tax incentives that make the project financially viable, plus the nonprofit buys the energy from Cook at a lower rate and saves money. In addition, less carbon dioxide enters the atmosphere.
“It’s kind of a new concept, working with nonprofits on this,” Cook said.
Besides the Pit River project, he has installed solar arrays he now owns on two Goodwill Industries buildings in Cedar Rapids, plus another one in Washington, Iowa. Cook is allowed to own the systems and sell energy to the nonprofits, as long as the array serves only the nonprofit’s building. Only utility companies can sell electricity to multiple customers, he said.
The California project was negotiated with assistance from his brother, who lives in Los Angeles. Through an agreement carefully scrutinized by the tribal council, the array was installed on the tribe’s administration building, which also houses its tribal child care center.
Cook said this project had a price tag of $55,000 and is expected to save the tribe $7,000 a year in energy costs. After five years, any of the nonprofits can purchase their system from him if they decide they want to own and operate it themselves.
He can easily keep track of all four of his projects through an app on his iPhone. If there is a problem, he has his solar installers fix it.
“The thing is, can you take advantage of the tax breaks?” he told me. “That keeps down the cost of the array, but the maintenance of equipment can be a disadvantage.”
So how did he get involved in this industry and these projects?
Cook has been a property appraiser most of his career. He came to Iowa City in 1985 and later founded Cook Appraisal, which he operated for almost three decades, selling the business after he experienced a stroke three years ago.
He now wears leg braces, but is walking 10,000 steps a day as part of his recovery regimen, plus actively “working toward full retirement.”
Solar technology has always interested him. Five years ago, he installed arrays on the roof of both his Cook Appraisal building in southeast Iowa City, plus at the Garage Mahaul storage complex he owned with others, located across from Menards.
He said the solar array on the office building is saving $2,500 per year in electrical bills. Those panels installed on the roofs of the 500-unit storage facility are even more profitable, since there are no trees nearby to block the sun.
“Those roofs weren’t returning anything,” he said. “We were able to use them as a resource and make some money off them. I am baffled that every warehouse in town doesn’t have solar.”
As an active investor and solar proponent, Cook seeks more nonprofits for solar projects in Iowa City and Coralville. He is also willing to speak to civic groups on the topic, including the concept of “micro-grids” that can serve small cities.
“Sumner, Iowa, is a good example of an innovative electrical production facility,” he told me. “They have a solar field and solar strategy to complement their existing plant.”
Although Cook said he is just “dipping my toe in that water,” his experience promoting solar to nonprofits has given him an education on what is still a complex technology.
“The arrays I have done so far have saved about 500,000 kilograms of Co2 from getting into the atmosphere,” he stated.
Then he punched his phone calculator to add, “That’s the equivalent of planting 8,333 trees.”
Cook would like to see the day when regulations allow private solar arrays to serve entire condominium complexes or even entire housing developments, something not allowed by Iowa at present.
“You can put solar arrays on condominiums, but they are still not a viable solution for subdivisions unless the utility owns it,” he said. “It’s even more ironic because solar arrays benefit from economies of scale. Larger projects tend to be cheaper in terms of cost per kilowatt.”
He believes the ultimate goal for all involved should be to reduce environmental impact.
“Everybody is after the same thing,” he said, “which is sustainability.”