Leo Sunergy Blog

CENTREVILLE, Md — Concerns about climate change and a new president pushing green energy are breathing life into renewable power. But the Schnoebelens were solar pioneers when Jimmy Carter installed solar panels in the White House as a symbolic step toward energy independence. In 1980, the couple bought 25 acres a mile off Coon Box Road, 28 miles from the Bay Bridge, and built a solar-heated cabin. Ten years later, they moved into their bungalow, designed by a solar architect to keep the heat inside in the winter and out in the summer.

In the summer, they spend only $30 a month on air conditioning, because the house is shaded by 120-foot poplars and oaks. In February, the Schnoebelens used 29 kilowatts of power, one-thirty-third of the energy consumed by the average utility customer.

For the full Washington Post story, click here.