La Cañada ushered in the sun as the first business in the city went solar.
With the flip of a switch Wednesday afternoon La Cañada Eye Care at 1419 Foothill Boulevard went to full solar power.
“I am quite excited,” said Dr. Tony Chahine, owner of the business.
Chahine said he had thought of going solar for some time but never found the right time. Then, as his business grew and he went from having one air conditioning unit to a second one, he thought “this is the time.”
As luck would have it, Philippe Hartley of Phat Energy, a La Crescenta-based solar company, was a patient of the doctor’s.
“Talk about six degrees of separation. [Hartley] was a patient, his office manager is a patient and my mom taught [Hartley’s] kids,” Chahine said.
He and Hartley began talking about the solar possibilities. They also began working closely with the city and Mayor Steve Del Guercio.
“This is a bold step,” Del Guerico said of the solar conversion.
Hartley said the process of going solar was made easier by the city’s positive response.
“We streamlined the permitting process [regarding] solar installation,” Del Guercio said.
“Some of the [changes] dealt with zoning and the visibility of [the equipment],” Hartley said. He added that the city embraced the solar concept.
The city was one part of the equation; the other was the federal and state allowance for solar power.
“The initial expense [for Chahine] was to purchase and install [the equipment],” Hartley said.
Over 50% of the costs were refunded between tax credits from the federal and state government and a solar initiative by Southern California Edison, Hartley said.
Chahine and Hartley agreed that the solar power should zero out the business’s electric cost within one year.
“Zero out means that at the end of one year, when you add up the [bills] during the peak summer months I cannot produce enough power to cool this place but for eight months I produce more power than I need. So I sell the [excess] power to Southern California Edison,” Chahine said.
But beyond the costs savings, Chahine said he felt that going solar was a social responsibility.
“I will feel less guilty when I use the air conditioning,” Chahine said.
He added that his father works for Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
“I grew up with JPL, my dad has been there for 48 years. Now I feel I am not just an employee family [member]. I feel a real kinship with JPL.”
Hartley said since La Cañada is home to JPL, and solar power is possible in part to the lab’s research, it is appropriate that this city starts turning to the sun for energy.
“We should be one of California’s great solar cities,” Hartley said.
