Solar Pie is on the path to getting approval from the IRS to become a 501(c)3 tax exempt organization.

There were two specific SVP events that have had a lasting impact on us. At the 2007 SVP International Conference we attended a break-out session called “Accelerating your Impact” with PLAN founders Al Etmanski and Vickie Cammack. They shared that “To achieve sustainability, one needs to get its principles, concepts and values into the ‘water supply.’ We kept coming around to that question. What does it mean to get solar power education into to everyday lives of those around us and “into the water” ?

The second event was a breakout session by Randy Ottinger who spoke about leaving a legacy. His question was what do I/we want to make last for our family and our community? As Scott and I mulled this question we felt called to do what we could to accelerate the adoption of safe, clean renewable solar energy. We believe that solar energy is right on three levels:

Safe, Clean and Infinite Source of Power for the future
Good for the Environment
Good for National Security

Thanks SVP for informing and empowering us to take the next step. Willow Russell and Eric Becker from the SVP staff made a video of our story. We are so grateful to SVP for the opportunity to tell the story of
how SVP taught us to step out and take action. Our story is your story too.

We are newbies to radio interviews so Scott and I had butterflies in our stomachs when we were entering the Fisher Plaza Building home to KOMO News. Charlie gave us a tour of the KOMO TV News set, KOMO Online as well as all of the KOMO radio studios. Fun Fact..did you know that the Fisher Plaza building is the stand in used for "Seattle Grace" the hospital in Gray's Anatomy?

It was great to see the sets, the cameras the staff and the technical underpinnings up close and in person. Believe me there is a lot of technical staff time and technical knowledge that goes into reporting the news that comes into our homes every day.

It is an art to funnel, sift, clarify and clearly communicate the events in our world. Both Scott and I walked away with an new appreciation for those professionals who work to inform, enlighten, and educate us. What a valuable service they provide.

Thank you to KOMO and to Charlie Harger for allowing two homeowners from Capitol Hill to tell our story.

Starting at 11:30 September 2nd, 2009 this very parking lot at 401 Eastlake Avenue E.,in Seattle will be transformed for the Solar Pie Kick Off Event. Starting at noon the clock will reflect the real time production metrics from the Solar Pie roof on top of the PEMCO Building.

All Solar Pie Members are invited. To become a Solar Pie member click here.

Gabriel Campanario sketched this view of the Iconic PEMCO Clock for The Seattle Times, July 29, 2009 issue.

Seattle Sketcher Sketch is Copyright 2009, Seattle Times Company. Used with permission

Thanks to PEMCO’s generous support of Solar Pie, the readerboard will also show the amount of electricity being generated by a home-sized solar panel installation on the PEMCO roof.

During daylight hours, the PEMCO readerboard will show actual kilowatts being generated; at night, the readout will indicate reductions in carbon emissions made possible by the solar panels.

Starting September 2nd, Web surfers will also be able to track the data via the Internet and Solar Pie widget.

Solar Pie plans to launch similar projects in major cities across the United States to clearly demonstrate the benefits of solar power, and to inspire people everywhere to consider solar power as a source for safe, clean, sustainable energy.

The Solar Pie Seattle demonstration project was made possible with the generous support from PEMCO. Seattle-based contractors McKinstry served as project managers, and regulatory oversight was provided by Seattle City Light and the Seattle Department of Planning and Development.

The Seattle Sketcher drew this sketch of the "Iconic PEMCO Clock" July 29th, 2009. as the PEMCO sign hit 100 degrees for the first time. Thanks to Seattle Times artist Gabriel Campanario.

Our launch on September 2nd will be held at the very location the Seattle Sketcher sketched this picture. We chose this location for our launch for the very same reasons as the Seattle Sketcher..because it has a fantastic view of the "Iconic PEMCO Clock".

Thank you to Gabriel Campanario for this wonderful image. See more of his work here at the Seattle Times.

From there we showed them the two electric meters we have at our house. One meter records all of the electricity created by our solar panels and the second meter records the electricity use in our home. It was a great moment when Nancy Bartley saw our solar production meter moving forward and the meter for our electricity use actually running backwards. We were no longer consumers of electricity we were generators of safe, clean, renewable electricity beyond what we use in our home. We were sending all of this wonderful excess energy back to feed our neighbors fans on that hot August day.

There has been so much written about the cost of Solar Energy. We view it from a different perspective; solar installations build elasticity into the grid. Solar installations are like that great pair of pants with an elastic waist. They are a smart, economical way to build flex into the grid…avoiding blackouts on those hot summer days when everyone on the grid turns on their fans to cool down.