mtvSolar marks César Chávez Day with service

Mountain View Solar celebrates a company Day of Service in the communities where we live and work during the last week of March, in honor of the Latino civil rights and agricultural labor organizer César Chávez. In 2014, César Chávez Day was declared a U.S. commemorative holiday on March 31 in honor of Chávez’ birthday. Chávez worked to improve the labor and living conditions of migrant farm workers, particularly in Arizona and California, where César Chávez Day is a state holiday.

Mike McKechnie

mtvSolar has a company commitment to service, but president and founder Mike McKechnie chose to honor the day for a very personal reason, as he explained in a company message:

“I was adopted when I was 2 weeks old, and raised in a wonderful, loving family. My Mom and Dad, sisters Mary and Kiki, and my brother Pete; this is my family, and I love them all so much. I have had a great life, full of opportunities, and chances to do what I thought I might want to, always supported and allowed to think differently and follow my dreams by my family. My birth mother was Cookie Goepel (Cookie passed away earlier this year) and my birth father was César Chávez (César died in 1993, probably as a complication from his last fast). I always felt like I could not tell people or talk about it growing up and most of my adult life, until now,” said Mike.

Chávez and his family became migrant workers after his parents lost their farm in Arizona during the Great Depression. He worked alongside siblings in several migrant camps, then left to serve two years in the U.S. Navy. After his service, he returned to migrant farmwork in Arizona and California.

César Chávez

“César spent the rest of his life fighting for la causa (the cause).  He was a civil rights, Latino and farm labor leader; a community organizer and social entrepreneur; a champion of militant nonviolent social change; and a crusader for the environment and consumer rights.  He was best known for his efforts to gain better working conditions for the thousands of workers who labored on farms for low wages and under severe conditions.  His legacy is of serving the under-served, of championing for the greater good,” Mike said. “This is a part of my story, and my heritage.”

Company employees will contribute their time and expertise with a variety of non-profit agencies in Berkeley Springs, WV and Winchester, VA to support their missions.

Employees will be lending a hand at The Kids Club of Northern Shenandoah Valley, Humane Society of Morgan County, Morgan County Starting Points and Morgan County Early Head Start.

“I want us all to go and help the less fortunate people in our communities. Give them a hand with the things they need help with,” said Mike.

Get in shape for summer – prep solar plans in winter to maximize energy payback all year

The sun shines year ‘round, so why does timing matter when it comes to designing and installing a solar energy system for your home or business? As Danny Chiotos, our Director of Product Delivery, explains, cold weather months are the best time to take steps towards adding solar to your home, farm or business. The goal, he said, is to be ready to generate electricity when the sun is shining brightest.

Danny Chiotos

Summer offers the most solar generation potential from your panels, giving you a chance to “overproduce” energy – generate more energy than your home, farm or business needs. 

In areas where homeowners can sell Solar Renewable Energy Credits (SRECs), that extra energy can generate funds over and above the free energy you gain for your own use. But even in states that don’t offer that benefit, covering your own energy usage through solar generation translates to instant savings. In summer, our customers see their panels working at their top performance, building up the “energy bank” to offset lower production months.

Sizing a solar energy system, setting up financing, securing permits and installing the components doesn’t happen instantly. “The process is months long,” Danny explains. The ideal time to get in touch with mtvSolar is when winter has settled in. That will allow solar panels to be installed early in the year, and turned on to capture the sun as production capabilities start to rise.

“There are noticeable rises in production from March to September and October,” Danny said.

Production graphs show the monthly solar output of a 9.45-kilowatt roof-mount system in Jefferson County, WV.

As he explains, if a home solar energy system produces more than a customer’s electricity demand in a month, a customer has no energy costs (other than the fixed fee from the electric utility) and can have additional kilowatt hours that roll into the next month. In mild months like September, a home system could still be “building the bank” of excess energy, since there is generally lower energy demand – less need for air conditioning a home and only occasional days that require heat.  Even with lower solar energy production of fall, the system has still put the homeowner ahead.

Solar production is at its lowest rate in the winter and energy demand goes up. It’s a predictable cycle, and one that mtvSolar’s consultants build into their custom plans for each home, farm or business.

If solar energy is on your list of priorities for the year, now is the optimal time to get in touch with us. Tell us your energy goals, and we will design a system that can meet them. Taking a few steps now will make it possible to capture the full potential of the summer sun, and put it to work for you as the seasons unfold.