Man Offers Free Charging for Electric Cars on His Solar Farm

In the tiny Aspen sleeper community of El Jebel, Colorado, a man is on a mission. Jim Duke has always been known for his environmental streak — back in the 80s he spearheaded efforts to establish recycling and composting programs for Aspen and surrounding communities.

Now he’s spent $84,600 to install a large array of solar panels on his ranch capable of producing 15,000 kilowatt hours of electricity annually — and he’s giving away the power for free to charge any electric cars who’s owners show up on his doorstep.

He’s gotten rid of his gas stove and changed out his gas boiler for an electric one. To further ween his family from carbon, he’s purchased two cars from Miles EV for every day trips to and from town.

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Although the up front costs are huge, Mr. Duke is eligible for nearly $51,000 in federal, state, local and power company credits, which take the edge off just a little bit. Still, $34,000 is a gigantic chunk of change to lay out for a project that could take decades to pay off.

But it doesn’t seem that a pay off is what Jim Duke is looking for — he sees becoming carbon neutral as an obligation to future generations and the planet, saying, “It’s way, way, way past the point for talk. It’s time for action.”

Source: The Aspen Times
Image Credit: Jordan Curet/The Aspen Times

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