Harnessing the Sun: Lennox couple’s home runs fully on solar energy

A lifelong passion of computers and electricity helped a Lennox newcomer build a solar powered home capable of withstanding all the weather South Dakota has thrown its way.

Growing up in the suburbs of Minneapolis, Minnesota, Brandon Trocke found a passion in computers, electricity, and figuring out the mechanics behind everyday objects. 

“This is where I learned about renewable energy and my passion grew into a career choice,” Trocke said.

Leaving Minneapolis for Dakota State University in 2013, Trocke earned an undergraduate degree in Network Security and Administration, followed by a master’s degree in information assurance and computer security. “While at DSU, I met my wife, Kasey Trocke, who now teaches agriculture and serves as the FFA Advisor in Lennox, where we have made our home ever since,” he said.

Before settling in Lennox, Brandon and Kasey often discussed benefits of solar power and dreaming of ways to incorporate solar into their forever home. “I have been interested in solar and battery powered systems for a long time. Back at our previous house, I would often imagine installing a setup like the one we have now, but at that time, there weren’t many affordable options on the market,” Trocke said.

Solar power works by converting sunlight into electricity thought photovoltaic (PV) effect. 

“At a high-level overview, solar panels create electricity by exposing sunlight to a photovoltaic cell. This cell is primarily made from semiconducting materials that once exposed to sunlight release electrons creating DC electric current,” Trocke said.

With renewable energy technology becoming more advanced, cost effective, and reliable, the Trocke’s decided their new home would incorporate the designs from the beginning. 

“We built our home from the ground up which gave us the opportunity to be involved in every stage of the planning process. From the start, I designed the house to be as energy efficient as possible and made sure it was ready for solar,” he said.

The research Trocke had done from years ago became useful as he planned each phase of his new home. 

“We chose a 6/12 roof pitch, which I found to be a good balance for capturing sunlight year-round. I also made sure the south-facing side of the roof had no vents or obstructions, leaving it wide open for solar panels,” Trocke said.

After designing, the Trocke’s faced issues with the permitting process. 

“The planning and permitting processes were a bit of a challenge, mostly because I took the do-it-yourself route and didn’t work with a solar contractor. I had to do all the research myself, and that meant countless hours on solar forums and YouTube, learning everything I could and figure out the right equipment for my project. Fortunately, the permitting itself was pretty straightforward with a homeowner electrical permit and standard inspections. Our power company was great to work with and their solar team was especially helpful throughout the process,” he said. 

Once work began, Trocke installed a total of 39 panels on the roof of his home. 

“If I had done everything at once, the entire project probably would have taken about two weeks. The most challenging part was getting the panels into the roof, but with two people, we managed it, and once they were in place, the rest of the installation and setup came together pretty smoothly,” he said.

The panels are enough to fully run the entire household without the reliance on electricity from the grid. 

“Our entire home runs on solar and batter power. Most of the time, we don’t need to pull any electricity from the grid. When the sun goes down the batteries start powering the house until the sun comes back up and tops them off. In the winter, we occasionally rely on it a bit more due to shorter days and cloudier skies, but overall, our system handles nearly everything,” Trocke said.

The Trocke’s system includes 18.75 kW of solar panels, 50 kWh of battery storage, and 24 kW of inverter capacity. 

“We operate in a self-consumption model, meaning we use our own solar power first. If there’s extra energy, it charges the batteries. Once the batteries are full, any leftover power is sent to the grid for our neighbors to use. We recently added an F-150 Lightning, which has become a key part of the system. When plugged in, it automatically charges using any excess solar power. On cloudy days, we can even use the truck’s battery to recharge our home batteries,” he said.

Trocke has been tracking his electrical usage and comparing it to what his solar panels have generated in the past six months showing tremendous results. 

“From January 1 to July 28, our solar system has produced an impressive 14.6 megawatt-hours (MWh) of electricity. We’ve sent 3.78 MWh back to the grid, and as of now, we’ve exported 664 kilowatt-hours (kWh) more than we’ve consumed, meaning we’ve officially hit net-zero energy use for the year. At our current usage rate, we’re on track to hit our break-even point in just 8 years, which is a great return on investment for a system of this size,” Trocke said.

Unpredictable South Dakota weather can cause interruptions to electricity for most, but for the Trocke’s, a power outage may go unnoticed. 

“One of the best parts of having solar power is that if the grid goes down, our system switches to solar and battery power instantly, you don’t even notice. We have been able to keep cooking, doing laundry or anything else without interruption. The only way we do know the power goes out is when we get a notification on our phones,” Trocke said.

The long, hot summer days have been no match for the solar panels and the Trocke’s are staying more comfortable than ever. 

“My favorite part is the freedom it gives us. We no longer worry about how much electricity we’re using. Many people can relate to constantly turning off lights, adjusting the thermostat, or limiting how often they open the door to keep the A/C in. With our solar and battery system, we don’t think twice. In fact, our electricity use has gone up because we can afford to be comfortable without worrying about a power bill,” he said.

While not completely off the grid, a connection remains which would be a final backup source for the house, the couple works to encourage others to look into how solar power can change their lives. 

“The biggest benefit we’ve seen is energy independence. When I designed our home, I built in as many redundancies as possible to make it resilient. We have two sources of hot water, four sources of heat, and two ways to cool the house. Adding solar and battery storage was just another layer of reliability that gives us the peace of mind knowing we can power our home even during outages, and we’re far less dependent on energy sources,” he said.

Trocke believes that everyone can find more ways to be less energy dependent and look to the future of solar power at every level. 

“You don’t have to go all in right away, stay within your means, but everyone can start out with something as simple as a portable battery bank, like an EcoFlow, or a small solar panel to power a few devices in your space. It’s a great way to dip your toes into solar and build from there,” he said.

Trocke is urging anyone who is interested in larger solar power projects to act now, as opportunities are ending. 

“If you are thinking about solar power, do it right now. There are 30 per cent federal tax credits available for many homeowners, but they are set to expire at the end of the year. It isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution to it, it takes careful planning and understanding of how much electrical use you use now and how much you may use in the future to properly size your system,” Trocke said.