Great-grandmother goes solar in Plymouth, calls it her birthday gift to the future

For her 90th birthday next month, Alice Ellison isn't interested in getting gifts. She'd rather give them — to her four children, nine grandchildren and soon-to-be nine great-grandchildren.

And so Ellison's gift at the start of her 10th decade is the array of solar panels installed last week on the roof of her Plymouth home. Ellison, a retired educator, is also talking to her friends and family about putting solar panels on their homes.

"I want to leave something to my grandchildren and great-grandchildren. I won't be leaving them money," she said. "By doing solar energy I can really leave something to them, and to the environment."

Fit and lively, Ellison does water aerobics at the YMCA five times a week and still enjoys trips to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. ("But I don't have to paddle," she confides.) She tracks her steps with a Fitbit device and makes it a point to go up and down her stairs at least a dozen times a day.

Ellison became interested in alternative energy through one of her sons, who has a sheep farm near Pelican Rapids, Minn. He's had a wind turbine for years, and last year added solar panels on his property.

"He encouraged me," she said.

But some of her neighbors in the Tiburon neighborhood were skeptical. "One of them said, 'You don't want to waste your money on that.' But I'm not afraid to venture out and try something new. It's thrilling!"

Ellison's solar panels were installed in a single day and cost about $16,000. But she'll get about half of that back through various tax and promotional incentives. With savings on her monthly energy bill, she expects to recover the entire cost of the system within eight to 10 years.

"They have estimated that my electric bill will average $2.61 a month," she said. "People keep telling me, 'I want to see your first bill.' Well, I want to see it, too!"

Ellison's system was designed and installed by St. Paul-based All Energy Solar. Cindy Larson O'Neil, a customer liaison with the company, called Ellison "an amazing person."

"She baked cookies for us," O'Neil said. "She was having a great time. I thought she was really inspiring — someone who is a steward of the planet and wants to leave a legacy."

At an age when many people avoid buying green bananas, why is Ellison taking this forward-looking leap?

"I believe we are put here to help other people, to do whatever we can," she said. "For anyone who has ever tried it, you know it makes you happy. The next person who lives in this house will benefit, and the environment will benefit. And other people may see it and be inspired.

"Besides, I'm going to be around for a while," she said. "I got good genes from my mother's side."

John Reinan • 612-673-7402