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 When Rex Sauls talks about solar, his eyes light up like a kid in a candy store. He’s hooked! Rex’s passion for solar began decades ago through his love and interest in solar cars. He always thought that harvesting energy from the sun was a better alternative to fossil fuels. Over the years, he let his solar passion simmer while he pursued careers as a studio cameraman for a television network, to a salesman, ranging from part sales at a motorcycle shop to even owning a pet store with his wife.

“When Hurricane Sandy hit I was at home finishing up dinner. I looked out the door and saw the water coming up my street. I called my neighbor who had a two-story house and said, ‘I’m coming over with the cat.’”

Helen Wilson, a 13-year resident of Union Beach, soon realized that she, like so many other families in this hard-hit town, would not be going home again. But now, 18 months later, Wilson is getting ready to move into a brand new, solar-powered home.

In West Sacramento, youth from River City High’s Engineering and Science Academy put their skills to use putting together a real working solar electric system for a local couple over two days.  Sponsored by the City of West Sacramento, an entire class of high school students and their electronics teacher installed the system over the course of two days.  The Academy students were enrolled in DC/AC circuitry class making this even more of a valuable experience for them.