ALTONâItâs not always easy being green, but Ric Hansen is making a second career out of it.
Ric, who is 64 and lives with his wife, Janet, on a small farm north of Alton, has been installing solar panels for businesses and residential customers since 2016.
One of his first customers was himself. The Hansensâ home has been running partially on solar energy since 2017. They have 40 modules, or panels, installed in their backyard that generate 10 kilowatts per hour. Itâs enough to power their home and some small outbuildings on their hobby farm.
âMy system provides almost 90 percent of the energy I need every year,â Ric said.