While Wisconsin has never been mistaken for the Sun Belt, there's sufficient sunshine in most of the state for a solar-thermal system capable of heating 80 percent of the hot water used by a typical household. That can provide significant savings on energy since water heating is the  second biggest user of energy in a home.

The growing recognition of the advantages of solar energy by homeowners and business people has fueled the growth of  Bubbling Springs Solar of Menomonie, the only manufacturer of flat-plate liquid thermal collectors in this state.

Mike Helfman and his wife, Luisa Gerasimo, who started the business on their Bubbling Springs farm, an organic beef farm about five miles west of Menomonie, have seen their business grow from a production of 37 collectors in 2007 to more than 250 in 2008. Last year, the company sales dropped due to the economy, but Helfman and other solar-thermal energy professionals who gathered in Madison last year see bright prospects in the coming years. Helfman, in fact, is looking for 25-percent growth for his company in each of the next three years. The company now has a work force of eight, including the owners, and generates revenues in excess of $350,000, according to Helfman.

“If you're looking for the best return on investment, solar thermal is the best by far,” Helfman says. “Only caulking and insulation, energy conservation and efficiency are better.”

A typical solar-thermal system costs from $8,000 to $12,000. Rebates are available from Focus on Energy, Wisconsin's energy efficiency agency; other incentives; and tax credits can cut the customer's cost in half, Helfman says. With the savings in energy costs, the payback period can be as short as four years or typically eight to 10 years. A list of state, local, utility and federal incentives and policies that promote renewable energy and energy efficiencies can be found on the Web site DSIREUSA.org.

Bubbling Springs Solar started after Helfman, now 47, a carpenter and woodworker as well as a part-time farmer, tried repairing a solar collector at their farm. He found he could build a better one by starting from scratch, and began producing collectors for customers.

Business heated up in 2006 when the couple moved their firm to the University of Wisconsin-Stout Applied Arts Building as part of UW-Stout's business incubator program. Stout's staff helped with production techniques and finding more efficiencies in the way the collectors were produced,” Helfman says. It supplied intellectual assistance on a wide range of manufacturing and business techniques, including aid in developing the company's Web site. It also provided market research.

Students and faculty of the UW-Stout Chemistry Department continue to work with Bubbling Springs on an improved black coating to increase energy absorption and reduce emissions from the collectors' absorber plates. The research may lead to a patented process.

In late 2007, Bubbling Springs received national certification by the Solar Rating and Certification Corporation. Last June, it moved out of the Stout business incubator and into expanded quarters at the Stout Technology Park.
Bubbling Springs makes two sizes of high-quality aluminum collectors with fiberglass insulation. Helfman says they're designed for easy repair, should that be needed.

Bubbling Springs sells most of its collectors in Wisconsin and the Upper Midwest. About half of the business is in solar-thermal systems for homes and the other half is for commercial outlets. The company recently sold a system that's being used for heating water for dish washing and cooking at Cafe 27 in Stevens Point. An array of 24 Bubbling Springs collectors heats water for cleaning and  brewing processes at the Central Waters Brewery in Amherst.

“This is a dream come true,” Helfman says of their business. He particularly likes being able to live on the farm, bicycle to work in warmer months and manufacture a locally sourced product in Wisconsin that helps customers conserve valuable financial and environmental resources.

By John Hill

You can contact John Hill by e-mail at jhoythill@sbcglobal.net.