SpringfieldNewsSun.com

By Matt Sanctis

Staff Writer

SOUTH CHARLESTON — At first glance, a two-story beige house just off Ohio 41 in South Charleston looks similar to the other pleasant, quiet houses that line the street.

But with more focus, residents may notice the solar panels on the roof. And maybe the bright red Geo Metro that's plugged into an electrical socket on the curb.

Larry Tillman, a psychology assistant who works in Springfield, is used to the attention. For the last five years, he has slowly used parts from local hardware stores and Wal-Mart to make his home almost completely solar and wind-powered. And it doesn't take a single drop of gasoline to propel the electric-powered Geo out front.

"I'm 85 percent off the grid so I have no gas bill and the electric bill is minimal," Tillman said.

The oil embargo in the 1970 sparked his original interest in alternative energy, but Tillman really got started converting his home and car about five years ago. In part, he just wanted to prove he could do it.

"The thing that fires me up is when people say you can't," he said.

The solar panels on Tillman's roof and the wind turbine are linked to regulators that distrubute power to batteries in his basement. Those power to everything from his water heater to his entertainment center and the lights in his home. While it may seem complicated, Tillman devised most of the setup on his own, along with doing research on the Internet.

"It's nothing fancy," he said. "Everything is just kind of off the shelf."

He has had some recognition for his work in the past, and his home has been included in the Green Energy Ohio solar tour, which promotes alternative energy throughout the state.

Tillman even took time to show off his car to a curious car buff who stopped by to ask questions outside his home Thursday. The car, by the way, can reach speeds of up to 70 miles per hour, although it's range is only 50 miles or so before running out of energy. The car's gas gauge is perpetually on empty.

While he's unsure how much money he may have saved on electricity and gas over the years, his main goal is simply to raise awareness for alternative energy.

Maybe his attitude can be summed up on the bumper sticker on the back of the Geo: "Those who ignore nature are condemned to deplete it."

Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0355 or msanctis@coxohio.com.

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