You might not expect a pharmacist to geek out about alternative energy, unless he happens to be John Forbes. I met the Urbandale pharmacy owner, who is also a state 
representative in the Iowa House, recently for an interview.
      
But before we sat down to talk about trends in drug costs, he showed me a monitor mounted above the pharmacy counter displaying real-time data on how much electricity the solar array atop the building was generating on that sunny day.
   
Forbes became interested in solar power after learning more about it for various pieces of legislation.

He had the system of 90 solar panels installed about three years ago, and ever since they’ve been quietly generating nearly all of the energy needs for the building, he said. Although it was a big upfront cost, he says you can’t beat an investment that will pay for itself in about seven years.