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solar power

Solar Power Kicking-off In Canada

by Sponsored Content May 14, 2018

Solar power in Canada is becoming exceedingly popular due to an abundance of open space, large houses, and reasonable solar resources. Utility prices are also high, and several rebate programs are available across the country. This article will briefly explore some of the factors that have contributed to an explosion of interest in solar power in Canada over the past few years.

solar power in Canada

Solar Rebates in Canada

As is expected, rebates are a major driver of the market – and several provinces have rebate programs in place to help ease the up-front cost of switching to solar. Programs exist in the provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, and in the Yukon and Northwest Territories. Rebates range from 20%-33% of the total system and installation costs.

However, as with many countries, Canada will have to learn to survive without rebates in the very near future. The Alberta and Saskatchewan rebates are due to end this year, the Ontario GreenOn rebate will be short-lived, and Manitoba’s rebate has already expired.

Nevertheless, with each round of rebates being released in different areas – general awareness about the workings and feasibility of solar power increase. This is always good for the market and is a significant contributor to recent growth and interest that we have seen.

Solar Resources in Canada

Contrary to popular believe, Canada receives a fair amount of solar irradiation (light energy). The average system in Canada produces 1,133 kWh/kW/yr. This number is ahead of even Germany (which is seen as a global leader in solar). The province of Saskatchewan has the best solar resources and the province of Newfoundland and Labrador has the worst.

solar power in Canada

Other concerns tend to focus around the cold weather and the snow. However, according to research performed by the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology in Edmonton, Alberta – solar panels that are not cleared after a snowfall will only produce approximately 5% less energy over the course of the year compared to panels that are cleared of snow.

This is far less than the 15% energy output fluctuation that is expected due to normal variations in cloud-cover. Thus, snow is not a major issue of concern, just a small pest. And as we all know – cold weather makes energy production more efficient. So that’s a non-issue.

Utility Factors in Canada

The utility prices in Canada also tend to play into the favour of solar power adoption. Not only is electricity reasonably expensive (with the cost increasing yearly), but people are also getting fed-up of coal fired power plants, and energy use is quite high in the winter when it gets cold.

All of these utility-related factors mean that switching to solar power (under a proper net-metering program) can represent a large amount of yearly savings to the average homeowner.

Summary of Solar Power In Canada

By now it should be obvious why solar becoming a popular energy alternative for Canadian homeowners. Rebates, resources, and utility prices are beginning to work in sync to drive the market in a positive direction. For more information about solar power in Canada, visit https://solarpanelpower.ca.

This post is supported by Solar Panel Power Canada. Solar panel image from Pixa Bay; solar panels in snow from Energy.gov

May 14, 2018 0 comment

Community Solar

Solar Power For Churches Is Getting Easier & Cheaper

by Aisha Abdelhamid February 9, 2017

written by Aisha Abdelhamid

Originally published on Eden Keeper
by Aisha Abdelhamid

Faith members considering solar power for churches, temples, mosques, and other houses of worship are discovering that installations are getting both easier and cheaper. Since 2009, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), costs for non-residential solar installations have dropped around 73%, from around $7.50 per kilowatt to today’s cost of about $2 per kilowatt.

Credit: InterfaithPowerandLight.org

Conversations On Solar Power For Churches Are Trending

In Minnesota, for example, approximately 400 congregations are working with Minnesota Interfaith Power and Light (MNIPL), a faith-based nationwide nonprofit concerned with climate change and environmental stewardship. MNIPL Executive Director Julia Nerbonne notes that conversations on solar power for churches are trending all across the state.

Among the 20 Minnesota houses of worship that completed their transition to solar power in 2016 are Unity Church-Unitarian and Woodbury Peaceful Grove United Methodist Church in St. Paul. In Roseville, St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church also completed it’s solar rooftop installation last year.

While the church spent around 2 years to complete researching and installing its solar system, securing $119,000 in funding for St. Christopher’s solar project was facilitated by federal and state programs. Joel Norton, a member of St. Christopher’s Green Team, says that the church worked with a local solar installer, applied for a federal tax rebate program, and took advantage of the Made in Minnesota solar incentive program.

Norton reports, “After the financial arrangements were in place and engineers inspected the church roof to ensure it could hold the extra weight, the panels were activated in April.” St. Christopher’s Green Team states that “more than 17,000 kWh have been produced so far, saving 35 tons of CO2. We are also significantly reducing our monthly electric bill.”

St. Christopher’s team designed the solar panel installation to leave the shape of a cross exposed on the church’s roof. Norton explains that it’s in the hands of the faithful “to preserve God’s creations.”

Reverend Glenn Berg-Moberg, senior pastor at St. Anthony Park Lutheran, agrees. He says, “The fat truth is there has been, and still is, a big portion of the church that thinks of the Earth as something given to us to use up, and that’s not a good representation of what a biblical view of the world should be.”

“The biblical view,” says Rev. Glenn, “is the world doesn’t belong to us; it belongs to God, and we are the caretakers.”

Credit: StChristophers-MN.org

February 9, 2017 0 comment

Other Renewable Energy

Google Will Go 100% Renewable By Next Year

by Steve Hanley December 6, 2016

written by Steve Hanley

Donald Trump may want America to burn coal like it’s 1947 again, but real adults are taking a more pragmatic approach to not destroying the entire ecosystem for the sake of a few shekels. Today, Google announced that it will be powered 100% by renewables by the end of 2017. Why? Is Google looking to make some sort of radical political statement? Is it ready to tank its stock valuation by overpaying for electricity? Hardly. Google has done the math and clean, renewable power makes the most business sense for the company. Take that, all you fossil fuel fanatics.

“We are convinced this is good for business, this is not about greenwashing. This is about locking in prices for us in the long term. Increasingly, renewable energy is the lowest cost option,” said Marc Oman, EU energy lead at Google. “Our founders are convinced climate change is a real, immediate threat, so we have to do our part.”

Last year, Google obtained 44% of its electrical energy from renewable sources. It started building to 100% renewables in 2012 and expects to get there before the end of next year. Oman said it had taken Google five years to reach the 100% target because of the complexity involved with negotiating power purchase agreements. “It’s complicated, it’s not for everyone: smaller companies will struggle with the documents. We are buying power in a lot of different jurisdictions, so you can’t just copy and paste agreements.”

Tech companies have grown so fast that they now account for nearly 2% of global greenhouse gas emissions, rivaling the aviation industry. To control how much energy it consumes, Google has begun using artificial intelligence to become more energy efficient. It says AI has cut its electricity usage by 15% — a huge accomplishment considering the company has 60,000 employees worldwide.

Oman said that while the falling price of solar and wind meant they had been the cheapest technologies to get to 100% by 2017, Google was now looking to sign 10 year agreements for low carbon power that was not intermittent, such as hydro, biomass and nuclear. “We want to do contracts with forms of renewable power that are more baseload-like, so low-impact hydro; it could be biomass if the fuel source is sustainable, it could be nuclear, God forbid, we’re not averse. We’re looking at all forms of low-carbon generation.”

December 6, 2016 0 comment

renewables like Solar and wind go together

New Technology

Wind And Solar Go Together Like Cake And Ice Cream

by Steve Hanley December 5, 2016

written by Steve Hanley

Most people think wind power and solar power are competitors, but Sarah Kurtz of the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory says that the opposite is true. “Wind resource tends to complement solar resource,” says “Here in Colorado, for instance, the windiest time is during the winter and spring months. In winter, we don’t have as much sunshine, but we tend to get more wind and stronger wind.”

Solar and wind go together

In Australia, the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has invested A$9.9 million in a 10 megawatt solar farm adjacent to 73 wind turbines that are already online. The co-location of solar and wind provides more continuous energy generation than having either technology working alone. Co-locating wind and solar plants can save money on grid connections, site development, and approvals, says ARENA CEO Ivor Frischknecht. Putting the Gullen Solar Farm adjacent to the existing wind project will result in savings of as much as A$6 million. That means a 2-% reduction in cost of the project.

“Scale isn’t as important for competitiveness when plants are co-located, meaning the approach could also unlock new markets for medium-scale solar PV projects,” he says. How big are these new markets? A study funded by ARENA found an estimated 1,000 MW of solar generating potential at existing wind farms in Australia — enough to power 700,000 homes. “The lessons learned at Gullen Range will be invaluable, as this is the first project of its type in Australia,” Frischknecht says. “It has the potential to cement industry confidence in the approach and provide a blueprint for similar projects to follow.”

There are other financial benefits to locating wind and solar together says NREL’s Kurtz. Combining solar and wind can help cut battery costs as well. Adding wind can help cut battery costs, since the wind can (and often does) blow when the sun doesn’t shine. “If you’re in a location where the wind does blow, and especially where the wind complements solar, until the batteries get cheaper than the wind power itself, you’re going to be better off adding wind [than batteries],” Kurtz says.

A microgrid will still need some form of storage, “because there will always be a night when the wind isn’t blowing,” she adds. But the solar and wind combination “can make battery demand much smaller.”

December 5, 2016 0 comment

Going Solar

Rocky Mountain Power Solar Subscriber Program Nearly Sold Out

by Steve Hanley November 7, 2016

written by Steve Hanley

In April, Rocky Mountain Power, which serves customers in the Salt Lake City, Utah area, began construction of a 20 megawatt solar farm in Holden, Utah. Holden borders the Fishlake National Forest, so it’s an area unsuitable fora a conventional power plant. “Since it was a pilot project, we were hopeful people would want to do it, but we didn’t know quite how popular it would be,” said Rocky Mountain Power spokesman Paul Murphy.

solar subscription porgram in Utah

Much to RMP’s delight, the program is 95% sold out and the utility expects the remaining shares will be spoken for in a few weeks. Response has been so positive, RMP is already looking at issuing another request for proposals for the construction of a second solar facility.

Here’s how the program works. Residential and commercial customers can purchase solar power from the Holden facility in 200 kilowatt-hour blocks at a fixed price. The program allows consumers to lock in rates for a 20 year period. The agreement can be transferred from one location to another. Rooftop solar systems are not portable. There is an online tool that allows residential customers to determine how much the program will cost or save them, while commercial customers can request an analysis.

Not everyone will reduce their current energy bill but they will be protected against future price increases. Patrick Hansen lives in Ogden, Utah and has purchased blocks of power for his home. Although the subscription program costs him a little bit more for his personal household, Hansen said he believes it’s an environmentally sound choice that allows him to avoid installation of panels. “They’re not on my roof, but I am buying solar power,” he said.

November 7, 2016 0 comment

solar in new mexico via Electric Light & Power

Solar Projects

Largest Solar Installation In New Mexico Dedicated

by Steve Hanley October 10, 2016

written by Steve Hanley

The largest solar installation in New Mexico was dedicated last week. It is a joint venture between NextEra Energy Resources and Xcel Energy. The 600,000 solar panel facility is so large that it covers parts of Roswell and Chaves counties. In fact, it is known as the Roswell and Chaves County Solar Energy Centers. The solar panels are mounted to tracking devices that follow the sun during the day to maximize the amount of solar energy created. Tracking equipment increases power production by about 10% over traditional fixed panels.

solar in new mexico via Electric Light & Power

“Solar energy creates solid, high-paying jobs and produces millions of dollars in payments over the life of the project to landowners and local government that directly benefit schools, roads and essential services,” said Mike O’Sullivan, senior vice president of development for NextEra Energy Resources, which developed and built the projects and will own and operate them. “These projects are something we can all be proud of – an investment in the community that will help sustain Chaves County economically and provide clean, renewable energy for generations to come.”

October 10, 2016 0 comment

Investment

India To Add 4.8 Gigawatts Of Solar Power This Year

by Steve Hanley September 5, 2016

written by Steve Hanley

India, with its enormous and rapidly growing population, has a voracious appetite for electricity. Until recently, that appetite has been met by building more and more coal fired generating plants. Coal was cheaper than any other power source. So what if the emissions from all those coal plants slowly poisoned the population? India was on a mission to bring its citizens all the conveniences of the modern world and coal was the answer.

Solar Power in India

September 5, 2016 0 comment

Solar Projects

Sheep Are Ideal For Controlling Weeds And Grass At Solar Farms

by Steve Hanley August 27, 2016

written by Steve Hanley

Not every solar energy installation goes on top of a roof. Utility scale systems, community solar, and some residential systems often are mounted on the ground rather than up in the air. What many of the owners of such systems tend to forget is that steps need to be taken to control the vegetation that will inevitably start to grow up underneath and around the panels as soon as the project is completed.

Sheep for solar

August 27, 2016 0 comment

CPV

Big Wins For Solar Power In Arizona & New Mexico

by Steve Hanley August 13, 2016

written by Steve Hanley

Solar power disrupts the business of existing utility companies. In exchange for being granted a monopoly to generate and distribute electricity in a given geographic area, utilities are guaranteed a certain rate of return. That gives them an incentive to spend more money on power plants and grid expansion. The more they spend, the more money they are allowed earn. That’s how the power game is played in the US.

solar power

August 13, 2016 0 comment

New Technology

Breakthrough Promises More Efficient Solar Panels

by Steve Hanley August 8, 2016

written by Steve Hanley

Fifty years ago, Russian physicist Vladimir M. Fridkin created the first “dry” copy machine using a process known as xerography. Now, the foundation of his research back then may hold the key to making more efficient solar panels today.

More efficient solar panels possible

August 8, 2016 0 comment

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