solar power's popularity is on the rise in saskatchewan - solar traffic light system

Jim Harding's house has been powered almost entirely by wind and solar energy since 2012.
Others are following suit now.
Jim Harding's house is located on a hill in St. Petersburg, overlooking the Echo Lake from its location, just a few kilometers northwest of Fort Krupp.
In fact, Atop is not exactly accurate.
The wooden and concrete houses of Harding are built on the mountain.
From layer 160, you can see one of the three layers. year-old fur-
Trade Trail right behind the house.
Five solar panels are set up at the back, one 35-
The foot wind turbine is further.
After decades of consideration, the house was built at the resort in 1998.
Unlike most families in the province of SA, this house is in line with the term "insulation", keeping the heat, not keeping it cold.
Through 48 Triple sun filters
The highly insulated house uses paned argon windows to maintain heat.
Hot water pumps through tile floors and Wells-
Planned fan system spreads warm air through the house
Pass through the 6 feet underground passage, or just warm from the fire lit by firewood.
"You reduce the demand for energy by building a home," Harding said . ".
"There is no stove in the house and there is no air conditioner.
We have a hot water tank for gas, and that's it, 25 gallons of heat. water tank.
Harding's house was built to improve efficiency.
It has been powered almost entirely by wind and solar energy since 2012.
He installed wind turbines and solar systems for about $25,000.
Even after five years, the cost of investing in the technology has fallen.
Jim Harding's house in St. Petersburg has 48 triple rooms.
Argon windows that let the sun in from morning to evening.
Each has cellular blinds that are insulated for windows at night.
Troy fleece/leader Regina --
Other companies at PostNow are following suit.
In Saskatoon, the provincial environmental Association launched a solar joint power generation. op in 2014.
In Regina, about 100 people packed up clever dodge for Regina solar.
Op's first meeting in late October. The Regina co-
Op's plan is to use group buying power to reduce the cost of solar panel installation before SaskPower's net metering rebate plan expires next fall.
Unlike Harding, Harding employs green energy for the benefit of the environment
Op believes that solar energy has economic benefits.
"This is not a fantasy --off tree-hugger thing.
This is driven by some really clear economic needs that are happening around the world, "said Stephen Hall, leader of Regina United. op.
"The reality is that this is economically reasonable;
This is economically meaningful.
"When Saskatoon United
About three years ago, with the launch of the IndieGogo crowdfunding campaign in December 2014, op started a "financially viable solar Unionoperative.
Professional engineer Jason Praski said: "I think this is the first time here, although it has been happening for a long time around the world and in other provinces," one of SES Solar
Op's 168 members and a volunteer director of the board. —
Praski's interest in renewable energy began as early as 2014.
The energy crisis in 1970, followed by an oil glut in 1980, was told in a school program in 1984.
"Fuel exhaustion was a problem at the time, and we did some green energy projects, solar and rotating turbines with garden hoses, etc, to generate electricity, said Plaski.
"So I think I stuck to it.
Now, as a clean energy consultant, Plaski says "The timing is right" to use green energy ".
"This is what we need to do, especially as one of the most polluted places on Earth per capita.
"Five years ago, he and his wife Sheri Praski, who was also an engineer, installed 14 solar panels on a piece of land in eastern Saskatoon. When the co-
The Op was founded and they also bought a share in it.
Saskatoon cooperation
The Op uses the roof of a local business as a small solar farm.
In last June, its first project was installed on the roof of the twobuilding building.
The second is the cooperation with the municipal landfill gas production station, which was announced on April.
The third is the Montgomery office building at 615 Haskamp Street.
It is an ongoing work.
SES Solar
Op has installed solar panels in 20 buildings in Saskatoon.
Michelle Berg/Saskatoon
Op requires a $50 membership fee to sell shares for $950 per share.
There are 11 largest investors.
$168 was funded by 400,000 members.
They will eventually receive an investment dividend.
Members can sell their shares at any time, or they can agree on a period of time. The co-
The Op owns the panels and rents them to the building owners for the same price as the electricity they save.
"They got public relations benefits from it," said Plaski . ". Regina’s co-
The Op may look a bit different. —
Combination of big-and small-
Josh Campbell told 25 that mass solar production will eventually make the most sense
Ish people attending Regina Solar
Op's second meeting in early November.
In this way, rent an r or an apartment-dwellers —
Someone who can't install solar panels at home
There might be a chance, like Saskatoon. op’s model.
But Regina's main goal is
The Op is to install solar panels on individual homes, using group-
Buy electricity and negotiate lower prices with solar companies.
It plans to make a request for a proposal next month, and then start the first installation by April, and the second phase of the installation is organized by November.
Group buying will ideally reduce the "soft cost" of installation"
Specifically, educate customers and answer their questions.
That's why Hall's main advice to his audience is to develop energy knowledge and educate himself.
Then: Financing the solar system by March 2018.
Investment is not small.
Three years ago, he installed 28 panel halls on the garage roof and paid $23,000 after getting a $5,000 SaskPower rebate.
He borrowed a loan to finance it, and now he pays the loan back at 4 cents a month.
Last month, his bill totaled $173, of which $28 was SaskPower's management fees and taxes, as he was still on the grid.
Before he switched to solar, his electricity bill was about $186 a month.
So far, since Hall's panel was installed in December 2014, his electricity bill has been increased four times and will reach $212 per month.
At the end of 25-
Hall will have its own solar panels and basically free power.
"It's kind of like buying real estate;
It will eventually pay for itself and make money for you after that, "explains Plaski.
At the same time, Hall is "almost immune" to SaskPower's interest rate hike ".
Stephen Hall stands in front of the solar panels mounted on the roof of his home studio.
Leader Michael Bell/Regina
Royal Mail is looking for a fiveper-
Next year will increase by 10 per cent, and with the upgrading of its aging infrastructure, there will be more growth in the next decade.
Hall points out another benefit of having a solar system: it adds resale value to his home.
According to a 2015 study in the United StatesS.
The Department of Energy Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory analyzed the sales of 22,000 homes in eight states, with solar panels selling for about $4. per-watt more.
As far as Hall is concerned, that would add $30,600 in value, $7,000 more than he paid for the system.
There is no way to make money by generating additional electricity.
This is not allowed by policy. —
SaskPower's net metering plan comes with-to-one credit.
If the customer generates more power than he uses, the power will go back to the grid and he will get a credit for the electricity bill at the same price as the electricity purchase.
For solar customers, the balance of 3, April is zero to allow customers to use points during the winter months accumulated by the summer.
For wind customers, the balance is zero on August or September.
But the project is under review.
The same is true of the small power producer program, another SaskPower program that inspires customers to generate their own electricity.
Suspension of use on September.
It allows customers to sell up to 100 KW of renewable energy to SaskPower.
"We are working on it to determine whether the project is still cost-effective for those involved in the project," said Doug Opseth, director, power generation Asset Management, SaskPower . ", "To ensure that we provide equal opportunities for participation to all our customers, to ensure that we still maintain safe electrical systems for our customers.
He said the company will have a recommendation early next year.
In fact, the net metering program does not provide money incentives for customers who generate their own strength.
If they plan a power system to meet the power usage of their families and then produce an excess, they are less likely to use their credit.
Hall said he did not bother him by losing his surplus in April 1.
This is a sticking point for Harding.
He can get paychecks from renewable energy systems such as SaskPower feedin tariff.
He can install more solar panels.
He could lay the cables underground to fit in with production, adding two more wind turbines of which he built capacity.
"We invest more in infrastructure than we assume, because we will change policy," says Harding, a retired professor of environmental research and human justice . ".
When he installed his system
If the wind and solar energy are the largest, it is designed to produce 3,500 watts per hour. there was a 35-per-
A penny rebate from the provincial Research Council.
"The problem with the net metering is that all they do is give me credit because I take it off the grid how much it will cost, about 11 cents per kilowatt hour," Harding said.
But, "I assure you that the products I produce cost more than 11 cents per kilowatt hour because I am building the infrastructure.
Five years later, his system was already in need of maintenance.
He made a change because of the benefits of the environment.
According to US data, about 1 KW hours per pound of coal is produced. S.
Environmental Protection Bureau.
"In January, I reduced our family's carbon footprint by about 25,000 pounds in five years," Harding said . " His system has generated 25,000 KW hours of electricity.
"It's just a family.
We averaged 6,000, 7,000 KW hours (per year)
Most families in the province
The per capita carbon dioxide emissions in the province are 67.
According to a report by the Canadian Council of conferences, it was 6 tons in 2013.
The national average is 20 people. 65.
Jim Harding's house consists of five solar panels and a 35-
Small wind turbines.
Troy fleece/leader Regina --Post—
SaskPower promised that by 2030, half of its output would come from renewable energy and by 2021 it would increase its solar production by 60 MW.
Between SaskPower and sask cartoons and Swift Current, which owns its own power company, about 1,000 customers produce their own renewable energy, of which about 800 are from solar energy.
Their total power generation is 9 MW and 7 MW. 2 from solar.
This is a power grid with a total power generation of 4,500 MW, including natural gas, coal and hydropower.
Today, 220 of electricity is generated by wind, equivalent to megawatts.
The goal is to increase it to about 2,000 MW, which is about to grow to 7,000 of the grid.
Megawatt power generation capacity. One-
SaskPower's third plan in its solar program before 2030 comes from the First Nations Power Authority partnership, which was established in 2011.
SaskPower expects $1.
2 billion of this year's capital expenditure began replacing old poles, coal and hydro-power plants and transmission systems, most of which can be traced back to at least 1980 generations, and some dating to 1930.
Part of the update includes 350
The megawatt-class Chinook Power Station, which will be put into use in 2019, has a budget of about $0. 68 billion.
By contrast, the Saskatoon City Council will approve
Saskatoon Electric Light and electric megawatt power project, November. 20.
Construction cost of 3,000-
The panel factory is estimated to be $3. 54 million.
It will eliminate 15,893 tons of carbon dioxide emissions within 25 years.
"It's small compared to other places.
You can look at other provinces. C.
Alberta in Manitoba now has these.
"The megawatt prefabricated system has been installed," Praski said . ". “If these co-
Ops and everything developed, SaskPower saw the light about the feed
In terms of tariffs, they realized they didn't need to buy huge gas turbines or pay $1.
5 billion carbon capture 200-
"Megawatt coal plants are dealing with these figures," Harding said, referring to the border dam . ".
"Now think about investing in solar and renewable energy and you shut down coal-fired power plants so it's cheaper --
Actually cheaper.
"This is a big question for solar energy advocates: why not use this opportunity to invest in renewable energy instead of rebuilding carbon emissions --based system?
As costs continue to decline, SaskPower will pay more attention to solar energy, Opseth said.
He also said customers
SaskPower will build its own power generation for a long timeterm plans.
"One thing to remember about wind and solar power is that it is intermittent," he added . ".
"I can't make sure the wind will blow tomorrow to blow the wind, and after dark I'm pretty sure there won't be a lot of solar power on the grid, so we need something else to support it.
"Harding's home has been running for nearly six years using the power grid as a backup.
Motivating people to over-produce will allow excess power to be stored in the grid, resulting in "decentralized capacity", leading to "stable new power sources," Harding said ".
Hall believes that we can store water if it doesn't rain, so why can't we store electricity?
"Our economy has traditionally relied heavily on coal, oil and gas," said Mr Plaski . ".
"Our winter is long and cold, so we need some more.
But I think we can get more leadership from the top.
. . . . . . I'm bugging SaskPower to have at least one of their 50 solar panels installed
Strange roofs throughout the province.
"It's a complicated thing.
"It is difficult to drive a big ship," Praski added . ".
"We have the best sun in Canada and there are lots of cheap open spaces so once the project is in place I think there will be a lot of economy and emissions --
Save opportunities.
So it's just a matter of time.
In the southern part of the province, solar panels can produce 1,300 to 1,400 KW per hour.
"We need solar panels, as long as we can stick them to where," Hall said . ".
Jason Plaski swept the snow on the solar panels on the roof of the twobuilding building.
Michelle Berg
For those interested in installing solar power systems, Hall has a long list of suggestions: research and questions.
Get a roof and engineering assessment: See if your roof can hold the solar system and what shape your wooden tile is.
Install a 25-no point
Three years of solar systemyear shingles.
Find your website plan and house plan by contacting the city.
Do a solar assessment: figure out what direction your roof is facing, what is its slope, how much sunlight you have, and how many panels you can install.
Evaluate your current energy usage and find ways to reduce your energy consumption (
Install LED lights or buy more energy
High efficiency appliances).
Is it possible that your energy usage will change in the near future?
For example, if you are going to buy an electric car?
Get an electrical assessment: How big is your electrical panel?
Where is your meter?
How will the wires go from the roof to the panel?
Where will the inverter go?
Get digital connection assessment-
Broadband and Ethernet are required to set up and connect the system.
Assess your finances: how will you pay for the system?
Will your mortgage be extended?
Talk to your bank about loan options.
Talk to your member or MLA to see if there is a government rebate.
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