MicroFIT projects in Guelph - info from Guelph Hydro

According to Guelph Hydro yesterday, there are currently 16 microFIT projects in Guelph, all solar. There is one system operating under the Renewable Energy Standard Offer Program [RESOP, which is the predecessor to the Ontario Power Authority's current Feed-In Tariff Program]. Apparently, though, there are about 100 microFIT applications being processed by the OPA according to Guelph Hydro.

Energy Generation Report From Datalogger - Nov 2010

This chart shows you the Watt*hours generated from our 4.9 kW solar system during the month of November [except for 30 Nov which is tomorrow]. Note this is Watt*hours, not kW*hours. I wanted to show this chart as it shows some interesting information:

• There are 7 days where we generated over 20 kWhr. That is over 4 kWhr/kW of installed capacity. Or over 4 hours of accumulated solar radiation converted to electricity
• There are 7 days of very low generation, with the lowest day, 22-Nov a very dark rainy day. It snowed on the 27-Nov and about 1cm of snow accumlated on the panels. The sky was overcast and the temperature about -2C. There was not enough heat to melt the snow off the panels.
• The 28-Nov was a fairly cloudy day, however several of the panels still had partial snow cover. This seems to have decreased the overall daily output for that day. 
• There was a very small amount of remnant snow on 2 panels on the morning of 29-Nov, but it appears to have melted off early in the morning.
• There is considerable variability from day to day.
• Month-to-date generation was 354 kWhr, that is $284, plus whatever I generate tomorrow. The system must generate approximately $300/month to cover the cost of the loan. This is one of the lowest solar radiation months of the year. We'll find out how low Dec and Jan are soon!

We'll see if tomorrow yields $16 so we break even.
I started recording the daily output from the system since August by reading the utility meter. I will publish those in the coming days.

St. Pauls Catholic School PV System Connected

After school on 18th November the PV system at St. Paul's Catholic School in Guelph was connected to the grid. I'll report on this system later when i get some more details. The equipment was on-site in late August.

Energy Ideas for Guelph

Guelph and Guelphites can do many initiatives to reduce energy expenses, promote renewable energy, stimulate economic development, and reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. I list several initiatives below. Some I heard this week while I attended the Ontario Sustainable Energy Association (OSEA) Community Power Conference 2010 15-16 November in Toronto. Some initiative ideas are from my own experience, and this is just the beginning of a long list that Guelph could consider.

• Solar PV and solar heating on new public and private construction. Build it into new structures such as our new Go Train station and the new car park on Wilson Street. PV panels can be used as a shade for cars on the top level of a car park. Panels can be awnings on the south wall, or simply installed on the south wall on a bracket. Solar heating can be passive air solar walls as well as sunlight through windows. 
• Energy sales can be included in the financial model of new construction.
• Solar PV on brown fields now create "Bright fields". They can also be installed on city owned lands, around water sedimentation ponds, or around the various industrial parks. 
• Solar-friendly homes can be designed and built in co-operation with the Guelph Home Builders Association. Many homes in my new subdivision are poorly suited for solar panels due to the complex, architectural roof designs.
• Building officials should be trained about renewable energy opportunities, requirements, and initiatives. 
• Guelph could require energy efficiencies more strict than the Ontario Building Code. 
• A 1 year tax property tax deduction for the first year of a new home if energy and water efficiency was built into the project
• Geothermal opportunities should be explored wherever possible, including new construction, retrofits, industrial, and institutional.
• Biomass from agriculture could be an option for the University of Guelph.
• Traffic research should be conducted. University of Guelph students could provide a GPS to employees and residents in various sectors and locations in the city for 1 week. All driving would be recorded on the GPS to study transit patterns. 
• A renewable energy and energy efficiency inventory can be created so people learn about various projects.
• The city website could be enhanced to provide more information about energy and water initiatives.

Our 4.9 kW PV solar system

I have installed a 4.9kW solar system on our house in the south end of Guelph. I am pleased to share the project details:
- May 2010: applied to the Ontario Power Authority's microFIT program, approved in 3 weeks
- June 2010: solicited tenders from local/regional companies
- July 2010: selected a company, system configuration chosen, equipment ordered
- August 2010: system installed over 1 week period [roof vents moved, panels installed, electrical work, inverter installed, ESA inspection]
- August 23: requested Guelph Hydro to install meter
- August 25: meter installed and system activated at 4:30pm. 1 kWhr of electricity was produced that day [worth $0.802]

The system has worked perfectly fine ever since. I have had no maintenance to perform - I don't expect there to be any other than an annual visual inspection.

Equipment details:
20 SolarWorld 245 kW panels [4.9 kW]
1 Fronius IG 5100 grid-tied 5kW inverter
Racking system Unirac aluminum rail system and Quickmount PV flashed attachments
1 Fronius Datalogger Pro

I installed the data logger when it arrived in November.
You are able to see the system online at
url: http://solarweb.fronius.com
username: 243farley
password: 243farley
[any missing data is because it was not uploaded, not because the system was not functioning]

Guelph Solar Blog

I wish to share my experience deciding to install a solar photovoltaic system on our house in Guelph, Ontario. We are contracted to sell our power through the Ontario Power Authority's microFIT program. We are now receiving $0.802/kWhr.

I will post why I decided to do this project, how I proceeded, and how it is working out. I will try to post information here that I think will be useful for others who wish to do solar PV, for people who want to learn more about it, and to hopefully encourage further development of solar PV in Guelph [and beyond].

Full disclosure: I am not a vendor of solar equipment or services. I will not be taking any money from anyone related to solar, etc. I am fully independent. I do work for the provincial government working in renewable energy, but not solar. I am approaching this as non-work related. I will avoid any opinion, just the facts [positive and negative]. I will disclose any conflicts of interest.
Despite a similar name, this blog is not associated in any way with SolarG nor Solar Guelph.