CCEM 101 Question 4

[Carly Johansson]

Thinking about the community you live in, what renewable energy opportunities might be available? Have you noticed any renewable energy activities in your community?

[Jen Grebeldinger]

Solar PV, solar thermal, and a variety of Biomass options (cord wood, wood chips, wood pellets – for heating & combined heat & power) are the most viable in Ft. Simpson, the community I live in & all of the communities in the Dehcho region that I serve through my work with the Arctic Energy Alliance.

There are 4 Solar PV installations I’ve seen around the community so far, 1 residential & 3 commercial/government. I understand there is another residential installation which I have not seen as well. In Ft. Simpson and the other Dehcho communities, there is an abundance of wood heating as well as a growing number of wood pellet stoves and more recently wood pellet boiler installations (some with the potential to convert btwn. pellets, chips, & cord wood), there are Solar Thermal installations on a couple of swimming pools that are used in the Summer only, Solar Thermal on a number of houses plus a Senior’s Lodge, a few Solar PV installations on community buildings (arena & gymnasium) that the Government of the NWT has provided funding support, plus a few Heat Recovery systems installed by the NWT Power Corp. and a commercial business operation.

Geothermal also has very good potential here in the Dehcho region (SW corner of the NWT) but given the high costs to confirm the exact point for accessing the geothermal hotspots, this option has not gone beyond an intensive feasibility process that was thwarted before it could get further along the path.

[Carly Johansson]

Whitehorse residents are actively installing solar PV around the city in response to the Microgeneration policy that was released by Yukon government last year. There are currently 18 private systems installed. The best thing about it is that the payoff on the PV arrays is not the motivating factor (the payoff period is 9-25 years). They are doing it for altruistic reasons (i.e. to be greener). Co

[Jen Grebeldinger]

Hi Everyone,

Here’s a website to see where any of the EnPhase Energy micro-inverter installations are anywhere around the world, including the 4 that are here in Ft. Simpson 🙂

https://enlighten.enphaseenergy.com/public_systems

Such web-monitoring tools connected with these installations enables real-time monitoring to see how well different PV systems are performing and if they may not be operating properly.

[Carly Johansson]

Solar PV and solar hot water are two very viable renewable energy opportunities in Yukon. We are currently working toward improving the market for biomass, but thus far haven’t made much progress, despite lots of local resources. Small hydro may also be a viable renewable option – however the economics are currently less than optimal.

[Jen Grebeldinger]

Hi Ryan,

The economics are the stumbling block. Sometimes that can be overcome by some vision and leadership when the playing field is decidedly out of balance. Germany’s energy transition is a good example of a cultural trump of the initial economics.

[Jen Grebeldinger]

I haven’t noticed any shining examples of renewable energy activities in Victoria, but am aware that the opportunities for such energy are plentiful. Indeed, some of these opportunities lie in future commercial/residential developments. One example is the Dockside Green mixed use development. For those unfamiliar with Dockside Green, it is a proposed development just west of Victoria’s downtown that will provide mixed-income housing for 2,500 residents. With construction expected to begin this year, the development will feature a suite of innovative technologies including an on-site wastewater treatment and biogasification facility that will provide heat to a district heating system. The plant is expected to process over 3,000 tonnes of wood waste each year, converting such waste into synthetic gas that will be used as the primary heating source for the district heating system.

More information about this development — and its GHG reduction benefits — can be found at the link I’ve included below. This is perhaps one of the most promising renewable energy opportunities in Victoria that has stimulated several conversations about sustainable energy in the academic, business, and not-for-profit communities, not to mention garnering much attention from residents around the region. While the project has not yet been constructed, it is expected that the gasification plant alone will cut GHG emissions by 3,400 tonnes annually.

http://www.cscd.gov.bc.ca/lgd/infra/library/IRR_Dockside_Green_Case_Study.pdf

[Carly Johansson]

Timothy
I just spoke with a friend that works at HES PV here in Victoria and he informed me of many different projects in Victoria and greater CRD. The CRD is a consistant client of PV power upgrades and there was a large project for the TSou-ke First Nation – largest on South Island – 75kW solar system. Many projects are residential, but there are rec centres, schools and offices as well. According to my friend – Millions of dollars in projects each year are shipped out of the Victoria and Vancouver warehouses for thsi region. Another great place to look for projects is the BCSEA website (though it was down today- http://www.bcsea.org/).
There is a Solar monitoring project happening at Victoria City Hall as part of a larger regional solar viability study with University of Victoria.
Makes me very interested in my own house.

[Jen Grebeldinger]

Timothy

It looks like there are at least 17 EnPhase Energy Solar PV installations in Victoria, you can search these out through the link I posted above … https://enlighten.enphaseenergy.com/public_systems

Sounds like the innovative technologies that are being built into the Dockside Green development will be shining examples … incidentally, it was about 8-10 years ago (I think), that I was applying for a position with the World Wildlife Fund (EEF) One Planet Living Dockside Green project. It was a proposed development back then & I am a little surprised it is not yet off the ground, yet, big projects like this, need a fair bit of time in order to ensure that they are done well. How wonderful that you get to track & see the outcomes of this project right there in your home city!

I couldn’t find a Dockside Green link for the One Planet Living activities, but here is a link to the OPL for anyone interested: http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/how_we_work/conservation/one_planet_living/

[Jen Grebeldinger]

I am aware of a few solar-PV installations at housing co-operatives in Ottawa, and one of my neighbours has a small installation on his roof. I think solar-PV is popular in Ontario in part due to the Ontario Power Authority’s Feed-In Tariff (FIT) Program, which also applies to on-shore wind, waterpower, renewable biomass, biogas and landfill gas electricity generating projects. The FIT Program is structured such that participants receive a fixed price for the electricity they produce of a 20-year contract period (http://fit.powerauthority.on.ca/fit-program).

I haven’t noticed any wind turbines in the Ottawa area, but I was recently in Kingston and could see the Wolfe Island wind farm. It’s the second largest wind farm in Canada from a capacity perspective, with a nameplate capacity of 197.8 MW and started operation in 2009 (http://www.transalta.com/facilities/plants-operation/wolfe-island).

[Carly Johansson]

Upon reviewing the CEEP for Victoria, I was a little disappointed to see (in my eyes) the review of renewable enegy was mainly the scope of assisting district energy areas – basically there are some options, but as Timothy states, they are only in the realm of future commercial/ residential developments. Dockside Green was mentioned, but I also aware that a new area of previous contaminated land is almost ready for redevelopment in the urban core. I hope that city staff and council work with stakeholders to find a solution that increases the use of renweable energy sources and follows all of the guidance as laid out in the CEEP for renewable energy regarding this entire development.

[Jen Grebeldinger]

Hi Geoff,

I agree with you, the focus does appear to be on district energy. I also found the section on waste diversion a little disappointing. It led me to do a little research on the web to find out where Victoria’s compost (kitchen scraps) actually end up. It looks like our kitchen scraps are being sent over to Richmond and fed into Harvest Power’s anaerobic digestion facility to produce electricity. I think it’s encouraging that the kitchen scraps are being used as a renewable energy source, but it is a little disconcerting that we have to send our organics waste over to the Lower Mainland. This process inevitably increases GHG emissions (via transportation). I understand that this is an interim solution but I think the City of Victoria needs to revisit this strategy and search for options where our kitchen scraps could be used locally as a renewable energy source.

[Jen Grebeldinger]

Teresa and Geoff,

Thank you both for the information regarding solar PV in Victoria. Good to know!

[Jen Grebeldinger]

Though my community had renewable energy targets, we seemed a bit lost when it came to renewable energy projects. There was a sizable Solar Hot Water system at the affordable housing development a few years back, but no-one knows if it’s working. The new library has a Solar Hot Water system. Finally, some community members took matters into their own hands and formed a Community Energy Group They launched the Solar Scholarship project at the high school. When built, it was the 7th largest “Net Metered” PV system in the province.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 6 months ago by Jen Grebeldinger.

[Carly Johansson]

Solar hot water and solar PV for sure. We have at least two developments in Colwood using ground geothermal as a heat source.

The Solar Colwood program introduced the notion of PV4EV – or photovoltaics for electric vehicles. Under the program, Colwood residents who have an EV and put solar PV on the roof sized such that over the course of a year it produces more electricity than the car uses, we consider it to replace the fossil fuels that once drove our gas cars. (Just for fun, we have nicknamed it “Driving on Sunshine”. And I refer to the PV on my roof as my “Alberta oilfield”.

Fantastic job by Kjell and team for the Solar Scholarship program on Salt Spring!

[Jen Grebeldinger]

I had a look at the incentives available through the Solar Colwood program that Judith mentioned. I was really impressed by the magnitude of some of the incentives. For example, homeowners can take advantage of up to $3000 for a solar hot water system and up to $4000 for an electric vehicle charging station. I’m not sure of the full cost for these measures, but I imagine that the incentives must cover at least 50% of the cost to the homeowner.

[Carly Johansson]

Hi Emily – the Solar Colwood program provided up to 33% of the installed costs for solar hot water. Typical prices for a retrofit install here are $5000 to $10000 – depending on size of system and complexity of the retrofit.

The EV charging system was fun. Built on the idea from a local business (bakery), we provided grants for “PV4EV” – photovoltaics for electric vehicles. If you own an EV, and put solar PV on your roof sized such that over the course of a year, your PV produces more electricity than your car used, you qualify for the incentive and get to say that you are “driving your car on sunshine”.

Sadly the program funding ends at the end of this month.

[Jen Grebeldinger]

Solar Hot water systems are in place on the Vancouver Island Conference Centre site and there are a number PV units installed on residential homes throughout the City. The City relaxed building height restrictions within its zoning bylaw to allow for “sustainable building technology” which includes a number of energy generation systems.

The City also looked for opportunities within its water supply system. The main water reservoir into the City receives its water through gravity feed, with no need for pumping. As part of an upgrade to the reservior, a hydro electric generation component was added to the main water lines enetering the reservoir and currently generate enough energy to power 60-70 homes annually.

The City also has created a number of incentives through its zoning bylaw by not restricting

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