Watts Happening?

by Don Pettit for Peace Energy Cooperative www.peaceenergy.ca ph 250-782-3882

Ontario goes solar

In August the author visited this small solar farm under construction just north of Kingston, Ontario. It is one of hundreds being built across that province. The top photo shows the entire two hectare site. The bottom photo is a close-up showing some construction detail.

n a recent trip to Ontario I took the opportunity to check out first hand that provinces solar industry, which I had heard was growing, big time. Ontarios solar boom is fueled by what is called a feed-in tariff a special price paid by the utility for super-clean energy from wind or solar. This special rate is calculated to make investments in solar and wind infrastructure economically feasible in the face of highly subsidized fossil fuel or nuclear energy. Once the renewable energy infrastructure is in place (paid for by investors, not taxpayers) and

the industry is well established, then the feed-in tariffs can be phased out. Ontario, Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan now have feed-in tariffs. My search for solar was not disappointing. The Ontario Ministry of the Environment website listed over 200 projects under development, some wind, but mostly solar. These were not individual homeowners putting panels on their roofs but larger commercial operations requiring an environmental assessment. Five solar projects were shown under development in the area I was visiting, just north of

Kingston, so my niece and I jumped in her car and began to explore. With limited time, I choose one that was under construction rather than a completed one, to get a better idea of how these large solar arrays are put together. Pictured here is the smallish solar farm we found on a quiet rural highway near the hamlet of Crosby. I estimate it covered about two hectares and would consist of, when completed, 1600 solar panels with a peak generating capacity of about 350,000 watts, or 350 kilowatts. Thats enough power for about 35 standard North American homes or 70 energyefficient European homes. It was interesting to note some of the construction details. The panel racks at the front of the array followed the contour of the land, and were anchored on what looked like screw piles. On the back section, which had been leveled, the racks were attached to large concrete blocks that were simply sitting on the leveled site. I assume that the cluster of solar farms in this area is in part due to the poor soil conditions there. This is the Canadian Shield, and much of the agricultural land is marginal, with just a few inches of topsoil over rock and gravel. Certainly, this site was essentially a bed of gravel, and was probably chosen for that reason. We dont want to cover rich agricultural land with solar panels! Certainly the environmental impact of solar farms is minimal: no pollution during the operational lifetime of half a century or more; with no moving parts, essentially zero maintenance and therefore almost no cost of operation; should it be deemed out-dated, it could all be removed leaving little trace

that it had ever been there, and all the component materials (aluminum, silicon, glass, resin, copper) could be largely re-used or recycled. A SUSTAINABLE VISION Standing beside the Crosby solar farm, cattle grazing, crickets chirping, I couldnt help but dream. I saw a cluster of 50 or 100 energy-efficient homes cooperatively owning this small solar farm. It would supply all of their power. Smart appliances would do electrical work when the array was most active: wash the laundry, pump water, charge back-up batteries and electric vehicles. Super insulated, passive solar homes would need very little extra heat and no energy for cooling (furnace fans and air conditioners are two of the biggest power users in conventional Canadian homes). Add in some community gardens, shared food storage, a common house with shared tools, appliances and facilities, and you are well on your way to a high-functioning, sustainable community. I have faith in renewable energy. Why? Because I have faith in humanity. We will solve renewable energy issues of cost and energy storage. We will create a truly sustainable energy environment, clean and, compared to today, Earth-friendly. We will do all of this and more. When I see a solar farm quietly powering a neighbourhood with sunlight, or a line of majestic turbines powering a city with wind, I feel a visceral thrill of hope. We can do this. In Ontario we ARE doing this, and culturally, socially rich sustainable communities cannot be far behind.

Watts Happening? Quick Fact:

ONTARIO GOES LOCAL: In June of this year, the province boosted local government authority over renewable energy projects. Proponents must now work directly with municipalities to identify appropriate locations for large-scale wind and solar installations. (its about time!) Ontario will welcome an additional 900 megawatts of new clean energy on the grid in the coming five years.