Solar On Your Home WOW, NOW and HOW!!

Transcription

1 7.2 kw Park Allen Solar On Your Home WOW, NOW and HOW!! the least-cost electrical energy for homeowners today (?) Calgary 2017 March 28 Low-cost Net-Zero Ready Westmount Gordon Howell, P.Eng. Net-Zero-Energy Belgravia

2 I want to acknowledge that we meet on the traditional lands of the Tsuu T ina, Siksika, Piikuni, Kainai and Nakoda people and people of the Metis Nation and that I respect their spiritual relationship with these lands. 2

3 Intro: Me I am a professional engineer I am a solar-electric system project developer working with solar energy since 1977 and with solar electricity since 1983 I develop, design, supply and commission solar-electric systems I have no vested interests in any one solar-electric technology I want you to make your decisions with your eyes wide open so that you can decide what may be right for you my house 2.3 kw since 1995 ~100% solar electricity 3

4 Solar Electricity A Big Step for All The world of solar electricity is changing and growing rapidly. Solar electricity is now becoming affordable for us in our everyday lives. The time has now arrived for sunny Alberta to harness another of our abundant energy resources. Are we ready for it? 4

5 Question: What is Alberta's most abundant energy resource? 5

6 Alberta: The Solar Province Our Most Abundant Energy Resource We extract 15 EJ per year in coal, from the ground oil, methane & bitumen We sell 9 EJ per year to others We use 6 EJ of energy resources per year in Alberta EJ /year We need 3 EJ of energy per year in Alberta Our solar resource 3000 EJ per year over the whole land area We could generate 26 EJ per year from available land using present-day technologies (EJ is exa joules = billion GJ) 6

7 Presentation Focus Have fun Solar electricity (what, how, looks) On your house Costs and economics Government incentives! (really!) Premier Gardens, California 7

8 Uses of Solar Energy in a House Part of a solar domestic hot water heating system Direct gain passive solar space heating windows Part of a solar electricitygenerating system Solar illumination windows Part of a solar ventilation air pre-heating system 8

9 Your friends get really engaged Facebook group: Solar Energy in Edmonton 9

10 Solar PV (photovoltaics) Solar PV Cell Solar PV Module PV can generate any amount of electricity. Large PV systems = more PV modules. Solar PV Array 3,000 modules 1000 kw 100,000 modules (320 W ea.) 32,000 kw PV array PV Terms 18,000 modules, 6000 kw 10

11 Solar Electric System Components Inverter to convert to AC electricity Solar module to generate DC electricity Racking to mount the solar modules 11

12 Where does the equipment come from? Solar PV modules 50,000 brands, models, types and sizes manufactured by 1500 companies in 60 countries Vietnam (for example) is a common source for modules Racking made in Canada, America Inverters 4000 brands, modules, types and sizes manufactured by 300 companies made in Germany, Austria, Korea, America, Canada ++ Distributors (some of them) Calgary: National Solar, HES PV, Sentinel Solar Toronto: Franken Solar 12

13 Solar Photovoltaic (PV) System DC 6 1. Array of solar PV modules AC 2. DC disconnect switch 3. DC to AC Inverter 4. Customer service box and panelboard Notes: DC = direct current AC = alternating current Components #2, 3, 4 are usually inside a house 5. House loads 6. Electrical utility revenue meter 7. Electrical utility wires 2011 Jim Dunlop Solar (modified) 8. Distribution transformer (dedicated or shared with other customers) 13

14 Will Solar Equipment Last a Lifetime? Solar electric (photovoltaic, PV) modules manufacturing warranty: 10 years performance warranty: 25 years generating 80% as good as new = average 7% loss over 25 years actual lifetime: 40 to 100 years??? Racking forever? Inverters manufacturing warranty: 12 years, can purchase a 25-year warranty need to be replaced: every 15 to 20 years, typically 14

15 Comparison of Solar Resources Lethbridge and Estevan have greatest solar resources Calgary & Hamilton in Canada 7% less best solar in a big city Lethbridge Calgary Hamilton Phoenix 52% more than Calgary 15

16 Compared to Cloudy Cities Calgary 8.5% less Vancouver 28% less Germany 16

17 What are the physical benefits of solar PV on your house? (for an average household using 7200 kwh per year) Solar PV gives you the potential to: reduce your net electricity consumption from the grid from 7200 kwh per year to 0 kwh per year reduce your electricity bills from $857 per year (as of 2017 January) to $477 per year (including all fixed costs) (changes monthly) reduce your net electricity-caused emissions from 4680 kg per year to 0 kg per year Solar provides electricity prices that are stable, known and cheaper than grid electricity for the life of the solar PV system (40+ years) 17

18 What are the social benefits of solar PV on your house? Fun Prestige Bragging rights to your neighbours and friends Leadership for your kids and grandkids Helping them think of their own future The satisfaction of generating your very own electrical energy Facebook group: Solar PV Farms in Alberta 18

19 Belgravia Green Net-Zero-Energy house Size: 12.5 kw (2011) 58 solar PV modules on house and garage roof Effect Home Builders Facebook group: Net-Zero-Energy Homes in Edmonton 19

20 Brentwood Affordable Apartments Size: 33 kw (in 2011) Great Canadian Solar 20

21 Evansdale Community Hall 26 kw solar PV system with 100 solar PV modules (2015 and 2017) Net grid electricity consumption 3,500 kwh per year (estimate) Savings: energy 90% GHG emissions reduction: 2,300 kg/year Facebook group: Solar PV on Alberta's Farm 21

22 Inglewood area Size: 1.9 kw (in 2003) 16 solar PV modules Generates $150 of electricity per year Cities grow great when old men plant trees in whose shade they know they will never sit in. 22

23 House near Lac Ste. Anne 21 solar PV modules of 260 W each 5.5 kw of capacity (2015) Installed capital cost $ = $3.30 / W 23

24 What does it take to go solar? 1. Get connected to the PV industry See the Yellow Pages or Find 3 installers here at the Trade Show Learn about them and the projects they have done 2. Find an experienced and reliable PV developer or installer Get quotes from 3 installers Get 3 references from each installer Check with the Better Business Bureau Facebook group: Solar PV Installers in Alberta 24

25 What does it take to go solar? 3. Cost: If your house has no surprises: $5,000 to $30,000 (depending on your consumption and your budget) 4. Time: 1 to 6 months, depending on when you start and how busy everyone is actual on-site installation time can be very quick often 1 to 3 days (depending on the complexity of the roof layout) Facebook group: Lasso the Sun -- Careers in Alberta's Solar Patch 25

26 Preparation for Your Solar PV System First call You: call a potential solar PV developer or installer We: find out your goals look at your house on the internet, get an idea of what possibilities and potential challenges there are for your house Electricity bills You: get your bills together for a year We: from your bills we look at your electricity consumption and the electricity prices We: estimate what a typical system could cost for your house 26

27 Preparation for Your Solar PV System MANDATORY Site visit of your house, looking at: the yard from the south, (house and trees) the roof and walls, looking for obstructions, slopes, and shapes the view to the south from the house, showing trees and other buildings the furnace room how much space there is for equipment capacity of electrical panelboard and main breaker NEVER hire any company that does not come to your site and do a site survey. Facebook group: Solar Energy in Alberta's Aboriginal Communities 27

28 The Solar Work Design the system Choose the solar PV, structural and electrical components Draw the structural and electrical drawings (and stamp them, depending on the project complexity and municipal requirements) Develop the system and project Electricity bill analysis, economic calculations Permitting (development, building, grid-connection) Purchase Solar equipment Installation labour Facebook group: Alberta Solar Project Bids and Quotes 28

29 The Solar Work Installation by a contractor that has PV experience (preferably who has a PV system on their own home or office) Testing Everything is working Inspections electrical building (when required) Meter change out to a bi-directional cumulative meter Make sure the electricity delivery company doesn t forget about it Monitoring System performance for a year+ On-line data 29

30 Example Display of Your Solar PV System s Performance Inverter # kwh generated on October 05 Inverter #1 30

31 Connecting to the Grid Is it complicated or easy to get connected to the grid? easy usually no issues What about the paperwork? fill out a simple 1-page form submit 2 drawings single line electrical, site plan max. 2-week response time Facebook group: Micro-Generation in Alberta 31

32 Solar PV and Snow Cover We oversize the PV system to accommodate snow cover (4% to 10% annual energy loss depending on the winter) The design focus is on the amount of energy generated per year, the budget and the space. Belgravia Green near NZ Belgravia Green NZE Belgravia Green NZE-ready 32

33 The Economics of Solar PV To discuss the economics of solar PV: You need to know the costs of the PV system the energy generation the electricity-bill savings Facebook group: Workers in Alberta's Solar Patch 33

34 Solar PV for an Average Household Solar-electric system to generate energy of: 7,200 kwh per year need a generating capacity: 5.5 kw from # of solar PV modules: 20 area of PV array: 34 m 2 (360 ft 2 ) fully-installed cost: ~$15,000 to $17,000 (depending on house complexities) 34

35 PV System Costs For a 5.5 kw PV system that would generate 7200 kwh per year (for an average household) Cost Price % of total PV modules (22) $4, /W 29% Racking $1, % Inverters $2, % Wiring $1, % Signage, shipping $ % Permits??? $ % Design $ % Development $ % } Installation $3, % Total $15,600 $ % 36% 10% The exact portions depend on many factors. 35

36 Electricity Billing You need to understand the basics of your electricity bill Based on the prices on your January bill in Calgary, if your bill came from ENMAX Energy on their EasyMax floating rate: The energy cost increases with your energy consumption. The energy price is 3.65 /kwh for energy purchase 4.08 /kwh for energy delivery for grid-connection, the cost per year is fixed, and is $88 per year to have your bill prepared and sent to you $213 per year to maintain the electricity grid (GST included in these numbers) Facebook group: Your Electricity Bill -- Whazzup with it 36

37 Annual electricity bill: without solar with solar $857 $477 Average Homeowner s Bill for net energy purchase: $0 for solar energy storage on the grid: $177 37

38 Annual Cost of Connecting to the Electricity Grid in Edmonton total now $295 per year grid O&M now $227 per year billing now $68 per year 38

39 Price of Electrical Energy in Edmonton total delivered energy now 7.5 /kwh energy purchase now 4.3 /kwh energy delivery now 3.2 /kwh 39

40 Annual Cost of Connecting to the Electricity Grid in Calgary total now $301 per year grid O&M now $213 per year billing now $88 per year 40

41 Price of Electrical Energy in Calgary total delivered energy now 7.73 /kwh energy delivery now 4.08 /kwh energy purchase now 3.65 /kwh 41

42 Active Power [kw] Electricity Consumption and Generation Profiles PV system generation Ho use electricity co nsumptio n Time of day [hours] Actual measured performance of my 2.3 kw PV system and house, 1997 February Avg Avg 42

43 Active Power [kw] Electricity Export and Import Prices Actual measured performance of my 2.3 kw PV system and house, 1997 February Exported energy Imported energy Value: = 7.73 /kwh PV system generation Ho use electricity co nsumptio n Electricity prices: RRO in Edmonton on 2017 January purchased by Energy Retailer Value: 3.65 /kwh Time of day [hours] Imported energy Value: = 7.73 /kwh Avg Avg Solar electricity used on site Value = = 7.73 /kwh 43

44 What does this practically mean to us? with Alberta s very-cheap electrical energy prices in 2017: savings with a solar-electric system: $380 per year break-even time now 27 years because of cheap grid prices typically years with normal grid prices price of electricity: solar: known, constant price for 25 years 11.3 /kwh for 25 years * 1 /kwh after 25 years grid: 7.73 /kwh now and rising unpredictably, calculated at 15.8 /kwh over 25 years * using your own money (not the banks), not including future value of money, including rising electricity prices, long-term PV performance reduction 44

45 Incentives for Homeowner Solar Electricity yes modest delivered through Energy Efficiency Alberta now being set up only province in Canada to include small-scale renewables as part of its energy efficiency agency stay tuned 45

46 Modest Solar Rebate Incentive This is what an up-front rebate would do (option) 75 /W (equal to paying for the installation of your PV system) $4100 rebate cheque on average average system cost $11,500 Price of solar electricity * constant 8.5 /kwh for 25 years (grid price: 7.7 /kwh now and rising unpredictably, calculated at 15.8 /kwh over 25 years) Break-even time now 22 years with very-cheap electricity prices typically 15 years with normal electricity prices * using your own money (not the banks), not including future value of money, including rising electricity prices, long-term PV performance reduction 46

47 What is Happening with Solar Electricity in Alberta? # of solar-electric systems = 1760 growing at 410 per year solar PV capacity = 16,600 kw growing at 7,300 kw per year From my monthly update on Alberta s solar PV industry. avg. 93% growth per year over the last 8 years 47

48 To Enter Alberta s Solar Patch Get connected to the PV industry Join the Solar Energy Society of Alberta Come to the monthly seminars See who is doing what, where and how Go to the Alberta Solar Providers directory to see what Alberta s solar businesses are doing: You don t have to be an electrician to be in the Solar Patch There are many jobs that do not involve PV system installation. Design, sales, supplying equipment, warehousing, promotion, training Want to learn a tonne about solar PV? First put a PV system on your own home. Can you really ask others to put PV on their home if you haven't first put it on your own home? 48

49 Need to get ready for cheap solar electricity We need to be making all our houses, buildings and infrastructure Ready to accommodate solar in the near future Ensure that the design decisions being made now do not prevent or hinder solar being installed in next 10 short years Facebook group: Howell Mayhew Engineering 49

50 Edmonton s 18th Annual Eco-Solar Home Tour Date: Time: Where: Cost: Format: More info: 2017 June 3 and 4 (Sat and Sun) noon to 4pm 18 homes around Edmonton, St Albert, Fort Saskatchewan ++ Free. No need to register. Open house. Come, learn, stay, and go as you please Discover details, ask questions, learn heaps... Facebook group: Eco-Solar Home Tour 50

51 Solar Electricity The dawn of a new era we all can be part of it 51

52 Solar Electricity Simple Clean Reliable Affordable Local Democratic Now Download other PV presentations from /presentations and /seminars We welcome any feedback, questions, suggestions, comments and challenges to anything we present. Photo credits: Gordon Howell and several others Gordon Howell, P.Eng. Edmonton Phone: