Is solar energy worth the cost?

By Sharon McLeay Times Contributor

The Wheatland County solar project, presented by local engineer and sustainable energy development specialist Oksana Treacy at the Nov. 7 Wheatland County council meeting, offered some answers to questions about the cost effectiveness of switching to solar energy.
“The question here is how the Wheatland County system performs at this location. You would think that it is an obvious question, but there are actually not a lot of studies out there for the larger systems,” said Treacy. “There is a lot of incentive out there, so it is important to know that it works.”
The government of Alberta’s Municipal Climate Change Action Centre provided municipal funding for solar project installations on municipal buildings. Wheatland County applied for the funding last year and installed solar panels on the east wing administration building renovations. Wheatland has a 60-kilowatt system generating an expected 65 megawatts of power per year. There are 215 solar modules with four inverters on the roof.
“It is out there for the public to see. As a county, we want to be leaders in environmental initiatives,” said Dave Churchill, Wheatland County’s general manager of transportation and infrastructure.
Treacy said the Wheatland system exceeded production and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions forecasts for the year, with a 70-megawatt generation, and it decreased greenhouse gas emissions by 60.6 tonnes.
She added that weather, higher temperatures, module maintenance issues, and roof pitch affected optimal production.
A total savings of 6.4 cents per kilowatt-hours was realized on power used in the Wheatland County administration building, so this supports a savings to monthly utility costs. The extra electricity not used and going into the grid gave only a minimal financial return.
Treacy said utility costs are expected to remain steady for the near future, but with coal plants shutting down and sustainable energy initiatives increasing, electricity prices will go up, which improves returns with the solar systems. Using solar energy does not alter delivery and service costs charged by the utility providers.
Treacy qualified that benefits for panel repayment is limited, as it takes about 19 years to pay off the cost of the installation and panels. Without the government subsidy, it climbs to about 25-30 years.
She recommended that Wheatland County monitor the system for its greatest production quotient, retrofit and maintain the system, and negotiate energy contracts to improve cost recoveries.
Wheatland County hosted a well-attended solar workshop, with a presentation from Rob Harlan of the Solar Energy Society on Nov. 8. It gave residents the basics of personal and farm solar systems. The consensus was the same for the personal systems, in that monthly savings on power costs are realized, but the initial panel investment needs the government rebates to help with long-term payoff. It was noted that consumers should do their research on the products and installers contacted, and panels need to be CSA approved to pass inspection.