Boyle McCauley News

Since 1979 • April-May 2024 • Circulation 5000

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Update on Solar Energy: The Need for Safe Storage (Expanded Web Version)

I am enthusiastic about the wonderful possibilities of solar energy, and feel it is a positive move toward the future. I was interested in passive solar energy and even took a short course on it back in the early 80s. So, when the City of Edmonton announced a Solar Pilot Project back in 2010, I was first in line. I got 12 solar panels installed with inverters on my roof. They produce energy which is converted to electricity, which runs my house. But there is still no home storage for the energy they produce that is not used immediately. In my April article about solar power, I tried to share my experience, so we could all learn from it. That’s what a pilot project is all about. Solar power is somewhat complicated and there is much to understand, in addition to the politics in an oil and gas province. Here is how I comprehend it.

Since the 12 solar panels with inverters were installed on my house roof in October to December 2010, I have encountered problems with inspections, billing companies, and getting credit for power being micro-generated by the solar panels. If my house does not use the power immediately, without a storage system, the unused power goes back to the grid. In the summer, my solar panels generate all the power my little house uses, but EPCOR still charges me full admin fees, including transmission, distribution, etc. That would change if I was able to get reliable storage, and possibly get off the grid entirely. But I was told that reliable and safe storage is not yet available in Canada. Houses and businesses in California and Hawaii and elsewhere use car-battery-like storage systems, but my installer (A master electrician who specializes in solar) still considers the current storage batteries not safe and reliable yet for the amount of power being produced. So, until storage becomes safe and reliable, solar energy cannot be used to its full advantage 24 hours a day, year-round. Once the storage problem is solved, the whole system will become safe and more consumer-friendly.

On May 8, a CBC TV News feature focussed on this challenge to solar power, using the recent problem with exploding and burning cell-phone batteries as an example. It centred on a new Canadian company that was developing storage batteries for solar cars and home panels. They explained that we are still in the early stages of research and development, and the production of storage batteries is not yet really profitable. They said it will require government support for awhile to get it going. However, I’ve just been advised by another master electrician that solar storage is profitable and I was given the wrong information. He said I paid too much for a system that is not as effective as systems made now, which do have storage. Well, okay. That’s what I get for being first in line – new things always improve as they are used and understood.

Switching to solar power requires us to change our way of thinking, for both business and individuals. We all need to stop relying on oil and gas completely for our heat and transportation. Oil and gas are non-renewable resources, but the sun is FREE. The equipment to harness solar power, however, is not free. We have used oil and gas for centuries, so we didn’t think of other ways to stay warm in the winter.

But now we are learning that the oil, gas, coal, and wood we have burned for hundreds of years is polluting our whole environment and changing our climate. So, we need to learn more about alternative energy sources and how they work. For more information about solar energy systems, there is a Solar Energy Society of Alberta which anyone can join. They hold info sessions and tours of net-zero homes, and they have a newsletter you can sign up for. Go to: solaralberta.ca.

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