Many neighbours have stopped to ask me about the solar panels on my roof, and if they are worth getting. The solar panels are great, but they do not provide power at night unless there is storage, which needs to be developed further. None was installed with my system.

In the fall of 2010 I got 12 solar photo-voltaic collector panels installed on my roof as part of an experimental project by the City of Edmonton. My roof was sloped at just the right angle to make solar production work well, and the rain and snow keep them clean. I knew it would be expensive, but I believed that solar power was the right thing to invest in.

I was surprised that the collector panels came from California, and the inverters (that convert direct current into alternating current) had to come from Germany, because at that time none were made in Canada! The City paid about a third of the cost of $22,000, but there is no energy storage in this system. If the house doesn’t use the energy immediately, it goes back to the EPCOR grid and they are supposed to credit me for the energy produced by my solar panels. For about six to eight months of the year my solar panels produce almost all the energy my house uses monthly, and yet EPCOR still charges me the set fees for transmission, delivery, distribution, etc. If my system had storage batteries, I could use the solar power at night when its not being produced, but that storage part of a solar system needs more development. Also, more of the parts need to be developed and made in Alberta and Canada.

Every month I get a report from a separate agency showing me how much energy my solar panels have produced and what my carbon offset is. In March of 2015, my solar panels produced 349 KWH of power and my carbon offset was 532 lbs, equivalent to six trees. EPCOR, however, says I used 567 KWH of power, but they have reimbursed me for only $10, and my total electric power bill is about $75.

So, is having a solar photovoltaic system worth it? Not at present. Not until more development of the whole system is done, with storage batteries as part of the systems, more parts are made in Alberta and Canada, and the power companies co-operate and give solar energy some genuine support.

There are many things we can do to be “green,” or live sustainably, and we are learning new ones almost daily. Solar and wind energy are both being used extensively in warmer climates. My question always is: What are we going to do in cold Alberta winters when the non-renewable oil and gas run out? Keep an eye out for new and innovative developments, and try them out. Somebody has to help work the kinks out of the new systems so wider usage is affordable for all.