Hi Pat,
Here is the more complete description you requested of my new solar electric system.
What I purchased is called a "grid-connected solar PV system" or a "grid-tied solar PV system". "PV" stands for "photovoltaic", which means that they are panels that generate electricity directly from sunlight. I have 30 PV panels on my roof that generate electricity in the form of direct current (DC). Such panels have been in use all over the world for decades, and most have an extremely long life (30-50 years or more). The manufacturer's warranty in my case guarantees my panel's performance (output) for 20 years; you can't find a more trouble-free type of generating system.
The panels are mounted on rails which are securely fastened to my roof so that the panels run over the roof, but are raised up only about 6" from it. The electricity is fed from the panels on the roof down to a device called an inverter, which transforms the electricity into alternating current so that it exactly matches the grid power that we all receive and use. The electricity is then fed to a second electrical meter that was installed so that Toronto Hydro could measure how much electricity my system generates, and then the power is fed to the grid. My home uses none, some, or all of it depending on what we are powering in the house and how much electricity my system is producing at the time. Any power left over goes to help supply my neighbours and everyone else on the grid.
The key benefits of energy generated by solar PV are:
1. Less energy production is then required from the big coal generating stations, which are one of Ontario's largest sources of
both pollution and greenhouse gasses,
2. They usually generate most of their power mid-day when it is needed the most by the grid, none at night when it isn't needed,
3. Because the electricity is generated very close to where it will be used, it actually lightens the burden on the transmission and distribution portions of the grid and reduces wastage through line losses.
4. Solar power is also not at all price sensitive to any fuel source: the sunlight is free, so price stability once the system is built is also a benefit.
5. Solar panels make no noise and usually lie flat on a roof, so are very unobtrusive.
6. Solar systems create no emissions of any kind while in use, use no explosive or flammable fuels, create no radiation or dangerous waste, and
do not interfere with or effect any plants or animals in any way.
7. Their installation and some mandated component manufacturing, add Canadian jobs (program targets are for 50,000 over the next 3 years).
As the government of Ontario is trying to encourage the generation of electricity from renewable energy sources, a program is in place under Ontario's Green Energy and Green Economy Act called the Feed-In Tariff (FIT) program (for residential it is technically called the "MicroFIT" program), which replace a previous similar program. Under these programs, administered by the Ontario Power Authority (OPA), premium rates are paid to "micro generators" as we are called for producing electricity that has been generated by solar PV systems.
Under the FIT program, such producers of electricity, once approved for a FIT contract, are paid 80.2 cents per kilowatt hour, with a contract length of 20 years. This incentivized rate is intended to encourage the public uptake of these systems by enabling them to actually make a small profit in the process.
My system was installed by trained PV system installers, all electrical work was done by licensed electricians, and the system was finally inspected by an inspector from the Electrical Safety Authority (ESA) before going live. All electrical components are CSA and NEC approved and the inverters (most people have one, I have 2) must also carry two specific approvals; UL 1741 and CSA 22.2, which require that they disconnect from the grid within fractions of a second if any aspect of the grid electricity becomes irregular. This is required to ensure the safety of utility workers who might be making repairs somewhere on the grid after a power disruption. There are no moving parts and no batteries involved in my system, although such could be added as an option to provide standby power for use in a power failure. My system has its own generation monitoring website which anyone can visit. Its URL is below.
There are just a couple of hundred of such systems now in operation in Ontario, but the rates of installation are increasing rapidly, so you will undoubtedly hearing from more homeowners who have added ot plan to add a solar PV system soon.
Some related links:
The MicroFIT program: <http://microfit.powerauthority.on.ca/>
Green Energy Act: <http://www.greenenergyact.ca/>
Day Four solar panels (roughly half of mine): <http://www.day4energy.com/products.htm>
Sanyo solar panels (the other half): <http://en.ca.sanyo.com/Solar>
My inverters: <http://www.xantrex.com/web/id/172/p/1/pt/25/product.asp>
The company who sold and installed my system: <http://www.soleraenergies.com/>
My generation monitoring system website: <http://www.cachelan.com/green/solarVu.php?ac=brigham> (includes pictures of my home and system)
My own website dealing with various aspects of solar energy systems: http://www.sunwindandwater.org/Solar_Energy.html
I should point out that although I will collect revenues from the sale of energy, no-one involved thinks of this as a business. It is simply compensation for electricity whose method of generation is more expensive than traditional centralized power plans, but has numerous positive aspects. I am no more a business with this system than are parents are who receive child tax benefits. All but a handful of these systems will only generate enough electricity to cover a portion of what the home consumes. Thus, although they are generating some electricity, only the handful will actually be "net generators" and should in no way be confused with large commercial grade generation facilities.
There are still apparently some underwriters who are not comfortable with these systems, likely because they are simply not familiar with them. Since they are fully approved in all aspects by the electrical authorities, and are a desired form of generation being encouraged by both our provincial and municipal governments, I suggest the underwriters may want to get themselves sorted out on this sooner rather than later. Being a director of the Toronto Renewable Energy Co-operative, I can tell you that one of our projects called Our Power (www.OurPower.ca) is working on clearing the hurtles still remaining for the adoption of solar PV and thermal systems in and around Toronto. We are in contact with 11 community associations encompassing over 3,700 homeowners at the moment, who are developing initiatives within their communities to get solar systems on their roofs. In the support tools that we offer through Our Power, if any real problems with insurance does exist and persist, we plan to begin offering a list of insurance companies who have seen the light (pun intended), by getting familiar and comfortable with modern grid-tie solar systems, so that adding them to a home policy is nothing more than for example, adding a small addition or new kitchen to their home; it is just considered to be an addition to their existing coverage.
Hope this helps, Pat, and I am happy to answer any of the questions that will inevitably arise.
If it would help, I will offer to tour some representatives of Dominion Of Canada and/or others in the insurance industry through my home and show them what is involved. I can also arrange to have industry experts on hand to answer any questions which I cannot. I would like to get this resolved soon, and look forward to your reply.
Sincerely,
Mike Brigham
Here is the more complete description you requested of my new solar electric system.
What I purchased is called a "grid-connected solar PV system" or a "grid-tied solar PV system". "PV" stands for "photovoltaic", which means that they are panels that generate electricity directly from sunlight. I have 30 PV panels on my roof that generate electricity in the form of direct current (DC). Such panels have been in use all over the world for decades, and most have an extremely long life (30-50 years or more). The manufacturer's warranty in my case guarantees my panel's performance (output) for 20 years; you can't find a more trouble-free type of generating system.
The panels are mounted on rails which are securely fastened to my roof so that the panels run over the roof, but are raised up only about 6" from it. The electricity is fed from the panels on the roof down to a device called an inverter, which transforms the electricity into alternating current so that it exactly matches the grid power that we all receive and use. The electricity is then fed to a second electrical meter that was installed so that Toronto Hydro could measure how much electricity my system generates, and then the power is fed to the grid. My home uses none, some, or all of it depending on what we are powering in the house and how much electricity my system is producing at the time. Any power left over goes to help supply my neighbours and everyone else on the grid.
The key benefits of energy generated by solar PV are:
1. Less energy production is then required from the big coal generating stations, which are one of Ontario's largest sources of
both pollution and greenhouse gasses,
2. They usually generate most of their power mid-day when it is needed the most by the grid, none at night when it isn't needed,
3. Because the electricity is generated very close to where it will be used, it actually lightens the burden on the transmission and distribution portions of the grid and reduces wastage through line losses.
4. Solar power is also not at all price sensitive to any fuel source: the sunlight is free, so price stability once the system is built is also a benefit.
5. Solar panels make no noise and usually lie flat on a roof, so are very unobtrusive.
6. Solar systems create no emissions of any kind while in use, use no explosive or flammable fuels, create no radiation or dangerous waste, and
do not interfere with or effect any plants or animals in any way.
7. Their installation and some mandated component manufacturing, add Canadian jobs (program targets are for 50,000 over the next 3 years).
As the government of Ontario is trying to encourage the generation of electricity from renewable energy sources, a program is in place under Ontario's Green Energy and Green Economy Act called the Feed-In Tariff (FIT) program (for residential it is technically called the "MicroFIT" program), which replace a previous similar program. Under these programs, administered by the Ontario Power Authority (OPA), premium rates are paid to "micro generators" as we are called for producing electricity that has been generated by solar PV systems.
Under the FIT program, such producers of electricity, once approved for a FIT contract, are paid 80.2 cents per kilowatt hour, with a contract length of 20 years. This incentivized rate is intended to encourage the public uptake of these systems by enabling them to actually make a small profit in the process.
My system was installed by trained PV system installers, all electrical work was done by licensed electricians, and the system was finally inspected by an inspector from the Electrical Safety Authority (ESA) before going live. All electrical components are CSA and NEC approved and the inverters (most people have one, I have 2) must also carry two specific approvals; UL 1741 and CSA 22.2, which require that they disconnect from the grid within fractions of a second if any aspect of the grid electricity becomes irregular. This is required to ensure the safety of utility workers who might be making repairs somewhere on the grid after a power disruption. There are no moving parts and no batteries involved in my system, although such could be added as an option to provide standby power for use in a power failure. My system has its own generation monitoring website which anyone can visit. Its URL is below.
There are just a couple of hundred of such systems now in operation in Ontario, but the rates of installation are increasing rapidly, so you will undoubtedly hearing from more homeowners who have added ot plan to add a solar PV system soon.
Some related links:
The MicroFIT program: <http://microfit.powerauthority.on.ca/>
Green Energy Act: <http://www.greenenergyact.ca/>
Day Four solar panels (roughly half of mine): <http://www.day4energy.com/products.htm>
Sanyo solar panels (the other half): <http://en.ca.sanyo.com/Solar>
My inverters: <http://www.xantrex.com/web/id/172/p/1/pt/25/product.asp>
The company who sold and installed my system: <http://www.soleraenergies.com/>
My generation monitoring system website: <http://www.cachelan.com/green/solarVu.php?ac=brigham> (includes pictures of my home and system)
My own website dealing with various aspects of solar energy systems: http://www.sunwindandwater.org/Solar_Energy.html
I should point out that although I will collect revenues from the sale of energy, no-one involved thinks of this as a business. It is simply compensation for electricity whose method of generation is more expensive than traditional centralized power plans, but has numerous positive aspects. I am no more a business with this system than are parents are who receive child tax benefits. All but a handful of these systems will only generate enough electricity to cover a portion of what the home consumes. Thus, although they are generating some electricity, only the handful will actually be "net generators" and should in no way be confused with large commercial grade generation facilities.
There are still apparently some underwriters who are not comfortable with these systems, likely because they are simply not familiar with them. Since they are fully approved in all aspects by the electrical authorities, and are a desired form of generation being encouraged by both our provincial and municipal governments, I suggest the underwriters may want to get themselves sorted out on this sooner rather than later. Being a director of the Toronto Renewable Energy Co-operative, I can tell you that one of our projects called Our Power (www.OurPower.ca) is working on clearing the hurtles still remaining for the adoption of solar PV and thermal systems in and around Toronto. We are in contact with 11 community associations encompassing over 3,700 homeowners at the moment, who are developing initiatives within their communities to get solar systems on their roofs. In the support tools that we offer through Our Power, if any real problems with insurance does exist and persist, we plan to begin offering a list of insurance companies who have seen the light (pun intended), by getting familiar and comfortable with modern grid-tie solar systems, so that adding them to a home policy is nothing more than for example, adding a small addition or new kitchen to their home; it is just considered to be an addition to their existing coverage.
Hope this helps, Pat, and I am happy to answer any of the questions that will inevitably arise.
If it would help, I will offer to tour some representatives of Dominion Of Canada and/or others in the insurance industry through my home and show them what is involved. I can also arrange to have industry experts on hand to answer any questions which I cannot. I would like to get this resolved soon, and look forward to your reply.
Sincerely,
Mike Brigham
INSURING RESIDENTIAL SOLAR SYSTEMS
While residential solar systems are very common in many European countries, the industry in Ontario is in its infancy and many insurance companies are not yet familiar with solar systems, either solar thermal or PV. If you can therefore make them more familiar with these systems, they will naturally become more comfortable with them and realize that they are essentially like another appliance and don't require any special consideration. I went through this some time ago, and below is the text from the email that I prepared for my broker to take to the underwriter, Dominion Of Canada. My system was then insured in very short order and at reasonable cost.
One's insurance company should just increase the replacement value of the home by the amounts of these added systems, and there should be only a small premium increase as a result. This is where we want to get to with all underwriters, but we're not there quite yet. An organized effort to get all insurance underwriters comfortable with residential solar PV systems is underway, and we hope to get a much improved insurance environment shortly.
Note that if you are installing a PV system in Ontario and will be applying for a MicroFIT (Feed-In Tariff) contract, don't forget to deduct that extra premium from your income taxes, since you must declare the MicroFIT payments as personal income. For more info on that see my "Tax Implications" page. If you haven't visited it already, you should visit www.ourpower.ca for all sorts of great information and assistance.
Here then is the letter, which anyone is free to use: (note: I have updated this letter to reflect developments since then).
One's insurance company should just increase the replacement value of the home by the amounts of these added systems, and there should be only a small premium increase as a result. This is where we want to get to with all underwriters, but we're not there quite yet. An organized effort to get all insurance underwriters comfortable with residential solar PV systems is underway, and we hope to get a much improved insurance environment shortly.
Note that if you are installing a PV system in Ontario and will be applying for a MicroFIT (Feed-In Tariff) contract, don't forget to deduct that extra premium from your income taxes, since you must declare the MicroFIT payments as personal income. For more info on that see my "Tax Implications" page. If you haven't visited it already, you should visit www.ourpower.ca for all sorts of great information and assistance.
Here then is the letter, which anyone is free to use: (note: I have updated this letter to reflect developments since then).
