The Guelph Solar Committee is pleased to release the latest update to our bulk purchase plan. If you do not have time to read through the entire update I’ve included a short table of contents. For those interested in being involved in our first bulk purchase, please be sure to read about our first scheduled meeting details. We’re finally ready to go solar!
– First Bulk Purchase Meeting Announced!
– Guelph Solar Exposure Data
– Terra View Pilot Project Update
– City of Guelph Collaboration
– Solar Hot Water
– Financing and Tax Incentives
– Guelph Ecomarket
– Landlords and Churches wanted!
– “The Sun is Everywhere” Solar Marketing Campaign
– The Final Word
First Bulk Purchase Meeting Announced! The Guelph Solar Committee is pleased to announce the long anticipated launch to our first bulk purchase. This meeting is for all those residential and commercial building owners serious about being part of our first bulk purchase. At the meeting we will provide details and pricing for our customized-for-Guelph solar PV (photovoltaic) solution, and also feature the vendor we have selected to perform the bulk-purchase installations. This meeting represents the culmination of nearly a year of work on the part of the Guelph Solar committee to ensure that Guelph residents and businesses purchase the ideal systems for our geographic location, at the best prices possible, from a vendor who has proven themselves to be skilled and reliable. The meeting is being sponsored by Terra View Homes, who have generously donated use of their building on their Woodlawn Rd. site, the same site on which our pilot solar PV project was built. We are excited to share our results with the public, and hope to convince a significant number of members and organizations in our community to participate in this first round of purchasing. Due to limited space, we are asking only that those who are interested in potentially making the purchase attend the meeting. We will hold another general public meeting at a later (yet to be determined) date with information in regards to systems in general, our co-op purchase plan, our community marketing plan, and further information on solar hot water and air exchange systems. The meeting will be held on Saturday, February 9th, at 2pm. The property is located at the east of Woodlawn Rd., the last driveway on the right before the sports fields. More information, such as refreshments and parking arrangements etc. will be provided closer to the date. Because space is limited to roughly 100 people (although we will try to accommodate standing room as well) please RSVP by replying to this email so that we can have a rough idea of numbers. We look forward to seeing you there!
Guelph Solar Exposure Data: Many thanks to Richard Mash and the Guelph Sun Park Project for sharing data with us in regards to the performance of their solar power system over the last year and a half. The data represents actual Guelph sun energy production that our committee has used to more precisely estimate actual energy yield for a Guelph solar power system. This will allow us to more closely estimate the financial investment implications and estimated buy back times for the systems. We are also looking forward to receiving further data from the Terra View project (see below) and from local Guelph real estate agent Ned Coates, who purchased a solar PV system for his home earlier this year.
Terra View Pilot Project: Construction of the Terraview Homes pilot project is currently underway. The project involves a 3kW system on a tracker set on a steel pole. The project has allowed the Guelph Solar technical subcommittee to gain actual experience in the selection and installation of a 3kW solar solution. Guelph Solar will be working with Terra View Homes and Guelph Hydro to complete the provincial Standard Offer Program requirements that will allow Terra View to begin selling power directly in to the grid. Having this experience under our belts will ensure a much smoother process when it comes time to initiate the installation process for Guelph homes and businesses. We wish to once again thank Andrew Lambden of Terra View Homes for his company’s moral and financial support for our initiative!
City of Guelph Collaboration: We wish to acknowledge and thank the City of Guelph for taking an active interest in our project. Martin Lavictoire, conservation and efficiency technician with the city’s environmental services, joined us for our October meeting to let our committee know that the municipality is interested in actively working with us to promote solar power in our city. Martin pointed to Guelph’s Community Energy Plan and the call for the installation of “the equivalent of a ‘Thousand Solar Roofs'” in our city over the next 15 years (City of Guelph Community Energy Plan, Page 8). While the nature of this partnership is yet to be determined, it is reassuring to know that our city is behind this initiative, and we look forward to working with them however we can to accomplish our mutually shared goal of reducing carbon emissions through solar power generation.
Solar Hot Water: Although our first few quotes for solar hot water systems were discouraging, we have learned of several other companies through the solar initiatives in Toronto. We plan on contacting these companies to find out if we can obtain similar pricing for Guelph. We’ve also learned that the province will be extending its PST rebate on solar equipment, and offering a $500 rebate on solar hot water systems. Stay tuned for more details early in the new year.
Financing and Tax Incentives: Guelph Solar is fortunate to have Mark Colvin, a Chartered Accountant, as one of our committee members. Mark has been working diligently to determine whether residential solar systems can be written off tax-wise as the equivalent of small energy production business. Such a scenario would have been possible prior to this year, but changing tax laws enacted this year have made the scenario less certain. Mark is currently in communication with the Canada Revenue Agency to determine whether the scenario will still be applicable. If so, the tax savings will significantly increase the financial incentives for owning a solar PV system. We will also be approaching financial institutions, city council, and banks before our February meeting to inquire in to special financial for our group.
Guelph Environmental Leadership (GEL) Ecomarket, Saturday, December 1st: Guelph Solar will have a booth at the Ecomarket in Old Quebec Street this Saturday. The booth will feature information for the public, and also feature a financial spreadsheet that will allow residents and businesses to estimate the return on investment for a solar system purchase. If you are new to this email list and would like to find out more about our organization please consider dropping by!
Landlords and Churches wanted! Because of financial incentives and large roofs, apartments and churches often make for ideal candidate buildings for solar panels. If you have a church or landlord/property management company you think might be interested in solar, please let us know!
“The Sun is Everywhere” Solar Marketing Campaign: Over the last couple of years Guelph has developed quite the reputation for grassroots marketing campaigns. One needs only point to the success of the ‘Stop The Pipeline’ and Wellington Water Watchers campaigns to note the positive results community-based organizing can achieve. The Guelph Solar committee believes that it is time to generate similar excitement in the area of alternative energy. From T-shirts to lawn signs we want Guelphites to feel that they are part of an important and necessary movement, and that our city has the potential to be a leader in our province and our country. If you feel you might have a skill that can contribute to such a campaign, please let us know! In the next few months we will be be putting out a call for any resident interested in promoting alternative energy in our city, whether they own a system or not, whether they would like to feature a lawn sign or purchase a T-shirt showing support.
The Final Word: The majority of climate scientists are currently arguing that we no longer have the luxury of deliberating on the extent to which our world is warming, and acting based on that extent. The UN Panel on Climate Change argues that our best hope lies in acting now, to the largest extent that we possibly can, and hope that these actions help mitigate the serious changes our planet is already experiencing. I believe that the city of Guelph is poised to play a key role in our nation’s response. As a community we need to demonstrate leadership by committing to act now. All of us on the Guelph Solar committee have been impressed and encouraged by the degree of public interest in this initiative. In less than a year an idea for solar panels in a single neighbourhood has piqued interest from over 350 residential and business owners, the municipal government, 2 major home developers, the Guelph Real Estate Board, the Upper Grand District School Board, Guelph Hydro, the local newspapers, and resulted in a major pilot project. We truly have the pieces in place for an alternative energy revolution in our city, and it is merely your choice to participate, in whatever capacity you can, that will make the ultimate difference in seeing its realization.
On behalf of the Guelph Solar committee, here’s to a sunny future for us all,