Photon Power
A Power-Hungry World
Ageing Grid, Exceeding Life Expectancy:
$17 Trillion (2013) Needed Globally
Why Invest In Failing Centrally-Controlled
Infrastructure?
Energy Delivery of The Future
Drivers Of Change
Falling
cost
Rate
hikes – 28% by 2018 in B.C.
Grid
parity – 75% in 18 months.
B.C
is already there !
Incentives
Fossil
fuels – Climate Change
How do Solar PV Modules Work?
Large Scale Commercial
T’Souke First Nation:
Population 250.
Plan to reduce energy
consumption by 75%
and then net zero.
75 kW of solar
Small Scale Residential
3 kW (12 Panel) Grid Tie System
10 kW (40 panel) Grid Tie System
Process
Yearly Consumption
Budget
Replacement decision
Physical site analysis – sun exposure,
obstructions, space, roof vs ground,
stresses re wind, structural issues, visual
impacts, neighbours, bylaws, security and
other considerations
Determine system size, number of panels,
wiring requirements, location.
Coordinate the install, permits and
inspections necessary to complete.
Traditional Systems
Microinverter System
Advantages Of Grid Tie Microinverters
240 volt AC, not 600 volt DC
Lower installation cost
Partial shading not a problem
Redundancy—no system failure vs string
inverters
Cost for system units on par with string
inverters
Racking System With Microinverters
Panel Mount over Microinverter
Before installing PV,
reduce consumption
Do we have enough Sunshine?
Look at Germany
Solar power works on cloudy days!
The small demonstration inverter,
rated at 1100 Watts is putting out
close to 50% capacity.
On a full-sized system (10 kW),
this would be 4745 Watts.
That’s enough to run 47 100 Watt
light bulbs at the same time.
To Battery or not to Battery
To Battery or not to Battery
Costly, high maintenance, and
cannot transfer power for more than
a few days. Not enviro friendly.
Use the Grid as a battery.
Accounting shifts summer surplus to
winter deficit.
Three Meter Options
Analog: No credit for surplus
RF off: Reading fee
RF on: Automatic credit for surplus
The Fortis /B.C Hydro Tariff
To qualify for net metering, a Grid Tie System
must have an approved bi-directional (smart)
meter installed.
From The Fortis Net Metering Guidelines
http://www.fortisbc.com/Electricity/CustomerS
ervice/NetMeteringProgram/Docum
Section 3.1.5 "It is required that the
customer's facility be equipped with a bidirectional meter (or a meter approved by a
Fortis designer)
Photon Power
- GabEnergy A Non Profit Society
The purposes of the Society are to:
promote
and facilitate the development
of sustainable alternative energy sources
for Gabriola;
conduct
educational outreach for
alternative energy projects;
build
skills and expertise on Gabriola for
alternative energy development; and
facilitate
the provision of low cost
infrastructure for alternative energy
systems throughout British Columbia.
How
Portal connecting buyers to the wholesaler –
not resellers
Provide advice, coordinate ordering, shipment
and delivery of system components.
To cover fixed costs, a five percent donation for
above services is requested.
*Prices do not include shipping, GST, installation & donation.
The Economic Case - Austin Texas
Levelized Cost (LCOE) for Solar
LCOE is the industry standard for analyzing
delivered energy costs.
Cost divided by power produced
10 kW.h system on Gabe
$26,000.00 / 275,000 kW.h
$0.09 per kW.h
Levelized Cost (LCOE) for Solar
LCOE for this installation is just Nine cents
Per kW.h Guaranteed for 25 Years into the
future! *
No other Energy Source can match that; not
even close!
10 kW Installation
Option A
Per watt costs
Components
DIY Mounts
Wiring
Inspection
Shipping
Taxes, fees
Misc Labour
Total
$1.47
$0.10
$0.12
$0.05
$0.12
$0.15
$0.15
$2.16
Option B PerTurnkey
Watt Costs
Components
Wiring
Inspection
Shipping
Taxes,Fees
Labour
TotaL
$1.73
$0.12
$0.05
$0.12
$0.15
$0.35
$2.52
The Numbers….. What To Look For
LCOE of $0.09 per kW.h
Installed cost no more than $2.60 / watt
In fact we just did an install where the
LCOE was $0.07 per kW.h and the
installed cost was just $2.04 per watt!
Other Approaches
IPP
Over 1 MW
Municipal / Private
Kimberley
1 MW
4,200 Panels
Azimuth tracking
Net Metering
Up to 100 kW
Existing service to property
Physical size
400 panels - twice the size of a basketball
court
Net Meter
Earth Heartbeat
Investor Co-op
Investor Co-op
Many Models: Europe, Ontario
Shares, usually a module multiple
Regular stock options
Member owned and controlled
Community Project
Community Project
One time initiative
Salt Spring School
On going small administration
Community Co-op
Community Co-op
Donations
Membership owned & controlled
Expands over time
Directs benefits to a mix of community
programs
Volunteer Board & Admin
Eventually will need paid staff
Site Selection
Site Selection
Physical parameters
Private, Crown or other
Legal, lease, covenants, rate of return
Eventual replacement of infrastructure
Technical, Regulatory
Technical, Regulatory
Bylaws
ALR
Tax, zoning implications
Legal
Legal
Legal Structure
Business details
Communications
Communications
Internal
External
Expansion, fund raising
www.gabenergy.com
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