I just cancelled my electric bill for the next 30 years. I probably will not need electricity after that many years, but I am good for the foreseeable future.
Look at that beauty! Yes, it is huge, but I live really far north. I need to bank energy during the summer months when it is daylight for about 18 hours and then draw on the banked energy during the winter months when the sun is very low in the sky and it is only daylight for about 6 hours.
I also admit that I am a bit of an energy hog. Still, there is a reason why there are 40 panels and it is not pretty. My neighbour only needed 20 panels and that is because the provincial government had incentivized conversion to solar and offered a 1:1 ratio. For each unit of energy produced by their panels they can bank 1 unit. When the Government leader changed, he cancelled the 1:1 because he wants to promote oil and nuclear instead. So now I get a ratio of 1:3. I can only bank 1 unit of energy for every 3 units of energy I produce. Shysters.
Just the same, my ROI is calculated to be 9%, which is not unreasonable. That is if electricity rates are subjected to normal rates of inflation, but with inflation the way it is, I suspect my ROI will be significantly higher. I also receive a $5000 rebate from the Federal Government so I am already feeling the savings.
The Government is likely to change again, and perhaps we will get a better deal. I think that we should be able to sell energy to the grid for a profit, but we will see. I could take the step of going fully off grid, but that would require additional equipment and I do not feel the motivation at this time.
Putting up these solar panels was a big project. They can't be installed on my roof as they need to be erected at a specific angle to catch our northern sun rays. It all started with some deep steel screw piles--notice there are 8 or them and they are about 20 feet deep.
The steel frame is designed to be slightly flexible to withstand our strong winds. It is not unusual for us to get winds between 40-80 kms per hour, so that frame needs to have some give. Another bonus is the solar panels will act as a shelter belt. Our strongest winds come from the south, strangely enough, so I am happy to have some shelter for my vegetable garden.
Each individual solar panel was affixed to the frame. It took them hours to screw them all in place. After the panels were in place, they dug a trench to place the wiring under ground.
And that's it! I now run my home on sunshine. Next stop is the electric car dealership.
Thanks for reading.
