Going Solar, How it Works

Earth Day - Birthday! On April 22, 1970, the Earth Day movement began with a demonstration of twenty million environmentally conscience individuals. They were concerned about pollution; the effects on one’s health and the environment. Today, the event inspires rallies of over a billion people from more than 190 countries worldwide. There is growing global awareness of how our daily decisions and behaviours affect the environment. Many people volunteer for community cleanups, reduce their plastic waste, conserve water, drive less, shop local, shop sustainable, and have adopted a renewable energy action plan. The renewable energy sector is projected to surpass fossil fuels as the largest global source of electricity by 2025! Funding for solar is now available through the Canada Greener Homes Grant. Viridian Energy Co-operative explains how solar energy systems work. Empower your future, go solar!

HOW IS SOLAR POWER GENERATED?

Solar power is generated by photovoltaic cells, these cells convert sunlight to electricity in the form of Direct Current (DC) that is then passed through an inverter. This inverter turns the DC electricity into Alternating Current (AC) electricity. AC is what is used to power electrical lights and other household appliances. According to the International Energy Agency, solar power is now the fastest growing source of power in the world.

The three most common solar power systems are Grid-tie, Grid-tie with battery backup and Off-grid.

1. Grid-tie systems are grid connected solar power systems. Grid-tie systems provide a portion or all of a user’s electricity needs. They are a good investment to offset electrical costs. Batteries are not required for grid-tie systems. Electricity generated by solar is first used on site with the excess sent back to BC Hydro. The utility acts as storage and through BC Hydro’s net metering program, a user earns energy credits for the electricity fed back to the grid. These systems only work while connected to the grid.

2. Grid-tie with battery backup systems have the same core components as grid-tie systems while adding batteries, battery inverter/charger, a dedicated loads panel and an optional generator for when the power goes out. This adds resiliency and security to the system.

Batteries store energy that can be used when the grid goes down.

Battery inverter/charger converts the battery DC electricity to the AC electricity used for household appliances and allows batteries to run while separated from the grid.

Dedicated loads panel ensures power goes to only the essential places during a power outage (e.g. lights, fridge/freezer), conserving battery power. Generator, this can also be added to the system to top up batteries if the power is out for extended periods of time or if there are larger loads.

3. Off-grid systems have a

dedicated battery bank, charge controller, inverters and backup generator. These systems are suitable for remote areas where there is good solar resource and utility power is not available or is prohibitively expensive. Solar panel placement is particularly important for offgrid applications as maximizing energy production is essential.

Days of Autonomy – the number of days a user can run on a battery system before it needs to be recharged. This along with a load calculation determines the size of the battery bank. Designing an off-grid home with energy efficiency in mind to minimize the electrical loads can significantly reduce the cost of an off-grid power system. (e.g. LED light bulbs, propane fridge etc.)

Investing in any one of these solar power systems provides current and future electrical energy needs. The specific system chosen depends on the specific needs of the user. Investing in a solar power system is a way to future proof a home. This allows a user to purchase electricity up front, locking into a fixed cost for energy for the next 30+ years. Contact Viridian Energy Co-operative at (250) 412.3520 or https://viridianenergy.ca if you would like to learn more about how solar power can empower you.

“Earth Day 2012 the theme was ‘Time to Restore Our Earth’ and the question in Canada was, ‘what should Canada do to become a green energy superpower?’ Viridian Energy Co-operative came into existence in the year 2012. Since then, Earth Day has grown in significance around the world and Viridian has grown to become BC’s green energy superpower.”

Don Skerik, Production Manager, Red Seal Electrician and founding VEC member

Why go solar? • Clean Energy • Returns Increase as Electricity Rates Increase • Tax-free Savings • Ownership of a Tangible Asset • 25 Year Performance Warranty • Scalable Investment • Resiliency and Energy Security