An update on our solar energy experience
“Your panels must love this weather,” a friend commented last week. He was referring to how sunny and hot July was here in NB.
My response: “Yes – and no.”
Yes, because panels turn light from the sun into electricity, and the more sunlight there is, the more electricity gets produced.
But no too, because – counterintuitive as it may seem – solar panels become less efficient in very hot weather. To be sure, they still work – it’s just that they’re most efficient when it’s not too hot.
Here’s an update on our family’s journey to being net-zero emissions for our heating, electricity and transportation (which are the biggest sources of emissions over which individuals have direct control):
Backgrounder:
- On New Years Day 2019, our family set a goal to be net-zero by the end of 2022
- In December 2019, we purchased a Chevy Bolt EV
- In December 2020, our first solar array was installed (a ground mount with a perfect southern exposure)
- In June 2023, our second solar array was installed (on our garage roof; less than ideal exposure, but less expensive)
- Both arrays are connected to the NB Power grid
- Under NB Power’s Net Metering program, surplus power we generate in sunny months is sent back into the grid, building up a credit we can use next winter when solar production drops.
Update:
- The peak production month for both arrays this year was May, thanks to relatively long days and cooler temperatures (and it’s worth noting there was excellent production on cold but sunny days in February, March and April too)
- So far this summer, the arrays have pushed over 2500 kilowatt-hours of surplus electricity back into the NB Power grid – building up a credit that should be sufficient to take us through the coming winter and make us net zero over the year
- Here’s a screenshot of our most recent power bill; thanks to our solar panels and the credit they’ve built up, every bill from now should be similar*. (Not only sustainable, but very compatible with my frugal Dutch instincts too!!)
Most countries have set targets to be net-zero by 2050 – but why wait that long? Solar panels have the potential to generate zero-emission power from the sun; save everyone money; and bring us down to net-zero far sooner.
(Do you have questions about solar? Don’t hesitate to hit reply and ask; I’ll do my best!)
*If you’ve noticed that the HST seems a bit high, it’s because of Net Metering rules set by NB Power and the provincial Department of Finance. From NB Power’s Net Metering FAQs: “NB Power is legislated to charge HST on the total amount of electricity delivered and not the net amount of electricity billed.” What that means: we get a credit for every KWH of power we push back into the grid when the array is producing more than we use, but when that power comes back to us (IE after dark or next winter) the KWH is free but we have to pay HST on it as if it weren’t. It’s a bit of a head scratcher of a rule, but that’s why the HST is higher. On the other hand, it’s not that much, peaking out at about $10 extra of HST per month in the winter, when we’re using up the most credits. (And – the bill above includes charging our EV, so no gas bill either.)
In the news:
Understandable, but not a solution: record heat drives Albertans to use more air conditioning – which in turn creates a spike in electricity use and emissions from power generation.
A new report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development concludes that much of Canada’s inflation has been due to higher energy prices (mostly of fossil fuels), and that transitioning to net zero could save most Canadian households $1500 annually.
‘Morally, nobody’s against it’: Brazil proposes a global tax on the world’s richest billionaires to combat climate change.
Quotable
“Overshoot will end, whether we do it by design or we do it by disaster.”
Dr. Mathis Wackernagel, Co-founder, Global Footprint Network