Sun Rise in the West

Randolph Seibold

February 28, 2017

red woman greeting solar panels Today the Alberta government announced its much-anticipated market stimulus package for homes and businesses. By 2020, $36 million will be invested in the form of rebates for commercial and residential customers, in addition to the rebate programs already underway for municipalities and agriculture producers. The symbolic super-number of 10,000 solar roofs is being put forward as the aspirational goal.

At the same time, just days ago, Saskatchewan announced its Request For Proposals phase for its first 10 MW utility-scale solar farm is officially underway. A total of 34 companies qualified to submit formal bids (and someone handed me the list, in case you’re curious).

It is a moment of truth for solar in Western Canada. Just as much, it is a moment of truth for Canadians. Against perhaps all odds, a pro-renewable energy policy environment is flourishing in the old-school farming and oil & gas provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan, jurisdictions with some of the best annual sunlight resources in North America. Now, will individuals and organizations step up, as well? Not only to invest in their own solar power generators, but to become educated and trained, start careers, businesses, and generally make a commitment to join the Solar Age?

The Solar Age is now WELL underway. Developments are cascading at literally light speed, from the poor but empowered African village to the opulent deserts of Abu Dhabi. A world powered by the Sun is actually in our reach within the next 20 years. In fact, the IEA (International Energy Agency) has for the first made the statement that indeed it is renewable energy, with an emphasis on solar, that will power the majority of the world’s energy needs as soon as 2050. So despite all odds, despite a dark agenda of fossil-fueled enslavement making a final, vampiric push through the US White House and Russia’s Kremlin, the force for positive, sustainable, and liberating changes in the energy sector are now potentially unstoppable.

Epic times people. Its yours if you want it.

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Randolph Seibold

Canadian Clean Energy Activist and Market Consultant. Home is in the BC mountains, currently on assignment in Southern Alberta.

5 responses to “Sun Rise in the West”

Douglas Bowman (Claresholm)

March 4, 2017 at 12:13 am

Why so skeptical? Everyone wants off the grid, however the $30,000 price tag and discouraging tactics like $2800 power meters from energy suppliers has kept the average Joe from actually doing anything.

The only constituent of Alberta that is hard core oil and gas to the exclusion of all others has been the Provincial Government and obviously the so-called Progressive Conservative governments lead that parade.

As solar options become more affordable and if we don’t see utilities viciously fight back as they are in Arizona, maybe one day all that wire in the sky will be recycled into aluminum frames for electric cars. Epic times indeed.

Reply
1. Gordon Howell
  
  March 13, 2017 at 2:01 am
  
  Douglas Bowman — Where are you seeing $2800 kWh meters? The cost is $0 for micro-gen and perhaps $400 (?) for DG.
  
  $30k to go off-the-grid??? The cost is around $50k to $60k for an average household.
  
  Reply
  1. Randyn Seibold
    
    March 13, 2017 at 2:40 am
    
    Gordon, is the $50-60k in reference to actually going “off-the-grid”, ie batteries etc?
    The average residential system, grid-connected, seems to be coming in at around 20-25k for a 6-7kw system, from what we’re seeing.
  2. bowman21
    
    March 13, 2017 at 5:15 pm
    
    Gordon, things may have changed, it’s been a few years since I was looking specifically into that aspect. However, you’ve confirmed the costs are still prohbitive for alternative energy systems.
ghowell

March 13, 2017 at 4:24 am

Thanks for your question Randyn:
a) An average household in Alberta uses 7200 kWh per year.
b) $50 to 60k is the cost of an off-grid PV system to generate the electrical energy for an average household.
c) In Edmonton, an average household needs a 6.3 kW PV system to generate 7200 kWh. This costs $17k top $19k depending on a number of factors. It would be likely around 5.5 kW for Lethbridge and thus cost $16k to $17k.

I welcome any discussion about this.

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