By Roy L Hales
This is going to be what some of my colleagues call a “puff piece.” More critical evaluations may follow; this is a time to celebrate. Though SunMine has actually been feeding the grid since June 22nd, the city of Kimberley just made the official announcement. BC’s First Commercial Solar Project is operational.
Continue reading BC’s First Commercial Solar Project is OperationalBy Roy L Hales
There are slow pockets, but most of British Columbia’s solar contractors are busier than ever before. Riverside Energy Systems, in Kamloops, is finding it difficult to keep up. Rob Baxter, of Vancouver Renewable Energy Co-operative, thinks we may have reached a tipping point, “more people want to support solar energy.” Alevtina Akbulatova, Net Metering Specialist with BC Hydro, said 90 projects were connected to the grid during 2014. She added, “There are already 99 this year and I could approve a few more by the end of the day.” Add in the 1 megawatt of capacity from SunMine, the province’s first utility scale solar project, and BC’s Solar capacity Is doubling.
By Roy L Hales
It has been 37 years since Dr Allan Hoffman gave President Jimmy Carter the plan that could have started America’s renewable revolution. The idea was shelved after Reagan was elected. Hoffman waited, as administration after administration ignored the potential, until Barack Obama was elected. The retired senior Department of Energy executive views the growth of US renewables during 2014 as a vindication of what he and his colleagues saw decades ago.More Than Half Of The New Capacity
Continue reading The Growth Of US Renewables During 2014 As A VindicationBy Roy L Hales
Solar Incentives are very important in Washington (state). With power less than $0.10/kWh throughout the state, some customers wouldn’t put solar panels on their roofs if it weren’t for the incentive. The state paid out approximately $19.6 million for incentives in 2013. A Solar Washington study found that for every $1 Washington paid out in solar incentives, $2.46 was injected back into the economy.
Continue reading For Every $1 Washington Paid Out In Solar Incentives
Originally Published on the Watershed Sentinel
Kimberly’s city council has a history of embracing innovation. They rebranded Kimberly “the Bavarian city of the Rockies” once it became apparent the Sullivan mine was going to run out. Further ventures into tourism led to the acquisition of the local ski hill and construction of what is now one of Canada’s 10 top golf courses. Both of these projects have since been sold. The city was ready for something new when Michel de Spot, CEO of Vancouver’s Ecosmart Foundation, approached them in 2008. He said the former Sullivan mine is the perfect site for a utility scale solar project.
Continue reading Going Solar at SunMine
