Wednesday, 30 March 2016

Dirty Power

I love reading the Valley Voice, if ever there was controversy, the Slocan valley is the center of the universe.

One of my letters to the editor, hopefully its published in the next edition

                               Solar Power in BC is  DIRTY POWER
           
Solar power in BC isn’t “green”, google- “Give Yourself a Big Green Hug”.  

SD10 received their solar system money from the Carbon Neutral Capital Planning grant the website states: carbon neutrality is about achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions, yet solar panels in BC increase green house gases adding to our carbon footprint!

Andy Shadrack extolls on the virtue of his solar system, panels bought from China, likely made from Fernie coal mined with diesel equipment, onto diesel trains, then bunker oil powered ships, to burn in chinese power plants heating ores mined by diesel to over 3000 degrees, polluting chinese childrens air and returned via all the same non renewables to make no power when we need it, winter.  Studies show the non renewable energy required to make solar panels won’t be returned in their lifetime, that could certainly be true at our latitude and annual sunshine.

Did anyone understand Mr. Shadrack’s  economic justification for his solar system in his letter?  I didn’t.

                               Here are the real calculations.
 
Mr. Shadrack says his  2.4kW - $22,000 solar system saves money?
Years of  solar data for sunshine in the West Kootenays  says 1kW of solar panels might make 1kWh of power annually.  Almost all of it in summer when nobody needs it.
His 2.4kW of solar panels x 1kWh/kw/yr= 2400kWh annually.
He pays Fortis  9.8c/kWh,  he will save 2400kWh x 9.8c/kWh=$235 annually.
His $22,000 system at 3.5% for 20 years is $1540 annually.   $1540 to save $235 is saving money?   He says it will create jobs,  if his system lasts 20 years, it likely took a couple man days to instal his chinese solar panels, hardly a job  creation program!  He is paying 6 times as much for his dirty solar power than if he did nothing.  If it was his cash, conservative investments are making better than 6% these past years.  $22,000 at 6% with the magic of compounding interest will be over $75,000 in 20 years.   In 20 years Mr. Shadrack will have toxic solar panel junk, and have paid 6 times more for his dirty solar power that increases BC’s carbon footprint and have no money to buy the next set of panels to make dirty power. 
Those of you in Nakusp and New Denver, look at your school solar panels, each one from November through February might make 50 cents worth of power, about 12 cents per  month!! There is public data on the internet at “enphase public systems”.  Zoom into Nakusp, the 48 panel commercial system is the one on the school.  The data shows for December and January it might have made $5 each month.  Its time to stop picking the public pocket for something that can’t help us.  The Nakusp $150,000 microhydro on their city water system makes $100/day and will for the next century or more.  The NSS ($112,000)and Lucerne ($38,180)solar panels about the same cost, might make $12 a day  and last maybe 25 years and become toxic junk.  


Nelson is picking my pocket for their community solar garden. I asked the hydro manager at the budget meeting what makes solar power green, his reply -“nobody said it was green”.
This Nelson solar garden is likely the most absurd greenwashing project on the planet.
 A city  with its own hydro dam, our printing press, our money machine, saving 36% on our taxes.  Water power made for 2c and sold for 10c.  It’s a phoney political stunt that lets the misinformed buy in at some token price that everyone else subsidizes.
SD8 is one of the biggest purchasers of 10 solar panels in the community solar garden.  Maybe they could fund the cities spring pothole patching budget too?  One of SD8’s $1000(subsidized) solar panels will in a year make the power our dam makes for $5.

I thought schools were broke.  The SD8 manager says it will reduce emissions and give administration an idea of how to cut costs and be energy efficient.  The years of data from their $25,000 grant high school solar demonstration system doesn’t tell them?

When will this waste stop?

Max Yanke
Electronics Supv. (ret’d)
Nelson



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