SECRET CONTRIBUTOR
This quietly disappeared never to be heard of again.
There was mention of a secret contributor of $20,000 to the Nelson community solar garden.
UPdate DEC 2017, I question whether there ever was a secret contributor, my guess is this was the $20,000 from the BC government CELP grant, their information states it must be kept confidential until they make the announcement??? they don't reply.
The facts show a flawed engineering report and costs far exceeding ”only $25,000” from Nelson Hydro.
Nelson is the only city in western Canada with its own hydro dam making power for 2 cents and selling for a 500% profit, and we put up solar panels at the dam?
Our dam makes power for less than a penny/kWh, buys excess from Fortis for 4c/kWh and sells power to both Fortis and BC Hydro. This all has to do with time of year, day, and supply and demand. When we sell power to Fortis we get 4 cents, to BCHydro less than a penny 0.7 cents.
Records show Nelson has made 28GWh of excess power, that is 700 solar gardens worth, is it all sold? Records show not. Our dam is licenced for 9MW but can make 16MW when water is available beginning with runoff in April and extending into August high lake levels. Why would any be sold to BC Hydro for less than a penny when Fortis pays almost 6 times as much giving us 4 cents? Because its better than nothing and Fortis is a business for profit, not a greenwashing city mayor and council.
In Spring runoff from April into summer all reservoirs in the Pacific NorthWest are full spilling water you can’t give power away. Most solar power is earned at this time, its worthless. Using years of real known Nelson solar data, the solar garden from November through February won’t make enough power for 1 average home, cost over $400,000. Nakusp put microhydro on their city water intake for $150,000 making power for 40 or more homes 24/7/365 it will be there for their grandchildrens children. Kelowna's micro hydro on their water system is showing a profit and a 7 year payback, the solar garden payback.....NEVER.
The consulting engineer is the engineer for the Kimberley SunMine. A solar project business case must payback in 25 years, the life expectancy of solar panels. This engineer came up with a 25 year payback. Using the same swiss computer modeling program used for the SunMine, he made an error. Solar panels age making less power every year, he shows full power for 25 years. He also calculates the value of solar power as full residential retail, 500% more than our dam power. He also uses double the inflation rate of future power increase used for the Kimberley SunMine. The Kelowna micro hydro project used 1/2 the CPI, real costs is making a profit and showing a 7 year payback. The solar garden payback....NEVer. His report says estimated cost to be $211,000 and “not all costs are shown”! (its now over $300,000) HUH! This is what Mr. Love brought to city council for their approval. I have brought all of this to the attention of the mayor and council and Alex Love and city manager Kevin Cormack who denied my application to speak to council twice. Alex Love blocked my emails saying I was wasting his and his staffs time.
Mr. Love came to Nelson hydro about 6 years ago, since then he has become Nelson’s highest paid employee and increased your electric bill by about 50%, it took 40 years to achieve that before.
I asked Mr. Love at the city public budget meeting what makes solar garden power green? His reply, “nobody said it was green”. Do those opting in know this? It will increase our carbon footprint!
He says it aligns with the cities Path to 2040, all about carbon reduction, I asked him to explain, no reply.
The only thing that can make solar power green is if it avoids the burning of some non renewable fuel like coal in a conventional power plant, that can’t happen in BC.
If the solar garden power could mitigate the burning of a non renewable it would have to get on the BC Hydro grid, they pay us less than a penny. Using the decade or more of known Nelson solar data, not the engineers computer created data, annual solar garden power might be worth $350 a year sold to BC Hydro.
Why did SD8 opt in for $10,000, aren’t schools struggling financially? SD8 has a solar demonstration system from a $25,000 SolarBC grant years ago with data showing no payback ever.
The solar project had to achieve a certain sales target before December 17 to move forward it didn’t. On December 10th Alex Love states at a council meeting “ it’s a done deal”, did he guarantee the sales target?
What we could have? Nakusp put micro hydro on their city water intake for $150,000 making power for over 40 homes 24/7/365, clean green power for their grandchildrens children, city council visited this. The solar garden might make enough power for 5 homes annually for 20 years for over $300,000, dirty power and lost income from selling clean water power. Nelson has a complete engineering study for our water intake showing micro hydro would pay for all necessary upgrades and make green power for the next century or more. The Hall St. water pressure reducing station is ready for micro hydro, we can now make power and reduce water pressure, win, win.
The silver lining? The secret contributor, and those opting in will pay the most for their warm fuzzy feeling. Their $925 token feel good buy in per panel while paying full residential rate for solar power like everyone else while losing the income from otherwise clean green waterpower. Two more solar gardens are planned.
An unwilling participant
Norm Yanke
UPDATE, Feb 2017, no longer is anything being heard about this secret contributor?
Hmmm,,,, maybe a little risky now for city management to take a large sum from someone who ultimatly will know this project is of NO benefit to anyone.
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