Metchosin Man Solar Video

                       Metchosin man's solar system global news story   click for the video.

This pinned my BS meter.

Look at his claims. 

1.  Enough power for 10 homes
2. Cost around $60,000
3. winter electric bills of $1200, $1400, and $1600 consecutively
4. showing bills for july  and sept of $12.98 and a credit in November for $687.92.
5. Tours for around 100 people from Metchosin and Saanich.



Lets do the math.

His system might make 48,000kWh annually.  Using BC Hydro stat, 11,000kWh per home annually, thats power for 4 homes, not 10.

If he sold all his annual power to BC Hydro they pay 9.9c/kWh he would receive $4750 on the anniversary data of installation, presuming everything works perfectly.


He claims it cost $60,000 to install, thats $1.35/watt.  Nobody can do that.  The recent Kelowna project denied by the BCUC because it was of no benefit to anyone claimed $4/watt.  If he could do it for half that price its still $96,000.  Business case borrowed for 25 years at 3.5% is $6000 annual payments for 25 years. 

Inverters last about 10 years they are about 10% of the cost so $16,000 bill coming in a decade.

To have a $1600 bimonthly bill he would have to consume about 12,888kWh

Most of his solar only avoids his consumption billed at .08c/kWh for the first 1350kWh.

If he has excess its credited at 9.9c.


It gets more complicated, but my BS meter is still pinned by this man's claims.


One must presume his $1600 bill came from Dec and Jan.  This is also the time of least solar energy made because of low sun angle, short days and weak sunlight.  Victoria data shows optimistically 20% of annual solar power earned in these months.


In Victoria for dec jan solar system data shows they  might make about 20% of annual power.

I could go on with the complicated math but let him show his.

Its unlikely his solar system annual power is worth anymore than $6000 annually.

Real system cost closer to $10,000 annually for 25 years.
Inverters will fail, life expectancy 10 years.  His material and workmanship panel warranties 5 years, there will be underperforming, failing panel risks.  Inverters alone will cost about $10,000 to replace so add another $1000.
Solar costs easily $10300 and they make less power every year as they age, so his $4700 best case earned for solar will never go up, but the down side is huge.

He will end up paying at least double for his solar power, and in BC grid tied PV solar is NOT green power.  Nothing competes with our own clean green waterpower.  Unless you can avoid the burning of some non renewable like coal to make power, nothing is greener than our waterpower.

Lets analyze his bills, to bad he didn't offer to show more of his bills a little too selective for me.
How about showing us the entire bills Mr. Gilbert, all of them.

we see July 12.98 then sept. 12.98, followed in November by a credit of $687.92.

And bottom line, solar in BC is dirty power adding to the province's carbon footprint.