Why go solar? The easy answer is money, but there are other reasons too!
Solar energy can save your League money by allowing the League’s community buildings to produce their own electricity. The extra electricity produced can be sold back to the utility company during the summer months, when the building produces more than it uses. Twenty-three Community Leagues now have solar installations, and last year, most of these Leagues earned more than they spent on electricity.
Going solar also allows the League to reduce its impact on the environment and take control of its own energy consumption and production. Solar is a renewable source of energy that reduces your community buildings’ emissions and decreases their reliance on Alberta’s electrical grid, which is mostly generated through fossil fuels like coal and natural gas.
This guide discusses what solar energy is, how it works, and how to bring solar to your own Community League. Read on!
Riverdale Solar Gazebo
What is Solar Energy?
Solar energy is any energy generated directly from the sun. The sun emits energy that enters the earth’s atmosphere as heat and radiant light. This energy can be harnessed for human use, both passively and actively to produce light, heat, and electricity.
Blue Quill Community League
What are Solar Photovoltaics?
Solar Photovoltaics (PV) is a process of converting sunlight to electricity. While there are a few different forms of Solar PV, the most common is the solar module. Several modules can be assembled into panels as pre-wired units which are then typically mounted on the roof of a building or on the ground. So far, 23 Community Leagues have completed grid-tied solar installations. To learn more about Solar PV and how it works, To learn more about Solar PV and how it works, check out Solar Alberta’s website.
Does Solar Power Work in a Cold Climate Like Edmonton’s?
Source: JRC European Commission, image from skyfireenergy.com
You may have heard that solar power doesn’t work in Edmonton because it’s too cold. In truth, solar is more efficient in colder climates. When the sun is shining, solar modules harness solar radiation, not heat, which is unaffected by the cold. And the solar modules themselves will harness more of that solar radiation when they are cold than when they heat up in the summer.
It’s true that at northern latitudes we have fewer hours of daylight during winter months, and therefore less solar energy. However, this is more than made up for during the long days of summer. Throughout the year, Edmonton receives a lot of solar energy and is in fact one of the best places for solar in the world. In a grid-tied solar installation, you will be purchasing more electricity than you produce during the winter, and you will sell off the excess electricity you produce in the summer.
How to Get Started with Solar
Contact the EFCL Climate Resilience Advisor at (780) 437-2913 or at GreenLeagues@EFCL.org. Let the Climate Resilience Advisor know about your project and ask for any relevant information or assistance. The funding landscape and City process may change over time, and the Climate Resilience Advisor can assist with any changes.
Watch the Green Leagues Energy 101 workshop session recording on Solar Photovoltaics. Past Green Leagues workshops can be found here.
Talk to your Community League Board about your idea. Be prepared for questions. The Climate Resilience Advisor can help you prepare by dispelling myths and informing you about potential funding.
Contact a solar installer for a free solar site assessment. Solar contractors will complete a site assessment for free to tell you whether Solar is feasible for your building. You can find a list of recommended solar contractors on our Green Leagues Preferred Contractors List. Look for a contractor who has worked with Community Leagues in the past and can help you navigate and apply for available grants.
Contact your Neighbourhood Resource Coordinator (NRC) to let them know your plans. Your NRC can help guide you through the City of Edmonton’s Community Group Led Construction process. Ask your NRC about the Performance Bond criteria for solar systems and be sure to flag this to your solar installer.
Find funding for your solar project. Funding opportunities can be found on our Community League Green Grants List. One of the most important things when planning a solar project is grant stacking and timing your grant applications. Contact the EFCL Climate Resilience Advisor at GreenLeagues@efcl.org for assistance. Ask your solar installer about other funding options and ask if they will apply for grants on your behalf.
Your solar contractor will complete the installation of your solar system.
After your system is up and running, you should make sure you know how to access the online dashboard to monitor your system performance. This will allow you to see how well the system is performing compared to the contractor’s estimate, and to flag any issues or problems with the operation of your system.
We highly encourage Community Leagues to promote solar installation projects among their membership. The ultimate goal of the Green Leagues program is to encourage the adoption of green energy technologies among Edmonton’s residents, so host a solar celebration and publish stories and updates about system performance in your community newsletter!
Solar Resources
- City of Edmonton Residential Solar Rebate Program
- Canada Greener Homes Grant
- Solar Alberta Website
- Green League Grant Opportunities – coming soon
- Community League Recommended Contractors
Photo from the NAIT Study on the effect of snow cover on solar panels. Snow cover essentially does not impact functionality and energy collection.
What about Solar and Snow?
You may also have heard that you’ll need to clear the snow off your solar panels during the winter. While you can do this, and you may produce a little bit more energy, the difference between clearing snow off your system and leaving it to melt on its own is minimal. The Alternative Energy Technology program at NAIT conducted a study comparing the annual effect of clearing snow from solar panels at varying tilt angles and found that only about 3% of energy is lost per year from snow accumulation! Check out the study here.
Riverdale House Solar and Community Garden
Engaging with your neighbours on solar power
The goal of the EFCL Green Leagues isn’t just to help install solar panels at the community hall. Ultimately, we see the Community Leagues as places where neighbours come to engage with one another, build community, and share knowledge.
Inglewood Community League has written articles about how solar works and how it impacts their energy costs. (Scroll to the bottom of this page to read them!)
Many Community Leagues host celebrations after they install systems to showcase these to their neighbours and to guide and encourage them to adopt solar for their own homes.
Even if your Community League doesn’t have a solar installation of its own, you can support community members to adopt solar themselves by sharing educational information, dispelling myths like the ones discussed above, and sharing rebate and funding opportunities available to residential homeowners (Check out the Canada Greener Homes Grant, which has $5,000 available for residential solar systems, among other energy efficiency measures).