SCRD partners with solar group to conduct building energy audit
Published in the May 30, 2021 Coast Reporter. Click link to read: https://www.coastreporter.net/local-news/scrd-partners-with-solar-group-to-conduct-building-energy-audit-3821468
Published in the May 30, 2021 Coast Reporter. Click link to read: https://www.coastreporter.net/local-news/scrd-partners-with-solar-group-to-conduct-building-energy-audit-3821468
Joint Press Release
November 4, 2019
Sunshine Coast Community Solar Association
and the Sechelt Seniors Activity Centre Society
The Sunshine Coast Community Solar Association (SCCSA) is pleased to announce that the Dr. James Pawley Legacy fund will go toward a solar panel array on the Sechelt Senior Activity Centre roof. The Pawley family has close and ongoing ties to the Sunshine Coast and in recognition of Jim’s wish for a community solar array in Sechelt, both groups see this as a chance for those dreams to be realized in our community.
The Sechelt Seniors Activity Centre Society is grateful to the SCCSA and the Pawley family for this gift honouring the late Dr. Pawley and are happy that this beautiful community space in the middle of Sechelt can help promote solar energy. With an initial installation of 16 solar panels on the centre’s roof and a monitoring screen in the lobby, the public will be able to see how the solar panels function in real time – a great educational tool. This is a legacy that will keep on giving year after year in reducing the Activity Centre’s substantial hydro bills. They hope this will also provide a great incentive for Sechelt residents to consider installing solar panels in their homes. Our two non-profit groups will be working together to make this legacy a reality and welcome further donations to grow the solar array. It’s an ideal roof that can accommodate many more panels.
To contribute go to the SCCSA website online at https://suncoastcommsolar.weebly.com and click on the James Pawley Legacy button or donate through the Sunshine Coast Credit Union – tell them it’s for the Sunshine Coast Community Solar Association James Pawley Legacy Account. You may also mail a cheque to SCCSA Treasurer, 1523 Smith Rd. Gibsons V0N 1V4. For more information, contact the Solar Association at suncoastcsa@gmail.com
The Solar Association will be holding its AGM at the Sechelt Activity Centre on Saturday November 9 from 2 – 4 pm and will discuss this exciting legacy project. Everyone is welcome to attend - we hope a lot of residents would like to be part of this.
About James Pawley
Jim was an integral part of the SCCSA board, and worked tirelessly to get the word out that we need to kick the fossil fuel habit, which not only emits dangerous toxins, but CO2 created from their burning is leading to the gradual heating of the planet. We are already experiencing more frequent and intense weather events, and rising sea levels. Even the younger generation realizes that the climate crisis is a growing threat to not just humans but all life on earth. When Jim died suddenly in March just days after he taught his final course about climate change, his family wanted a special way to honour his memory. He was a life-long educator and was committed to practical solutions which is why this solar array is a perfect legacy.
Submitted by the Sunshine Coast Community Solar Association and the Sechelt Seniors Activity Centre Society
November 4, 2019
Sunshine Coast Community Solar Association
and the Sechelt Seniors Activity Centre Society
The Sunshine Coast Community Solar Association (SCCSA) is pleased to announce that the Dr. James Pawley Legacy fund will go toward a solar panel array on the Sechelt Senior Activity Centre roof. The Pawley family has close and ongoing ties to the Sunshine Coast and in recognition of Jim’s wish for a community solar array in Sechelt, both groups see this as a chance for those dreams to be realized in our community.
The Sechelt Seniors Activity Centre Society is grateful to the SCCSA and the Pawley family for this gift honouring the late Dr. Pawley and are happy that this beautiful community space in the middle of Sechelt can help promote solar energy. With an initial installation of 16 solar panels on the centre’s roof and a monitoring screen in the lobby, the public will be able to see how the solar panels function in real time – a great educational tool. This is a legacy that will keep on giving year after year in reducing the Activity Centre’s substantial hydro bills. They hope this will also provide a great incentive for Sechelt residents to consider installing solar panels in their homes. Our two non-profit groups will be working together to make this legacy a reality and welcome further donations to grow the solar array. It’s an ideal roof that can accommodate many more panels.
To contribute go to the SCCSA website online at https://suncoastcommsolar.weebly.com and click on the James Pawley Legacy button or donate through the Sunshine Coast Credit Union – tell them it’s for the Sunshine Coast Community Solar Association James Pawley Legacy Account. You may also mail a cheque to SCCSA Treasurer, 1523 Smith Rd. Gibsons V0N 1V4. For more information, contact the Solar Association at suncoastcsa@gmail.com
The Solar Association will be holding its AGM at the Sechelt Activity Centre on Saturday November 9 from 2 – 4 pm and will discuss this exciting legacy project. Everyone is welcome to attend - we hope a lot of residents would like to be part of this.
About James Pawley
Jim was an integral part of the SCCSA board, and worked tirelessly to get the word out that we need to kick the fossil fuel habit, which not only emits dangerous toxins, but CO2 created from their burning is leading to the gradual heating of the planet. We are already experiencing more frequent and intense weather events, and rising sea levels. Even the younger generation realizes that the climate crisis is a growing threat to not just humans but all life on earth. When Jim died suddenly in March just days after he taught his final course about climate change, his family wanted a special way to honour his memory. He was a life-long educator and was committed to practical solutions which is why this solar array is a perfect legacy.
Submitted by the Sunshine Coast Community Solar Association and the Sechelt Seniors Activity Centre Society
RECENT ARTICLES
Sophie Woodrooffe/ Coast Reporter, May 16, 2019
SCRD hears pitch to build solar and EV readiness into bylaws
New buildings on the Sunshine Coast should be solar ready and wired for electric vehicle (EV) charging – and local bylaws could be the tool to ensure that happens, says the Sunshine Coast Community Solar Association (SCCSA).
“We’re not saying you have to put solar panels on the roof of your house – we’re just saying, build homes that are solar ready. Build homes that have the wiring put in place for the car chargers,” said SCCSA member Dennis Olson, who appeared with Donovan Whistler as a delegation at a May 9 Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) planning committee meeting.
The pair discussed how zoning bylaw 310, which is currently under review, could be updated to include rules for solar and EV charging, as well as other government incentives.
A requirement for solar and EV charging readiness is not included in any local government bylaws, according to Olson, who said with a price tag of up to $400 per unit, it costs less to install the equipment during construction rather than retrofitting buildings. “I don’t think we’re asking much of the developers here, to do this,” he told directors.
Olson and Whistler applauded the SCRD for its early adoption of a provincial incentive for new homes to be ready for solar hot water heating but suggested they go further. “There’s no reason this can’t be expanded to all buildings and expanded to include solar PV and integrating electric charging,” Whistler said.
Halfmoon Bay director and SCRD chair Lori Pratt said while she is a “huge proponent of solar,” they should ensure solar readiness fits in with current provincial and federal building codes. “Sometimes if you’re ahead of the curve as a local government, you take on the liability,” she said.
The province has to approve local government building bylaws, responded Ian Hall, the SCRD’s general manager of planning and community development.
Roberts Creek director Andreas Tize noted that not all properties are solar-friendly, which could pose a challenge when drawing up rules. “I don’t know if you want to be cutting down a hundred trees just so your solar panels are getting some sunlight. There needs to be some give and take,” he said, before suggesting local government could map out areas where solar incentives could apply.
According to a survey conducted by the SCCSA, 60 per cent of homes on the Sunshine Coast are “ideal for solar,” and 20 per cent are marginal.
Hall said while it may be a challenge to regulate that buildings be solar and EV charger ready, there may be a number of “barrier removal opportunities” and “educational opportunities” that local government could pursue.
Gibsons director Bill Beamish pointed to a recent resolution put forward by the SCRD for the province to declare a climate emergency. “We have to look at how we’re going to respond to an emergency,” he said. “That’s going to colour a lot of decisions going forward if we want to be true to that process, so we need to be considering these things.”
A report is expected at a future committee meeting to explore the subject further.
© Copyright 2019 Coast Reporter
SCRD hears pitch to build solar and EV readiness into bylaws
New buildings on the Sunshine Coast should be solar ready and wired for electric vehicle (EV) charging – and local bylaws could be the tool to ensure that happens, says the Sunshine Coast Community Solar Association (SCCSA).
“We’re not saying you have to put solar panels on the roof of your house – we’re just saying, build homes that are solar ready. Build homes that have the wiring put in place for the car chargers,” said SCCSA member Dennis Olson, who appeared with Donovan Whistler as a delegation at a May 9 Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) planning committee meeting.
The pair discussed how zoning bylaw 310, which is currently under review, could be updated to include rules for solar and EV charging, as well as other government incentives.
A requirement for solar and EV charging readiness is not included in any local government bylaws, according to Olson, who said with a price tag of up to $400 per unit, it costs less to install the equipment during construction rather than retrofitting buildings. “I don’t think we’re asking much of the developers here, to do this,” he told directors.
Olson and Whistler applauded the SCRD for its early adoption of a provincial incentive for new homes to be ready for solar hot water heating but suggested they go further. “There’s no reason this can’t be expanded to all buildings and expanded to include solar PV and integrating electric charging,” Whistler said.
Halfmoon Bay director and SCRD chair Lori Pratt said while she is a “huge proponent of solar,” they should ensure solar readiness fits in with current provincial and federal building codes. “Sometimes if you’re ahead of the curve as a local government, you take on the liability,” she said.
The province has to approve local government building bylaws, responded Ian Hall, the SCRD’s general manager of planning and community development.
Roberts Creek director Andreas Tize noted that not all properties are solar-friendly, which could pose a challenge when drawing up rules. “I don’t know if you want to be cutting down a hundred trees just so your solar panels are getting some sunlight. There needs to be some give and take,” he said, before suggesting local government could map out areas where solar incentives could apply.
According to a survey conducted by the SCCSA, 60 per cent of homes on the Sunshine Coast are “ideal for solar,” and 20 per cent are marginal.
Hall said while it may be a challenge to regulate that buildings be solar and EV charger ready, there may be a number of “barrier removal opportunities” and “educational opportunities” that local government could pursue.
Gibsons director Bill Beamish pointed to a recent resolution put forward by the SCRD for the province to declare a climate emergency. “We have to look at how we’re going to respond to an emergency,” he said. “That’s going to colour a lot of decisions going forward if we want to be true to that process, so we need to be considering these things.”
A report is expected at a future committee meeting to explore the subject further.
© Copyright 2019 Coast Reporter
Gayle Neilson/ Coast Reporter, May 10, 2019
Elphinstone: Going net zero in Area E
There’s an amazing property tucked away in the western corner of Elphinstone, owned by Gerry and Deborah Pageau. We’ve known the Pageaus since we first came to the Coast in the 1980s when we both had children in Jack and Jill Preschool. Many will know Gerry as an engineer at the mill; he has turned his engineering skills to getting his home to net zero.
The first thing you notice upon arriving at the Pageau home is the roof packed with solar panels. Gerry is on the board of the Sunshine Coast Community Solar Association and early on had organized 24 panels for his flat roof. He bought some racking from a business that didn’t need them anymore and arranged the panels at the optimum angle. On the association’s first bulk buy, he bought eight more and along with also having a solar thermal system, that means that their home, swimming pool and small rental unit is net zero – i.e., they supply BC Hydro with about the same amount of energy they use.
Gerry and his wife Deborah had always wanted to have an electric car – Deborah said, “I heard about them 42 years ago and said to Gerry that we would get one some day.”
Well, that day has come as they now drive a Tesla that they ordered just over two years ago. Gerry says that an electric car, with 200 moving parts versus 2,000 for a gasoline-powered vehicle, is virtually maintenance free.
He cited this information: the maintenance cost for their Jetta averages $1,560 per year even with doing some maintenance himself. The Tesla will require new tires every five years and brakes every seven years, so its annual maintenance will work out to $300 per year. Their net-zero home covers the cost of charging it, but even if it didn’t, electric cars are so efficient that the electricity cost of charging them is low compared to the cost of gas.
Gerry helped organize the Sunshine Coast Solar Association’s first two bulk buys plus he teaches an Elder College course about going solar, which will be offered again this fall. On behalf of the association he’s shown a local business the cost savings of using solar thermal to heat their pool and spa.
The Pageaus teach a course about the health benefits of a plant-based diet, also through Elder College. They became vegan 35 years ago for health reasons. Deborah says that going vegan is good for the environment, good for animal rights and welfare and good for health and longevity; it makes perfect sense (email plantbasedliving@eastlink.ca for more info). Gerry is happy to be contacted about his net-zero home and can be reached through the Solar Association’s email at: suncoastcsa@gmail.com.
Let me know your community news at: elphin@coastreporter.net
© Copyright 2019 Coast Reporter
https://www.coastreporter.net/community/columnists/elphinstone-going-net-zero-in-area-e-1.23817852
Elphinstone: Going net zero in Area E
There’s an amazing property tucked away in the western corner of Elphinstone, owned by Gerry and Deborah Pageau. We’ve known the Pageaus since we first came to the Coast in the 1980s when we both had children in Jack and Jill Preschool. Many will know Gerry as an engineer at the mill; he has turned his engineering skills to getting his home to net zero.
The first thing you notice upon arriving at the Pageau home is the roof packed with solar panels. Gerry is on the board of the Sunshine Coast Community Solar Association and early on had organized 24 panels for his flat roof. He bought some racking from a business that didn’t need them anymore and arranged the panels at the optimum angle. On the association’s first bulk buy, he bought eight more and along with also having a solar thermal system, that means that their home, swimming pool and small rental unit is net zero – i.e., they supply BC Hydro with about the same amount of energy they use.
Gerry and his wife Deborah had always wanted to have an electric car – Deborah said, “I heard about them 42 years ago and said to Gerry that we would get one some day.”
Well, that day has come as they now drive a Tesla that they ordered just over two years ago. Gerry says that an electric car, with 200 moving parts versus 2,000 for a gasoline-powered vehicle, is virtually maintenance free.
He cited this information: the maintenance cost for their Jetta averages $1,560 per year even with doing some maintenance himself. The Tesla will require new tires every five years and brakes every seven years, so its annual maintenance will work out to $300 per year. Their net-zero home covers the cost of charging it, but even if it didn’t, electric cars are so efficient that the electricity cost of charging them is low compared to the cost of gas.
Gerry helped organize the Sunshine Coast Solar Association’s first two bulk buys plus he teaches an Elder College course about going solar, which will be offered again this fall. On behalf of the association he’s shown a local business the cost savings of using solar thermal to heat their pool and spa.
The Pageaus teach a course about the health benefits of a plant-based diet, also through Elder College. They became vegan 35 years ago for health reasons. Deborah says that going vegan is good for the environment, good for animal rights and welfare and good for health and longevity; it makes perfect sense (email plantbasedliving@eastlink.ca for more info). Gerry is happy to be contacted about his net-zero home and can be reached through the Solar Association’s email at: suncoastcsa@gmail.com.
Let me know your community news at: elphin@coastreporter.net
© Copyright 2019 Coast Reporter
https://www.coastreporter.net/community/columnists/elphinstone-going-net-zero-in-area-e-1.23817852
Thank you Neville Judd and Coast Life Magazine for this excellent article in the Spring 2017 issue.
STUDENTS GET SERIOUS ABOUT SOLAR POWER EDUCATION
BY Christine Wood / Senior Staff Writer May 5, 2016
Pender Harbour Secondary School students learn about how solar power works thanks to a portable solar power unit and instruction from Clear Energy Solutions. Pictured from left are teacher Jon Fawcus, students Johnny Gooldrup, Tom Badley, Tanner Haase and Michelle Fielding, and Will Brooke of Clear Energy Solutions.
Students at Pender Harbour Secondary School are getting serious about solar power. Grade 9 students at the school have taken a trip to BCIT to see how the college is lowering its energy use and the students recently acquired a portable solar power unit to use as a study lab at their school.
This Earth Day the students planned to run the school for a time through the portable unit, provided by Clear Energy Solutions, and in the near future the students plan to start fundraising for solar panels of their own to place on the roof of their school.
Science teacher Jon Fawcus said that learning about solar power is part of the Grade 9 science curriculum and when he heard about the opportunity for a portable solar lab, he and his students jumped at the opportunity. “Rather than just learning textbooks, this way they can actually see how we harness the solar energy and what it actually is,” Fawcus said. “One of the goals we’re trying to [achieve] is help these kids gain the knowledge so they can apply that later on in their life … in their families with bringing solar power into their houses, into their camping trailers, into their boats, any way we can have them bring the knowledge to their families and build on that.”
Johana Zilsel of the Sunshine Coast Community Solar Association (SCCSA) said she helped facilitate the Clear Energy Solutions solar lab coming to the school when she heard the students were interested. Clear Energy Solutions has been working closely with the association to help do assessments on homes of people who are interested in getting in on a solar panel bulk buy offered through the SCCSA. Because of that partnership, Zilsel was familiar with the company’s portable solar unit. “The trailer has solar panels on the roof, lithium ion batteries inside, also a diesel generator inside. It’s very sophisticated. It has so many smart features and yet it works so simply,” Zilsel said. “They designed it, and their idea is it can go in emergency places where people can largely power by solar, but then if they can’t there’s a diesel back up.”
Clear Energy Solutions brought the unit to the school and taught the students about it free of charge, then left the unit there for the students to further study and work with. “The hands-on learning experience for the students and the community support has been fantastic for us,” Fawcus said. He noted some of his students are particularly keen and plan to start setting up solar energy systems of their own in the near future, while others are considering careers in the industry. “We’ve got a couple of students who are really running with it,” Fawcus said. “Some of them want to be able to run a little fridge in their hunting cabin, whereas other are wanting to take the knowledge and go into engineering programs in university.”
Zilsel is pleased with the enthusiasm students are showing in Pender Harbour and she hopes other schools will consider similar learning opportunities in the future. She also hopes more homeowners will take advantage of a bulk buy opportunity the SCCSA still has available. Zilsel is looking for more interested homeowners to commit to purchasing solar panels, so the association can offer lower prices by buying big. “The bulk buy isn’t closed yet because we had hoped to have about twice what we do have and the price, of course, is dependent on volume,” Zilsel said. “At this moment we only have about 154 panels and we were hoping for a minimum of 300 panels, which would lower the price a bit.” She realizes cost is the main stumbling block for those wanting to try solar power but said the Sunshine Coast Credit Union (SCCU) has a program in place where homeowners (financed by SCCU) can borrow the money for solar panels and have the payments added to their mortgage.
Ed Pednaud of SCCU confirmed Zilsel’s claim and added that the credit union also has another program where “we can do it on an unsecured basis, where we’re not taking anything for security but [payback is] over a shorter time, say over 10 years.”
To find out more about the SCCU programs, visit your local credit union. To add your name to the SCCSA’s list contact Zilsel by email at j_zilsel@dccnet.com
© Copyright 2016 Coast Reporter
- See more at: http://www.coastreporter.net/news/local-news/students-get-serious-about-solar-power-1.2247771#sthash.mQL4nVlV.dpuf
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GREEN FILM EVENT JUMP STARTS SOLAR COOPERATIVE
By: Beverly Saunders, Coast Reporter; Contributing Writer December 8th, 2015
Interest in bringing solar energy to the Sunshine Coast got a jolt with the screening of Powerful Energy for Everyone, the November film in the Green Film Series. The film explores alternative energy options around the world.
After the two screenings, one in Gibsons and another in Sechelt, the audiences discussed energy options here on the Coast. Filmmaker David Chernushenko spoke to the Gibsons audience via Skype, while local speakers Michael Maser, Dennis Olson and Michael Wilson brought information on tidal, solar and wind energy to share.
The main message of the film is that we cannot wait for government to solve our energy problems. Communities must begin to take the initiative themselves and one way is to install alternative energy systems at our homes and businesses.
Olson of Olson Electric brought one of his solar panels for everyone to view. The film was made in 2011, so Olson brought everyone up-to-date with what has happened to the technology in the past few years. Cost has been greatly reduced, making it much more affordable to add solar to your system. It has also become easier to feed back into the BC Hydro grid if you wish to do so. Olson said the cost of one of his panels is around $350. That includes its own small inverter that enables it to be hooked up directly to a home's electrical panel or it can be added to feed into an off-grid battery system. Olson is charging his customers around $3 per watt. That compares with $10 just a few years ago. At the Sechelt screening Olson made a commitment to sell the first co-op order at his cost, which received applause from the audience.
With some concern about smart meters, people in the audience wondered if they had to have a smart meter to be able to feed back into the grid. Olsen said no. If people had opted out for the digital meter then they can still feed back. “Even the old meters will feed back in, "said Olson. “It's just that they go backwards very, very slowly."
A proposal to organize a solar cooperative was discussed and had a lot of support. The Transition Town Initiative and the Gibsons Green Team are currently looking into forming a solar cooperative. Joanna Zilsel is one of the organizers and she told the audience that they are in the very early stages of formulating the cooperative. Some of the ideas they are considering include: purchasing solar panels in bulk allowing for a discounted price, forming a worker-owned investment solar cooperative that would set up a large solar array to feed into the grid and make money for the cooperative, advocating for photovoltaic installations on District buildings such as recreational buildings, municipal buildings and school buildings and setting up barn-raising events with co-op members to help install solar panels.
Around 70 people signed up as interested in the co-op.
You can contact Zilsel at j_zilsel@dccnet.com for more information or to have your name added to the list.
Editor’s note: Beverly Saunders is the editor of Sustainable Coast Magazine.
Standing Room Only for Solar Group's First Public Meeting -- Sustainable Coast Magazine article
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SOLAR ADVOCATES EXCITED AT POSSIBILITIES: RENEWABLE ENERGY
By: Christine Wood, Coast Reporter; Senior Staff Writer November 5th, 2015
The possibility of new green-focused federal grants, an offer of land for a solar co-op initiative in downtown Sechelt and the help of some enthusiastic students from BCIT have Sunshine Coast Community Solar Association (SCCSA) member Joanna Zilsel excited. “All of this has just reinvigorated me,” Zilsel said. The local solar power activist has been spearheading the idea of creating a solar co-op and organizing a bulk buy of solar panels through SCCSA for several months, mostly on her own. She’s also amassed a list of about 360 Sunshine Coast residents who are interested in solar power and the possibility of joining a co-op once it’s set up, but it’s a long way from becoming reality. “It’s a huge undertaking. We have to secure the land, create the co-op, negotiate with BC Hydro, and there are legal considerations,” Zilsel said.
One piece of the puzzle seemed to fall into place after Coast Reporter last ran an article on the SCCSA’s plans. “A local retired realtor, Bob Bull, who owns a 3.5-acre parcel in downtown Sechelt, contacted me right after that last article,” Zilsel said, noting Bull was interested in the possibility of using his property for a solar power initiative. The property has high voltage power lines running through its centre, which makes it challenging to use for building, but it’s essentially flat and able to accommodate several solar panels. “It was like a gift from the cosmos,” Zilsel said, noting discussions around using the property are still taking place.
She pointed to the recent election of a new federal government that could offer some solar-related grants in the future as another positive on the solar front.Several Coasters have contacted Zilsel and used the services of Clear Energy Solutions to see if their homes would be a good fit for solar panels before opting into the bulk buy. While most homes are able to use a solar setup of some kind, the “vast majority” aren’t ready to commit because of the price, Zilsel said. “It’s still very expensive even though there are some savings through the bulk buy,” she said, adding she’s hopeful the new federal government will offer some incentives to go solar soon. “Trudeau promised to focus on renewable energy.”
Yet another positive for the Coast’s solar situation is the creation of a new project through the Sustainable Business Leadership Program at BCIT that will see students work directly with SCCSA to nail down what best practices, policies and regulations are needed for solar power to flourish.
“I’m really looking forward to working with the students and seeing what they come up with,” Zilsel said.
If you would like to get involved in the solar scene on the Coast, contact Zilsel at 604-886-3570 or email j_zilsel@dccnet.com
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FUTURE LOOKS BRIGHT FOR SOLAR POWER
By: Christine Wood, Coast Reporter; Senior Staff Writer
June 11, 2015
Two large new solar panel installations at the Grasshopper Pub in Pender Harbour and the Sechelt Water Resource Centre have the Sunshine Coast Community Solar group excited. “We’re hoping people will start seeing them and that it will create a bit of a momentum,” said group member Joanna Zilsel, noting the Sechelt system is 15 kilowatts while the Grasshopper Pub installation is 27 kilowatts.
“Alternative Power Systems, a division of Olson Electric, put them both up, and it’s something people should know about,” Zilsel said. “That’s a lot of power on the Coast now, just between those two installations, that’s going to be generated through solar.”
The Sechelt system will be able to generate about 18 megawatt hours a year while the Pender Harbour system could generate over 30 megawatts, according to Scott Elston, of Alternative Power Systems, who said the average home uses between 10 and 16 megawatts of power a year. Zilsel hopes to see more solar projects take shape on the Coast with the help of the Sunshine Coast Community Solar group, now working on many fronts to advance the alternative energy effort.
The group was created in March after a public meeting brought together more than 150 people interested in solar possibilities on the Coast. Since then the group has been working to pitch solar projects with the school board, organize a bulk-buy of solar panels for those interested, train members in solar panel installation and secure a large piece of property for a community solar panel project.
Zilsel said School District No. 46 (SD46) has been receptive to the idea of installing solar panels on some SD46 buildings and that more discussion is scheduled to take place later this year.
The community solar group already has a list of about 20 locals who’d like to get in on a bulk-buy of solar panels at wholesale prices, but Zilsel said the group is waiting a week to place the order so more community members can sign up. In order to help Coasters who want to install those solar panels themselves, the group plans to have some members trained by GabEnergy, a non-profit society on Gabriola Island that teaches people about installation. “We’re going to have eight to 10 people take a workshop with GabEnergy, and then they will become trainers on the Coast, so that’s really exciting,” Zilsel said.
In a further effort to show the ease of installation and benefit of solar power, the community solar group is currently seeking a large piece of land that could be used to set up a 100-kilowatt solar power project through a cooperative. “That would be an investment co-op that community members can purchase shares in,” Zilsel said.
The solar group is in the midst of becoming a non-profit society with the end goal of becoming a co-op to advance its plans.“The non-profit is the easy first step, so that’s something that two members of our committee have taken on,” Zilsel noted.
To find out more or to get involved, contact Zilsel at j_zilsel@dccnet.com
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PUBLIC GETS TURNED ON ABOUT SOLAR POWER: PUBLIC MEETING
By: Christine Wood, Coast Reporter; Senior Staff Writer March 26th, 2015
It seems there’s overwhelming support for solar power on the Coast after a meeting on possible solar options drew three times as many participants as organizers expected. Around 160 people packed into a meeting room at the Gibsons and Area Community Centre on Saturday, March 21 to hear what a small steering committee had learned about solar power and to contemplate coming together in a cooperative of some sort on the Sunshine Coast. “Honestly I did not expect anything like that turnout, so I feel very delighted and I feel very hopeful about what that implies in terms of potential to move this forward,” said solar power steering committee member Joanna Zilsel after the meeting.
What Zilsel and the committee will move forward with is yet to be decided, but it may include setting up a solar panel buyers’ group, creating a solar power demonstration garden on the Coast or starting a solar power cooperative. The solar power committee has been collecting emails of residents who want to stay in the loop and within the next two weeks it plans to send out a follow-up email to each of the more than 200 people who signed up .“We’ll be sending out a Survey Monkey poll with questions to see what level of involvement people want to have,” Zilsel said, adding some may just want to put solar panels on their own roofs, while others may want to help set up a solar garden or create a more formal group to advance solar power initiatives on the Coast. “Once we have the results of the survey, from there we’ll really start to create our goals.”
During last Saturday’s meeting, attendees heard that the price of solar panels has come down considerably in the past few years, while their efficiency has increased. Zilsel related the story of a small town in Germany using solar power that has less sunshine than the Coast and utilizes older solar panels, but still manages to generate enough electricity to power homes in the area. “So if they can do it on old panels with less sunshine, we can do it,” Zilsel said to applause.
She pointed to the need for a sustainable energy source on the Coast, adding a grassroots approach was needed to kick-start change .“There is an alternative and we can offer that alternative,” Zilsel said. “It’s not some pie in the sky, futuristic, utopian science-fiction fantasy. The technology actually really does exist right now. It’s a question of political will.”
If you would like to get involved in the solar scene on the Coast, email Zilsel at j_zilsel@dccnet.com.
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BY Christine Wood / Senior Staff Writer May 5, 2016
Pender Harbour Secondary School students learn about how solar power works thanks to a portable solar power unit and instruction from Clear Energy Solutions. Pictured from left are teacher Jon Fawcus, students Johnny Gooldrup, Tom Badley, Tanner Haase and Michelle Fielding, and Will Brooke of Clear Energy Solutions.
Students at Pender Harbour Secondary School are getting serious about solar power. Grade 9 students at the school have taken a trip to BCIT to see how the college is lowering its energy use and the students recently acquired a portable solar power unit to use as a study lab at their school.
This Earth Day the students planned to run the school for a time through the portable unit, provided by Clear Energy Solutions, and in the near future the students plan to start fundraising for solar panels of their own to place on the roof of their school.
Science teacher Jon Fawcus said that learning about solar power is part of the Grade 9 science curriculum and when he heard about the opportunity for a portable solar lab, he and his students jumped at the opportunity. “Rather than just learning textbooks, this way they can actually see how we harness the solar energy and what it actually is,” Fawcus said. “One of the goals we’re trying to [achieve] is help these kids gain the knowledge so they can apply that later on in their life … in their families with bringing solar power into their houses, into their camping trailers, into their boats, any way we can have them bring the knowledge to their families and build on that.”
Johana Zilsel of the Sunshine Coast Community Solar Association (SCCSA) said she helped facilitate the Clear Energy Solutions solar lab coming to the school when she heard the students were interested. Clear Energy Solutions has been working closely with the association to help do assessments on homes of people who are interested in getting in on a solar panel bulk buy offered through the SCCSA. Because of that partnership, Zilsel was familiar with the company’s portable solar unit. “The trailer has solar panels on the roof, lithium ion batteries inside, also a diesel generator inside. It’s very sophisticated. It has so many smart features and yet it works so simply,” Zilsel said. “They designed it, and their idea is it can go in emergency places where people can largely power by solar, but then if they can’t there’s a diesel back up.”
Clear Energy Solutions brought the unit to the school and taught the students about it free of charge, then left the unit there for the students to further study and work with. “The hands-on learning experience for the students and the community support has been fantastic for us,” Fawcus said. He noted some of his students are particularly keen and plan to start setting up solar energy systems of their own in the near future, while others are considering careers in the industry. “We’ve got a couple of students who are really running with it,” Fawcus said. “Some of them want to be able to run a little fridge in their hunting cabin, whereas other are wanting to take the knowledge and go into engineering programs in university.”
Zilsel is pleased with the enthusiasm students are showing in Pender Harbour and she hopes other schools will consider similar learning opportunities in the future. She also hopes more homeowners will take advantage of a bulk buy opportunity the SCCSA still has available. Zilsel is looking for more interested homeowners to commit to purchasing solar panels, so the association can offer lower prices by buying big. “The bulk buy isn’t closed yet because we had hoped to have about twice what we do have and the price, of course, is dependent on volume,” Zilsel said. “At this moment we only have about 154 panels and we were hoping for a minimum of 300 panels, which would lower the price a bit.” She realizes cost is the main stumbling block for those wanting to try solar power but said the Sunshine Coast Credit Union (SCCU) has a program in place where homeowners (financed by SCCU) can borrow the money for solar panels and have the payments added to their mortgage.
Ed Pednaud of SCCU confirmed Zilsel’s claim and added that the credit union also has another program where “we can do it on an unsecured basis, where we’re not taking anything for security but [payback is] over a shorter time, say over 10 years.”
To find out more about the SCCU programs, visit your local credit union. To add your name to the SCCSA’s list contact Zilsel by email at j_zilsel@dccnet.com
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GREEN FILM EVENT JUMP STARTS SOLAR COOPERATIVE
By: Beverly Saunders, Coast Reporter; Contributing Writer December 8th, 2015
Interest in bringing solar energy to the Sunshine Coast got a jolt with the screening of Powerful Energy for Everyone, the November film in the Green Film Series. The film explores alternative energy options around the world.
After the two screenings, one in Gibsons and another in Sechelt, the audiences discussed energy options here on the Coast. Filmmaker David Chernushenko spoke to the Gibsons audience via Skype, while local speakers Michael Maser, Dennis Olson and Michael Wilson brought information on tidal, solar and wind energy to share.
The main message of the film is that we cannot wait for government to solve our energy problems. Communities must begin to take the initiative themselves and one way is to install alternative energy systems at our homes and businesses.
Olson of Olson Electric brought one of his solar panels for everyone to view. The film was made in 2011, so Olson brought everyone up-to-date with what has happened to the technology in the past few years. Cost has been greatly reduced, making it much more affordable to add solar to your system. It has also become easier to feed back into the BC Hydro grid if you wish to do so. Olson said the cost of one of his panels is around $350. That includes its own small inverter that enables it to be hooked up directly to a home's electrical panel or it can be added to feed into an off-grid battery system. Olson is charging his customers around $3 per watt. That compares with $10 just a few years ago. At the Sechelt screening Olson made a commitment to sell the first co-op order at his cost, which received applause from the audience.
With some concern about smart meters, people in the audience wondered if they had to have a smart meter to be able to feed back into the grid. Olsen said no. If people had opted out for the digital meter then they can still feed back. “Even the old meters will feed back in, "said Olson. “It's just that they go backwards very, very slowly."
A proposal to organize a solar cooperative was discussed and had a lot of support. The Transition Town Initiative and the Gibsons Green Team are currently looking into forming a solar cooperative. Joanna Zilsel is one of the organizers and she told the audience that they are in the very early stages of formulating the cooperative. Some of the ideas they are considering include: purchasing solar panels in bulk allowing for a discounted price, forming a worker-owned investment solar cooperative that would set up a large solar array to feed into the grid and make money for the cooperative, advocating for photovoltaic installations on District buildings such as recreational buildings, municipal buildings and school buildings and setting up barn-raising events with co-op members to help install solar panels.
Around 70 people signed up as interested in the co-op.
You can contact Zilsel at j_zilsel@dccnet.com for more information or to have your name added to the list.
Editor’s note: Beverly Saunders is the editor of Sustainable Coast Magazine.
Standing Room Only for Solar Group's First Public Meeting -- Sustainable Coast Magazine article
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SOLAR ADVOCATES EXCITED AT POSSIBILITIES: RENEWABLE ENERGY
By: Christine Wood, Coast Reporter; Senior Staff Writer November 5th, 2015
The possibility of new green-focused federal grants, an offer of land for a solar co-op initiative in downtown Sechelt and the help of some enthusiastic students from BCIT have Sunshine Coast Community Solar Association (SCCSA) member Joanna Zilsel excited. “All of this has just reinvigorated me,” Zilsel said. The local solar power activist has been spearheading the idea of creating a solar co-op and organizing a bulk buy of solar panels through SCCSA for several months, mostly on her own. She’s also amassed a list of about 360 Sunshine Coast residents who are interested in solar power and the possibility of joining a co-op once it’s set up, but it’s a long way from becoming reality. “It’s a huge undertaking. We have to secure the land, create the co-op, negotiate with BC Hydro, and there are legal considerations,” Zilsel said.
One piece of the puzzle seemed to fall into place after Coast Reporter last ran an article on the SCCSA’s plans. “A local retired realtor, Bob Bull, who owns a 3.5-acre parcel in downtown Sechelt, contacted me right after that last article,” Zilsel said, noting Bull was interested in the possibility of using his property for a solar power initiative. The property has high voltage power lines running through its centre, which makes it challenging to use for building, but it’s essentially flat and able to accommodate several solar panels. “It was like a gift from the cosmos,” Zilsel said, noting discussions around using the property are still taking place.
She pointed to the recent election of a new federal government that could offer some solar-related grants in the future as another positive on the solar front.Several Coasters have contacted Zilsel and used the services of Clear Energy Solutions to see if their homes would be a good fit for solar panels before opting into the bulk buy. While most homes are able to use a solar setup of some kind, the “vast majority” aren’t ready to commit because of the price, Zilsel said. “It’s still very expensive even though there are some savings through the bulk buy,” she said, adding she’s hopeful the new federal government will offer some incentives to go solar soon. “Trudeau promised to focus on renewable energy.”
Yet another positive for the Coast’s solar situation is the creation of a new project through the Sustainable Business Leadership Program at BCIT that will see students work directly with SCCSA to nail down what best practices, policies and regulations are needed for solar power to flourish.
“I’m really looking forward to working with the students and seeing what they come up with,” Zilsel said.
If you would like to get involved in the solar scene on the Coast, contact Zilsel at 604-886-3570 or email j_zilsel@dccnet.com
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FUTURE LOOKS BRIGHT FOR SOLAR POWER
By: Christine Wood, Coast Reporter; Senior Staff Writer
June 11, 2015
Two large new solar panel installations at the Grasshopper Pub in Pender Harbour and the Sechelt Water Resource Centre have the Sunshine Coast Community Solar group excited. “We’re hoping people will start seeing them and that it will create a bit of a momentum,” said group member Joanna Zilsel, noting the Sechelt system is 15 kilowatts while the Grasshopper Pub installation is 27 kilowatts.
“Alternative Power Systems, a division of Olson Electric, put them both up, and it’s something people should know about,” Zilsel said. “That’s a lot of power on the Coast now, just between those two installations, that’s going to be generated through solar.”
The Sechelt system will be able to generate about 18 megawatt hours a year while the Pender Harbour system could generate over 30 megawatts, according to Scott Elston, of Alternative Power Systems, who said the average home uses between 10 and 16 megawatts of power a year. Zilsel hopes to see more solar projects take shape on the Coast with the help of the Sunshine Coast Community Solar group, now working on many fronts to advance the alternative energy effort.
The group was created in March after a public meeting brought together more than 150 people interested in solar possibilities on the Coast. Since then the group has been working to pitch solar projects with the school board, organize a bulk-buy of solar panels for those interested, train members in solar panel installation and secure a large piece of property for a community solar panel project.
Zilsel said School District No. 46 (SD46) has been receptive to the idea of installing solar panels on some SD46 buildings and that more discussion is scheduled to take place later this year.
The community solar group already has a list of about 20 locals who’d like to get in on a bulk-buy of solar panels at wholesale prices, but Zilsel said the group is waiting a week to place the order so more community members can sign up. In order to help Coasters who want to install those solar panels themselves, the group plans to have some members trained by GabEnergy, a non-profit society on Gabriola Island that teaches people about installation. “We’re going to have eight to 10 people take a workshop with GabEnergy, and then they will become trainers on the Coast, so that’s really exciting,” Zilsel said.
In a further effort to show the ease of installation and benefit of solar power, the community solar group is currently seeking a large piece of land that could be used to set up a 100-kilowatt solar power project through a cooperative. “That would be an investment co-op that community members can purchase shares in,” Zilsel said.
The solar group is in the midst of becoming a non-profit society with the end goal of becoming a co-op to advance its plans.“The non-profit is the easy first step, so that’s something that two members of our committee have taken on,” Zilsel noted.
To find out more or to get involved, contact Zilsel at j_zilsel@dccnet.com
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PUBLIC GETS TURNED ON ABOUT SOLAR POWER: PUBLIC MEETING
By: Christine Wood, Coast Reporter; Senior Staff Writer March 26th, 2015
It seems there’s overwhelming support for solar power on the Coast after a meeting on possible solar options drew three times as many participants as organizers expected. Around 160 people packed into a meeting room at the Gibsons and Area Community Centre on Saturday, March 21 to hear what a small steering committee had learned about solar power and to contemplate coming together in a cooperative of some sort on the Sunshine Coast. “Honestly I did not expect anything like that turnout, so I feel very delighted and I feel very hopeful about what that implies in terms of potential to move this forward,” said solar power steering committee member Joanna Zilsel after the meeting.
What Zilsel and the committee will move forward with is yet to be decided, but it may include setting up a solar panel buyers’ group, creating a solar power demonstration garden on the Coast or starting a solar power cooperative. The solar power committee has been collecting emails of residents who want to stay in the loop and within the next two weeks it plans to send out a follow-up email to each of the more than 200 people who signed up .“We’ll be sending out a Survey Monkey poll with questions to see what level of involvement people want to have,” Zilsel said, adding some may just want to put solar panels on their own roofs, while others may want to help set up a solar garden or create a more formal group to advance solar power initiatives on the Coast. “Once we have the results of the survey, from there we’ll really start to create our goals.”
During last Saturday’s meeting, attendees heard that the price of solar panels has come down considerably in the past few years, while their efficiency has increased. Zilsel related the story of a small town in Germany using solar power that has less sunshine than the Coast and utilizes older solar panels, but still manages to generate enough electricity to power homes in the area. “So if they can do it on old panels with less sunshine, we can do it,” Zilsel said to applause.
She pointed to the need for a sustainable energy source on the Coast, adding a grassroots approach was needed to kick-start change .“There is an alternative and we can offer that alternative,” Zilsel said. “It’s not some pie in the sky, futuristic, utopian science-fiction fantasy. The technology actually really does exist right now. It’s a question of political will.”
If you would like to get involved in the solar scene on the Coast, email Zilsel at j_zilsel@dccnet.com.
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