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At Dandelion Renewables we design and build energy storage systems that use batteries for various applications including off-grid energy, grid backup, and grid peak demand shaving.  We are passionate about using the latest and most cost-effective technologies for each system we provide.

One of the emerging technologies that we are excited about is V2G (Vehicle-To-Grid) chargers for EVs (Electric Vehicles).  V2G chargers allow the energy in an electric vehicle battery to power the electrical utility grid along with the electrical loads connected to the grid (e.g. lights, refrigerator, microwave, HVAC).  For certain off-grid energy locations and specific lifestyles, there may be a future opportunity to integrate an EV energy storage battery with an off-grid home energy solution. The main reasons to do this are:

1. Reduce the size and cost of the battery bank that would stay at the home to power the critical loads while the EV and owners are away (e.g. refrigerator, lights, home automation system).
2. Reduce the initial cost needed for power generation systems at the home (e.g. solar PV and wind power), as the EV can be charged away from the home and transport that energy back to the home.

  The off-grid home power requirements could be satisfied by the electric vehicle battery energy while the EV is home.  While the electric vehicle is away, the critical loads in the home (e.g. refrigerator and lighting) could be powered with renewable energy sources (e.g. solar photovoltaic (PV), wind power, micro-hydro turbine, etc), and with a small battery bank and backup generator.  If the EV is home through the day it could be charged (optionally) from renewable energy sources at the home, and while the electric vehicle is away from the home, it would receive a charge at those other locations.   This would work well for EV owners that don’t use a large portion of their electric vehicle battery capacity for daily driving, and who have easy access to fast-charging locations through the day (e.g. grid power or solar PV carports at work).  For multi-vehicle homes or off-grid communities, this off-grid home energy system gets even more interesting where one or more EVs may be at home most days while another EV is away.   One of the exciting aspects of this off-grid EV energy storage concept is that an off-grid home could be afforded with or without an immediate renewable energy investment required and rely on charging the EV while away from the home, then bringing that energy back to power the home.   The next steps and hurdles for this off-grid electric vehicle battery energy technology would be to:

1. Continue the introduction of more EVs on the road (strongly expected),
2. Commercialize vehicle-to-grid technology (expected to happen to minimize the risk of EV chargers overloading power grids at certain times of the day),
3. Reach approval by manufacturers to use their V2G chargers and EV batteries for applications like off-grid home energy, grid peak demand shaving, and grid backup, without voiding any product warranties.
4. Integrate the control systems for the home energy system to manage which energy sources get used to power certain loads, and at what time of day.  For example, the home energy management system will maintain a reserve charge level on the EV battery so there is plenty of EV range remaining for the morning commute to work.

As North America transitions from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources, more and more people will be switching from Natural Gas furnaces to electric heating. How might this transition take place? Some good souls may do it out of the good of their heart, but for most people, it will have to be economically incentivized as well. Here are some tips so you can start saving on heating costs in BC.   In British Columbia, both Fortis BC and BC Hydro have a two-tiered electricity structure, which means you pay a higher price per unit of electricity if you use more. In principle, this is a good idea as it encourages people to use less electricity, however, it does not encourage a transition away from fossil fuels such as heating oil or natural gas. Now we have the aim of switching to electric heating, but an electricity structure that incentivizes energy saving which sounds like we’re being caught between a rock and a hard place. The way out? Solar and air source heat pumps!

  Air source heat pumps are like a refrigerator trying to cool the outside. Depending on outdoor temperature, an air source heat pump will transfer 1.4 (at -25C) to 4 (at 20C) units of energy from outside to inside for every unit of electricity it consumes. The official term for heat pump performance is coefficient of performance (COP) which is essentially equal to efficiency divided by 100 so a coefficient of performance of 3 means it’s 300% efficient! Air source heat pumps are not a new technology for saving heating costs in BC, however, they are only used by 3.5% of households in BC while 30.5% use electric heaters (NRCan, 2015).   BC Hydro and Fortis BC are partnering to offer an $800 rebate which brings the cost of an air source heat pump to about $8000 where the equivalent natural gas furnace would be $5000 (Pembina Institute, 2017). Whether or not this is a good investment financially depends on your specific situation including climate, house size and insulation, energy rates and local incentives.   The other part of the solution which helps with saving on heating costs in BC is the integration of solar PV. For Nelson Hydro especially, the amount of energy self-consumed is not a critical metric because these utilities credit excess generation to your account and only pay you out once per year. This means that even though you will generate most of your electricity on warm summer days and consume most electricity on cold winter days, your summer electricity credit will reduce the higher power consumption charges in the winter such that (financially) it is as if you consumed the electricity directly. Fortis BC and BC Hydro are similar except that they have the two-tiered rate structure so you are more likely to reach the second tier in winter when solar is down and the air source heat pump is running.   Whether or not this combination of technology is right for your application is dependent on a number of factors such as current consumption, local climate, electricity provider, and home design. Let us know if you’re interested and we can put together a quote for you!   Garnet Borch, E.I.T

You may have seen the graphs, maps and diagrams saying how much solar potential we have in Western Canada, yet places like Germany are still so far ahead of us. If we have so much more sun, why would we not install as much solar as we possibly can? The answer lies primarily in 1) government incentives and 2) electricity price. The electricity price is set by the utility companies and in South-central British Columbia, solar has a particularly more difficult time competing because of new BC net metering regulations recently imposed by Fortis BC who is the wire service provider for the area shown below.

  The way Fortis BC runs their BC net metering program is that you are given credit on a monthly basis for any net-positive generation you may have. In the summer, you’ll be gaining credit and in the winter you can use it up. At the end of the year, if you have excess credits, Fortis writes you a check for the outstanding balance at a particular rate. The Fortis BC net metering program sounds like a decent system except for two new regulations which devalue the distributed generation which solar provides. First, Fortis BC has put a cap on the amount of solar you can install such that you won’t be approved for the BC net metering program if your projected annual generation is more than your past annual consumption. Second, Fortis BC announced that, if you do manage to generate net-positive at year’s end, you will be paid out at the same rate they pay the utility-scale electricity producers such as hydro dams or natural gas turbines. This means you’ll be buying electricity at 10-15 cents/kWh and selling it at only 4.5 cents/kWh.   These regulations on the Fortis BC net metering program don’t allow for the transition to a renewable grid and do not capture the value of distributed generation. The wire service provider is responsible for getting the electricity from the source to the consumer which, in the case of utility-scale generators, is a long distance and requires large transmission lines and transformers. But for net-metering customers, the power is being generated much closer to the consumers and requires very little investment from the wire service provider. If your generation exceeds your consumption, the electricity will go to your neighbours via the lines already in place. Hopefully, we will see a transition in the future to capture the full value of renewable energy and empower the consumer to assist in the transition to a sustainable future.   Garnet Borch, E.I.T

Source: https://solect.com/deep-dive-c-pace-solar-financing/

    One of the greatest challenges facing Albertans who want to invest in a renewable energy project, or energy efficiency measures for their home, is finding a way to pay for it. Both renewable energy and energy efficiency projects can be significant financial investments, which often do not fit easily within household budgets. To help make funding these projects more feasible for the average Albertan, the Province of Alberta has recently passed new legislation (Bill 10) with the goal of enabling clean energy improvements in the province. The legislation allows municipalities to offer affordable financing programs to residential, commercial and agricultural property owners who want to make emissions reducing building improvements and/or increase their use and production of clean energy. Called Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing, it is aimed at reducing the financial barrier to making energy improvements to buildings, allowing Albertans to live cleaner and greener, all while helping to create green jobs in the Province. PACE is not a rebate or subsidy program, but a financing tool that can be accessed for energy efficiency, water conservation or on-site renewable energy generation projects. The legislation, once completed, will provide a guiding regulation and framework (developed in conjunction with Energy Efficiency Alberta) for municipalities to voluntarily develop their own unique PACE programs, offering financing to property owners within their jurisdiction. Municipalities that develop and implement PACE programs will be required to offer no-money-down financing, with pay back occurring through the property’s tax bill, typically over a long term of 20-25 years. The outstanding balance of the loan will be able to be paid back at any time and the repayments will remain attached to the property, so if the property is sold the new owners assume the repayment plan. The PACE model is not a new concept. In fact, it has already been adopted by nearly all regions in the US and by Ontario, Nova Scotia and Québec, in Canada. PACE has a proven track record of creating jobs and encouraging economic growth, all while protecting the environment, and promoting real action on combating climate change without the need for increased taxes or an increase in government funding. And from a property owner’s perspective, in typical PACE programs, the annual energy cost savings are greater than the loan payments. This helps to make the benefits of improving energy efficiency and installing renewable energy generating systems very clear: increased property values, lower utility bills and the social capital and bragging rights that come with being the greenest on your block. A number of municipalities are already working on developing their own PACE programs, to be ready for when the legislation is expected to come in to force, in early 2019. Be sure to ask your local municipal leaders about what they are doing to make PACE available in your region. Combined with rebate programs available from the province, municipalities and electrical utilities (see SESA’s solar incentive list here), PACE financing is a great way to turn your dreams of producing renewable energy into a reality! For more information about the provincial legislation visit: https://www.alberta.ca/PACE.aspx     ~ Stephanie Ripley, Project & Operations Assistant

   

Residential Solar Program in Edmonton is now open for applications. This exciting news was announced by The City of Edmonton Change Homes for Climate.         {Aug 2018 update:} Residential solar PV systems in Edmonton in the construction stage or already installed prior to the City announcement about residential solar program do not qualify for the City’s incentive. Also, the solar PV systems that receive the program funding must be installed, energized and interconnected within 6 months from the approval date.  

The electrical utility has a meter at each site, which records the electricity consumed at the site so that the site owner can be billed for the power used.  However, the measurements taken by the utility meter are typically only shared with the customer as a monthly total, with no information about which devices at the site used the power, or on which day of the month, or what time of day.  For most customers, the utility meter doesn’t provide any real-time power consumption information unless the customer can read and interpret the spinning disc or changing digits on the meter.   We have seen an increase in requests for energy metering from homeowners and business owners, for the purpose of identifying which devices are using the most power and reducing the amount of electricity being consumed.   Dandelion Renewables offers solutions for permanent energy meter equipment installation, as well as temporary energy metering equipment installation often combined with an energy efficiency study, as an approved Energy Assessment Provider with AB Agriculture & Forestry for the Farm Energy and Agri-Processing Program (FEAP), and as an ASHRAE Level 2 Energy Auditor listed by Alberta Energy Efficiency Alliance.   The cost of a “commercial grade” energy meter installation for historical consumption data analysis, whether permanent or temporary, is often only cost-effective for large power consumers such as manufacturing plants, offices, warehouses, and farms.  Energy metering at an average sized home in AB, BC, or SK, typically warrants a lower price point solution.   The value of energy sub-meters comes from:

1. Real-time power consumption awareness helping to influence adjustments of people’s habits and decisions around when to turn electrical devices on or off.
2. Identification of how much power individual electrical equipment is using, to help with “return on investment” evaluations and decisions when to upgrade to more energy-efficient equipment and to invest in repairs or maintenance of equipment to reduce energy consumption.

  After a recent search through energy monitoring systems available, here are our favourite systems, for various applications, in order of lowest to highest cost (and complexity):

1. For Epcor customers only, who only want to see the real-time total home power consumption from the grid (not appliance-specific), we would recommend one of the utility-meter-interactive energy monitoring devices that Epcor has tested and listed on their website that claims to display and graph the power consumption measured by Epcor’s utility meter (~$100 to $200 +install without an electrician).
2. For homeowners or small businesses (max 240VAC for North America, 200A or less, 1-phase or 3-phase) who want to see real-time total power consumption, without appliance-specific monitoring, and without the need for historical data analysis, we would recommend the Neurio (W1 HEM kit, about $300CAD +install), because (a.) it is one of the lowest cost systems available for monitoring the total energy consumed between the home and the power grid, (b.) the website has helpful support documentation, and (c.) Neurio is compatible with 3-phase power, found at some commercial sites, which allows a larger customer base and support community for all Neurio users.  A great feature of Neurio is the historical data granularity available for download from the web interface, for export to external spreadsheet software for more detailed analysis and reporting. The data export format isn’t very user-friendly (e.g. units such as watts don’t export with the data) but the data is accessible at granularity down to 5-minute time-buckets. The biggest limitation we see with the Neurio and similar competing lowest cost systems available (e.g. Aeotec, Eyedro, Smappee, Sense) is that it becomes relatively expensive (and limited) if someone wants to add monitoring of more than just the one main power circuit of the home and solar power generation.
3. For homeowners or small businesses (240VAC, 100A or less, 1-phase only) who want to monitor three or more circuits, we recommend the energy CURB.  It has user-friendly and thorough graphing features through a web portal and a smartphone app, and official compatibility with SmartThings (a smart home automation hub).  The CURB costs about $625CAD +install (includes 18 circuit sensors). The user interface is well suited for both advanced users and also users who just want a simple summary without being overwhelmed by details.  The biggest limitations we see with CURB is that it doesn’t work with currents above 100A, or voltages above 240VAC, or 3-phase power, and the data export time-granularity is fixed as hourly, which limits the usefulness of the exported historical data for analysis or reporting in external spreadsheet software.
4. For large power consuming businesses or large homes (1-phase or 3-phase, any voltage, any current) focused on energy consumption data analysis, power quality (power factor) and monitoring multiple circuits, eGauge is a great choice and costs about $650CAD + $40 to 120 per circuit +install. The web interface is excellent for historical data analysis “by the minute and second” for consumption, peak demand, and power factor.  The web view is powerful for graphical interactive analysis, even on a smartphone once you know your way around the web pages. The graphs include real-time and historical consumption for solar generation and power consumption in one interactive view, that easily adjusts between time-scales from seconds up to years.  The biggest downside we see with the eGauge is the lack of a smartphone app, and the complexity of the powerful user interface can take some time for new users to learn. Dandelion Renewables has been using eGauge equipment to help commercial sites monitor and reduce power consumption for years.

  Noteworthy, are some solar PV inverter companies (e.g. Fronius, SMA, SolarEdge) that are working toward expanding their solar power generation monitoring tools to also measure power consumption for the site.  Fronius has a real-time consumption monitoring option with their energy meter accessory “Smart Meter” but with a price tag of ~$850CAD+install, it would only be suitable for users who want to do more with the Smart Meter, such as controlling the export of energy to the grid.  SolarEdge has a similar metering accessory but it doesn’t report real-time consumption information (15 min reporting delay). SMA has a similar energy meter accessory but it isn’t available yet in North America.  – Steve Gladwin

What’s Vehicle to Grid Technology (V2G) about, why is it exciting and what’s the state of the industry?   I’ve been aware of the V2G technology for some time but the first time I got really excited about it was about a year ago. The idea has been around for several years now; it allows an electric vehicle (EV) to not only charge from the grid but also to supply energy stored in the batteries back into the grid.  I was talking with a German masters student I met while travelling who was studying grid-scale energy storage. With volatile renewable energy sources such as solar and wind becoming ever cheaper, more efficient and more necessary, grid-scale energy storage is becoming a very important conversation to have. The student said it’s a really difficult problem to solve and no one is certain of the answer, but he suspected V2G technology is likely to become one of the major primary solutions!   The idea is that electric vehicles will catch on at a similar rate to renewable energy. This will shift our energy consumption from the fossil fuels to renewable electricity, increasing our electricity consumption, and also providing the opportunity for the EVs to stabilize the grid. Since most vehicles are sitting still 95% of the time, they can be used to store energy and feed it back to the grid during times of high consumption. For example, EVs could take energy generated by solar during the day and feed it back to the grid in the evening when people consume more power.   The most exciting part of this technology?! It’s here! Pilot projects have been running for several years but companies like Nuvve and Nissan are just starting to bring it to the commercial stage. It will take some time before it becomes widespread as only the 2016 (and up) Nissan Leaf and the newest Mitsubishi Outlander are capable of V2G, and the V2G charger has to be custom installed & programmed. Technological, economical and logistical hurdles are still being worked out but this technology has huge potential and we are keeping a close eye on potential opportunities.    ~ Garnet Borch, E.I.T

In 2017, we upgraded a ventilation system at a seed potato storage facility near Gibbons, AB as a pilot project considering the most energy efficient ventilation technologies currently available. The results of the project showed that energy assessments and ventilation upgrades at potato storages in Alberta can reduce fan energy consumption by 70%, improve potato quality, and provide a positive return on investment up to 13%-17% for many farms. Potato storages that should benefit the most from retrofit upgrades in Alberta would be farms with single-speed fans, or ventilation systems older than 5 years old. The pilot project tested the replacement of single-phase 240VAC single-speed fans in two different ventilation plenums, with two different variable-speed fan technologies: 1. impellor fan blades with electronically commutated (EC) motors at “Bin23”, and 2. 4-blade propeller fans with phase-converting VFDs and 3ph motors at “Bin45”. The table below shows a comparison of the “original” and “new” fan equipment installed. www.dandelionrenewables.com (780) 566-6058 mi@dandelionrenewables.com

With 50% funding of equipment costs contributed by the Farm Energy and Agri-Processing Program (FEAP), the project would cost $58,684. The savings due to reduced energy consumption are estimated conservatively at $4,600 annually, resulting from a 70% reduction in fan energy consumption at the upgraded bins. Based on the pilot project results we expect similar ventilation system upgrades at Alberta potato storages to achieve payback in 7-9 years, with 13%-17% IRR over a 15-year economic life. The monthly power bills to date show savings over $6,000 in the first year (see the table below). The following table shows a summary of the original (historical) monthly-billed power consumption, versus the new power consumption after the ventilation system retrofit upgrade.

 

In the spring of 2018, the Alberta government and the Federal government is announcing two new programs for farms and processors energy-efficiency: The Farm Energy and Agri-Processing Program (FEAP) and Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP) program. These programs replace the old Growing Forward 1 and 2 programs. As always with everything new, it takes time to understand what new programs are about and how to implement them to a particular project. Below, we are providing with a summary of what The Farm Energy and Agri-Processing Program (FEAP) covers:

• 100% of energy sub-meter equipment cost
•  50% of energy assessment costs
•  50% of equipment costs for a variety of other energy efficient equipment for retrofits and new construction.

The energy assessment service must be provided by an approved provider (Dandelion Renewables is one of them). The agri-processing program is accessible to farmers, producers, growers, and agri-processors.   The new Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP) program has three Outcomes:

• Support and improve producer’s understanding that implementing priority environmental practices can increase market access.
• Support producer groups and the agricultural organization’s applied research and extend on adapting to climate change and reduction of greenhouse gases.
• Support the industry to identify risks and opportunities associated with GHG emissions, and develop strategies for quantifying and mitigating emissions.

There will be no prescribed cost share level, while the maximum funding levels have not been finalized. The program applicants could be Applied Research Associations, Forage Associations, Agricultural Commodity Groups, Rural Municipalities, Agricultural Watershed Groups. Dandelion Renewables specialists are available to assist with your applications and answer your questions about these agri-processing programs.  

Epcor’s proposed E.L. Smith solar farm in Edmonton has been making its way into the local news recently. It’s certainly an interesting project and, at first glance, has the public polarized (as seems to be the general trend in society). However, after a more careful review, it seems Epcor is doing its due diligence to insure public interest and ecological effects are understood fully before progressing with the solar farm. It’s not hard to see why the solar farm has a strong opposition; Edmontonians are proud of our beautiful river valley! In Mill Creek, we saw similar opposition to a net-zero house recently approved by the city. When it comes to the river valley and Edmonton’s green space, we are hesitant to let even the greenest of technologies encroach.   If the solar farm is approved by both Alberta Utilities Commision and the City of Edmonton, Epcor will have to implement stringent environmental procedures to ensure the effect on the river valley is minimized. However, it seems they are already on the right path as they have added the below points after public consultation: Solar Farm Benefits:

• Reduce the overall project footprint in an effort to address concerns relating to aesthetics, land reclamation, environment, and wildlife.

• Increase the space between the river and our proposed project fence line. This will provide more natural area along the river than is currently present.

• Provide the City of Edmonton with access through our property (outside the solar farm fence line) for future recreational trails to ensure connectivity of the surrounding trail system

Source: Epcor Website -> E.L. Smith Solar Farm

Solar farms don’t have to be large, barren industrial sites. With proper environmental impact assessments and ecological management plans, they can mitigate their ecological impact. In addition to the above actions, Epcor may consider the following actions:

• Use fencing with minimal intrusion. Keeping a clearance of 10-15cm at the bottom allows the passage of small animals
• Keep bees on site

  

• Allow grazing of sheep or goats under panels to keep level of grass from growing too high. Perhaps Epcor can partner with the city’s new Edmonton Goat Pilot Project!

  

• Make bird boxes
• When reclaiming the site after construction, a diverse assortment of local fauna should be planted taking into account shading from panels
• Hedges around perimeter to provide shelter for small animals and birds

  

Source: Solar parks – Opportunities for Biodiversity A report on biodiversity in and around ground-mountoud photovoltaic panels. Renewable Energies Agency, 2010 Another suggestion to improve the public’s perspective on the project could be adding a bike path or multiuse path. As mentioned, Epcor has already provided the City access on the outside of the fence, but it may be years before the City gets around to putting it in. With the construction equipment already on site, perhaps Epcor could build one of the two routes we’ve suggested below?