In this email update:
HERE! Hosts Public Information Meetings in Burlington and Georgetown
Oakville Solar Tour this weekend
Project Coordinator hits 1000 KWh!
HERE! Hosts Public Information Meetings
Please note that both of the meetings below are free of charge and open to everyone regardless of where you live.
Our meeting for Burlington residents, "Renewable Energy in the City", is taking place tomorrow, June 22, from 7-9 p.m. at the Burlington Central Public Library in Centennial Hall, located at 2331 New Street
This meeting will be about renewable energy for city dwellers – focusing mainly on residential photovoltaic systems with information also about solar pool heating systems, solar hot water heating systems, and vertical loop geothermal systems.
HERE!’s Renewable Energy Technology Specialists, Graham Flint and Chris Braekevelt, will be the presenters at the meeting. Graham will speak about solar PV systems and the microFIT program. Chris will address thermal technologies, including geothermal and solar thermal options. The presentations will include an explanation of the technology available, government rebates and incentives, costs of installation and environmental benefits.
The meeting will also present the concept of community power. Michael Yakimchuk from BurlingtonGreen will speak about this option for Burlington residents that do not have the space or capital to invest in a private energy project.
Our meeting for Halton Hills residents, "Renewable Energy for Urban and Rural Residents", is taking place on June 23, from 7-9 p.m. at the Halton Hills Cultural Centre located at 9 Church Street in Georgetown.
This meeting focuses on renewable energy options available for suburban households and rural households and farms. Graham Flint and Chris Braekevelt, will be the presenters at the meeting. Graham will be focusing on photovoltaic systems and community power. He is an electrical engineer whose 10 kW ground-mounted solar PV system has recently been connected to the grid. Chris will address thermal technologies, including geothermal and solar thermal options. Braekevelt is a mechanical engineer with experience installing geothermal systems. The presentations will include an explanation of the technology available, government rebates and incentives, costs of installation and environmental benefits. The concept of community power will also be touched on.
Oakville Solar Tour this weekend
Our Oakville Solar Tour will be held from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, June 27. The first stop on the tour is a large 7.8 KW photovoltaic system on the roof of a residential home. The system was installed this spring by Eco Alternative Energy and is selling electricity to the grid under the microFIT program, which is a feed-in-tariff program where the Ontario Power Authority pays you 80.2 cents per kilowatt-hour for selling your solar energy to the grid. Over the 20 year microFIT contract, the homeowner can expect to receive enough income to pay for the install price of the solar energy system in about 8 years and make enough to buy another system by the end of the contract
The second stop on the tour features a green residential retrofit home. Among other environmental upgrades, the home features a solar domestic hot water (SDHW) system installed by VELUX. Because this system uses solar heat to preheat your hot water supply, it can dramatically reduce the need for gas to heat your water, which reduces your environmental footprint and saves you money on your gas bill. Renewable energy technology experts, homeowners, project team members, and/or installers will be on site at each location to describe and explain the system. If you are interested in registering for this tour, please contact HERE! at here.office@gmail.com or 905-299-2327. A donation of $10 per person is suggested. For more information, visit http://halton.ourpower.ca.
Project Coordinator’s PV System hits 1000 KWh!
Lisa Seiler, Project Coordinator for HERE!, is pleased to announce that her 3 KW PV system has produced just over 1000KWh of electricity. Her system connected to the grid on April 7 2010. Lisa has yet to receive a cheque from Oakville Hydro, but she has already made over $800 selling clean, green energy to the grid. Hydro companies are allowed to wait until the first full billing cycle before sending out a cheque.