Power
Exercising a 'generation' choice
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- Category: Power
- Written by Ashok Dutta
ENMAX shines light on renewable power initiative
Despite coal being the prime mover in Alberta’s electricity generation mix, Calgary-based ENMAX Corporation is doing its bit to bring about a change in the ways Albertans generate power while also significantly reducing their carbon footprint.
Enter Generate Choice, a homegrown project focused in a major way on renewables.
“It is a grassroots movement in which we want to create awareness and make users think about the choices they have in terms of using solar and wind in a totally benign way,” says Doug Sullivan, ENMAX’s vice-president of distributed generation.
“A maximum of 1,800 kilowatt hours of energy can be generated each year through this process. This is the equivalent of the average load of a home for a three-month period.”
The genesis of the initiative can be traced back to late 2008 when ENMAX employees were given an option to sign up for the program.
Last May, Edmonton-based Climate Change and Emissions Management Corporation committed—in principle—to $14.5 million in funding in recognition of the program.
While creating critical mass in terms of generating interest was a start-off point, at present nearly 100 ENMAX employees have taken advantage of Generate Choice and already installed solar facilities in their homes.
Looking ahead, the prospects are encouraging, with 28,000 people visiting the program’s website since November 2009 (www.generatechoice.ca).
“Nearly 9,000 have provided their contact information and we communicate with them on a regular basis. Besides, 3,600 prospective users have also expressed desire for their house evaluation. Of this, 2,200 are for solar and the remaining 1,400 prefer wind power facilities,” Sullivan notes.
As part of the program, ENMAX offers a large savings on the installation cost of nearly $10,000, which is taken care of by the company.
“For solar power, we charge $1,500 upfront in addition to a monthly fee of $30 and an administration cost of $10. We are still in negotiations with equipment suppliers and manufacturers for wind power, and the numbers are being crunched out,” Sullivan says.
So far, Generate Choice has elicited positive reactions from users.
“In recent years, I have had a growing concern for the environment and the damage we humans are causing to it,” says David Barry, a user.
“I know how wasteful and inefficient a traditional coal-fired electricity generating plant still is. Centralized power generation is essentially the same today as was first used during the industrial revolution in the 19th century. Close to 70 per cent of the heat goes up the stack and is wasted. Photovoltaic [PV] is a better way to produce electricity.”
Barry adds that the benefits of solar power are many and varied.
“PV uses the sun, which we have an abundance of over 300 days per year on an average. PV systems are inconspicuous, silent, have no moving parts and require little maintenance,” he says.
“The catch is that at the moment my own PV system would require me to find an upfront investment of between $8,000 and $10,000, and I could not justify that. Generate Choice took away that major hurdle.”
Another user, Colin Dumais, says that his goal is to reach 100 per cent renewable on-site power.
“Once you start making some of your own power, it feels liberating and you start thinking about generating more and more onsite. Generating your own power finally makes electricity worth thinking about, something even high electricity prices in 2000 did not seem to do,” he says.
The program will not be without its share of challenges and risks, however.
“Education is a major hurdle. As a society, we always adopt things that are cheaper. Many were under the impression that renewable was cheaper compared with coal fired, and it was thus a wake-up call for them,” Sullivan says.
Another challenge, which is more technical in nature, is related to wind power.
“Wind is location-specific and is most suited to farms in southern Alberta, while solar has a wider geographical spread,” Sullivan says.
On the commercial front, ENMAX also has to deal with the risk of recovering its initial investment.
“We make money by signing long-term agreements with customers. People move houses [every] four to five years, and it is a risk if the new owner does not agree to sign up,” Sullivan said.
ENMAX is moving ahead undaunted, with the aim of installing facilities in 9,000-10,000 sites by 2015.
Undeniably, there will be several benefits accruing from Generate Choice. But, one significant aspect will be reducing the carbon footprint by 600,000 tonnes over the 40-year life of the facilities.
“Generating some of the electricity my family needs using solar PV at home is the right thing to do. I am convinced more people will feel the same way, given the facts and opportunity to choose,” Barry says.
He adds that generating his own power removes the need to use extra cables and eliminates the costs charged by transmission and distribution companies, which typically are between 2.5 and three cents per kilowatt hour, on top of the eight cents per kilowatt hour for electricity itself.
“Most importantly, I reduce the environmental impact caused by generating additional energy required to overcome the losses associated with transporting electricity over great distances,” Barry says.
