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NEWSLETTER # 35, SEPTEMBER 2004

In This Issue: THE EVOLUTION OF A RENEWABLE MIND BPEG RENEWABLE ENERGY TOUR A GREAT SUCCESS REVIEW OF NOMAD 1500 PORTABLE SOLAR POWER SYSTEM PUBLIC FORUM ON SOLAR ENERGY, WATERLOO A BIG THANK YOU... FROM THE COORDINATOR... QUOTABLES - Mark Twain

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THE EVOLUTION OF A RENEWABLE MIND by a former CFRE Board member What type of thinking motivates me? How can I live by my beliefs in this modern materialistic world? How can I blend my spiritual knowledge with my physical needs in order to remain a steward of humanity and the planet? Or, how can I live simply in peace and survive? These are some of the questions that cross my mind daily as I bake organic bread for my customers out of my home bakery in Proton Station. Walking softly on the planet and recognizing the divinity in all life has taken on physical dimensions in my life over the last few years. Eating, growing and baking, using organic criteria is one way of life I feel comfort with. The idea of renewable energy and conservation of resources is another. Having a bakery in my home was a vital step in my transformation to simpler living. I had already studied various aspects of conservation and a simple lifestyle, which led me to the following: improving my home's windows for less heat loss; an airtight woodstove as my basic heat source; upgrading my insulation; replacement of all my lightbulbs to compact fluorescent and a lowering of my energy requirements for basic living essentials. But this was just a start. This past winter after dealing with various personal issues my plan for a more self-sustaining lifestyle took shape with the following outcome: the construction of a passive solar living space was initiated on the south-east side of my house; the erection of 1.5 kW of photovoltaic solar panels together with battery storage and inverter system was accomplished; a system of grid tie-in along with a net meter was installed; a back-up generator was purchased and a plan for further stages in my renewable system was developed. Renewables 2004, THE FUTURE OF OUR CHILDREN IS AT STAKE! These stages include two aspects of renewable energy. The first is a waterheating system using solar panels backed up with an on demand propane water heater. The second is a 1 kW wind turbine on an 80 foot tower. Although this plan may seem unrealistic to some it is the realization of a dream that dwells within me. Now I must explain that I am a normal 50 something individual wishing to survive and live peacefully and simply. I check my reality with the creator daily and strive to live accordingly. I am not wealthy or physically capable to construct this type of system. But I believe my need to express my inner convictions is an absolute necessity. All those around me involved in this project have been very accomodating, friendly, helpful, and generally interested in seeing this journey succeed. Those involved include my solarium contractor, the electrician firm in the solar project, the Hydro-One staff (local repair crews, lay-out crews, net metering program staff) and the local building and electric inspectors. This project is still in progress as everyday it seems something new and pertinent is brought to my attention. I have not gone into much detail about my hybrid system as it is specific to my personal situation. However I would be willing to dialogue with anyone on this project on renewable energy in general. I have found that my actions over the past few months were not random or a stroke of luck by genius in my part, but the result of many years of knowledge seeking, careful examination of my personal situation and a growing awareness of my role in creation. My actions have not been motivated by finances, ego or selfishness. This is a commitment to my membership in my family community, the whole humanity and all of life. I wish all a healthy and peaceful journey in their lives, and if the chance to share each others wealth of being occurs it would be my pleasure to put out the welcome mat. Sincerely, Vitold Kreutzer 773126 Hwy 10, R.R.# 2, Proton Station, ON N0C 1L0 BPEG RENEWABLE ENERGY TOUR A GREAT SUCCESS Solar Water heated residence with Lakota windturbine Whether by coincidence or intended this wonderful tour took place on the first anniversary of the BIG BLACKOUT! Organized by Glen Estill, the Ferndale Windturbine entrepreneur, and Sara Wilkinson with the help of lots of volunteers from the Bruce Peninsula Environment Group, this tour was sold out 2 weeks in advance. There are over 40 people on a waiting list for the next tour!! 88 participants were treated to 5 interesting renewable energy sites, starting with a large owner-built loghouse with a 500 Watt Lakota windturbine feeding electricity to a forklift battery and powering lights in the house. Future planning includes installing PV(solar) panels and getting off grid eventually. The next location featured a newly installed Solar Domestic Hot Water system(SDHW) with a roof mounted glaced panel and a pre=heat hot water tank. It will produce over half of the home's hot water with the benefit of the lowest priced renewable energy application offsetting approx. 20% on the residence's energy bill. Site # 3 was a new custom designed house built to be as close as possible to a zero-fossil-fuel home. It was a well sealed residence with high-value insulation featuring a 500 watt Lakota windturbine (www.truenorthpower.com) and solar water heat that also supplies most of the space heating in winter storing hot water in a 1,000 gal. storage tank for circulation to radiators. The site # 4 home obtains its heating from a Ground Source Heat pump (GSH) connected to along closed loop piping system buried in the ground. The heat pump is basically a refrigerator in reverse and can offer a gain in energy of 4 times. In the summer this system acts as an air conditioner with the cool ground temperature being brought in replacing the hot air. Household hot water is also supplied by this system. The great conclusion of the tour gave participants a sight and feel of the huge 1,800 kW Ferndale windturbine. A graceful structure spinning slowly out in a farmer's field pasturing a herd of cattle. Very little sound came from the 40 meter long blades, each of them weighing 6 tonnes. This Danish built turbine, financed and installed by Skygeneration Inc., a private consortium, led by local resident Glen Estill, can supply enough power for 500 homes on average. Once inside of the 78 meter tall tower you can feel the vibration of the blades turning the generator, you can see the ladder leading to the nacelle housing the generator for maintenance,and you can take a look at the computer registering wind direction and speed as well as the output and kWh's generated. The large transformer block next to the highway is designed to accommdate the output of 2 more of these large turbines, which can only be erected if the general public supports the financing by purchasing so-called Green Tags as provincial subsidies are so far non-existing. CFRE is encouraging purchase of the $ 75 certificates that help build more clean and safe renewable power generation thereby replacing 1,000 kWh of coal-fired generation. As a side show Glen Estill's Honda Insight and this coordinator's Toyota Prius, both hybrid-electric powered were on display. Congratulations to all those involved in planning this tour, thanks, too, to all the cooks and helpers who provided a plentiful and delicious lunch and to all those local businesses for their support through donations! A successful tour which need to be repeated soon!! REVIEW OF NOMAD 1500 PORTABLE SOLAR POWER SYSTEM by Gary Bastin I sit here enjoying an unusually warm September day and the Nomad 1500 is in charge mode. Clean, renewable energy from the sun is being silently gathered and, the best part, it is free electricity for me to use at some future time! As always, this is a beautiful thing. The Arise Technologies pamphlet states that the system is a "Great Introduction to Solar Power." After 3 days of camping with Nomad in August, I would agree with this assessment. Several people dropped by; all were fascinated; all had questions; and all of them received a bit of information about environmentally-friendly energy. As always, this is a good thing. However, the system has definite limits as to how, when and what it might be used for. From a CFRE point of view, I would have definite concerns about the percentage of charging that would come from the solar panel. My concerns: 1. Although the hookup of the panel to the power manager and then to the battery pack is quite straightforward, it does require (a) a nice sunny day; (b) continually moving the panel throughout the day to maximize the amount of solar energy being received, thus requiring the owner's presence during the charging period; (c) a great deal of time to fully charge the battery (for one 32 Watt solar panel, the Arise specification sheet gives a time of 39 hours). 2. The people I talked to all seemed to express the desire to have a back-up power system in case of another blackout. The battery pack cannot be allowed to remain empty of charge for any length of time, therefore most individuals would likely keep its charge up using AC power from a regular household outlet. During winter in our latitudes, this would be more the rule than the exception. Another drawback to the Nomad is its limits regarding its use with AC appliances. When camping, I powered a 13 watt fluorescent bulb for about 9 hours and a 1600 watt hair dryer for about 6 minutes. The specifications sheet gives a 33 hour time for the 13 watt bulb and the statement that "the xPower 1500 will not continuously operate AC products rated at more than 1350 watts, such as air conditioners or motors over 12 amps." I realize that the example of the hair dryer is perhaps a bit unfair. But, with a ¾ charge to begin the camping trip, the use of the bulb and the hair dryer for the times stated just about emptied the battery of any useful charge. The conclusion is that, in a blackout situation, the 1500 will be drained rather quickly if large appliances are expected to run for any length of time. And, as was previously mentioned, it does take quite a number of hours to recharge the system with the solar panel - time that would not be available during a cold weather loss of power. In summary, the Nomad 1500 system is an excellent educational tool. As a teacher, I would definitely use it in the classroom. On small camping trips, it certainly can be used for extended periods of time depending on the AC demands. It also allows charging as you drive, taking 6 to 8 hours for a full charge with the car running. However, the Nomad 1500 system will occupy a lot of vehicle space so a large family camping trip might make its use impractical in those situations. And, in the event of a widespread loss of power to the grid, it will allow for some comfort for short periods of time. At least you could have light for a few days. The real answer for anyone wanting assurances during times of energy disaster, is to invest in a bigger system of renewable energy and to lessen reliance on the grid itself. PUBLIC FORUM ON SOLAR ENERGY, WATERLOO Report by Andrea Chappell, CFRE Board member A public forum on solar energy was held in Waterloo as part of SESCI 2004, the 29th Annual Conference of the Solar Energy Society of Canada. The event was held in the lovely old Seagram Museum building, now the Centre for International Governance Innovation. The event was well attended. Organizers scrambled to set out every available chair, and still left people standing at the back. Mary Jane Patterson of CREW (Community Renewable Energy Waterloo) made opening welcomes, and soon the three invited speakers were underway. Teun Bokhoven, President of the Dutch Renewable Energy Foundation on A solar system for all: lessons from Europe - what worked, what failed. Mr. Bokhoven painted a picture of the Solar Thermal (ST) market in Europe. Photovoltaic (PV) endeavours have long included large arrays and outfitting buildings with solar panels. More recently PV home systems have become very popular. They are generally about 650W, grid-connected, 'plug and play' systems. As for thermal systems, two of the three common types would not work well in Canada because of our months of freezing weather (Thermosyphon and Integrated Circulation systems). Forced Circulation systems could be used here. Bokhoven made the point that those countries that have the highest adoption of Solar Thermal have government policies and directions supporting them. In Germany (12% of European ST market) the government created legislation in the 1970s for ST heating of hot water, and that market is now stable and sustainable. Austria (also 12%) likewise had government intervention, and now 30% of their total energy consumption comes from solar. Denmark is far in front with 55% of the European market. Germany and Austria lead in per capita square footage of solar use, and Mr. Bokhoven brought this home by holding up two pieces of cloth, a large one representing the square footage per person in Europe, compared to Canada's tiny tissue. When expanded to world ST markets, Europe itself pales at 12% in comparison to China's 76%. Another note offered to Canadians is that in Holland 20% of new homes are equipped with solar equipment, with no subsidy driving this. Bokhoven offered summary advice on some key points for Canadians as we attempt to increase the ST market here. First, politicians listen to public opinion, and we need them to support the move to ST. Inexpensive energy in Canada (relative to Europe) means that the public won't move on their own from their current comfortable energy situation. Second, reliable systems, and established standards and support for installations are critical. Again, governments can play a role, setting building regulations and energy use standards for buildings to encourage adoption. The Kyoto agreement can also be used as an arguing point for renewable energy projects. Finally, there is a demonstrable economic benefit as seen in Europe where 40,000 to 50,000 jobs come from the ST markets, with an increase of about 10,000 jobs per year over the past several years. Milfred Hammerbacher, President of Spheral Solar Panel (division of ATS Inc. of Cambridge) on Spheral Solar's flexible solar electricity technology - implications for the growth of solar energy in Canada. No-one wants a sales pitch instead of real information. Fortunately, Mr. Hammerbacher provided more of the latter than the former in discussing his company's silicon sphere based solar sheets. These flexible units can be made into various sizes and shapes, weigh much less than conventional panels of the same power (no glass plates), and have lower material and process costs to manufacture. Thus, they can be integrated into the building roof or wall cover. They also answer two of the fundamental barriers to wider adoption of solar panels on private homes - aesthetics and cost. Moving the focus from his own product, Mr. Hammerbacher talked about the Net Zero Energy Coalition, whose membership is focused on creating homes that put back as much energy into the grid as they use. Homes built according to this philosophy would meet the objective by selecting from a menu of options such as R2000 standards, EnerStar Public Forum on Solar Energy, Waterloo appliances, PV roofs, Solar Thermal systems, earth-source systems, and so on. To make such a program fly Hammerbacher suggested three areas where the government could help: remove the federal and provincial taxes on Net Zero new homes to offset the 10 - 15% higher construction costs; assist with net metering infrastructure, and institute time of use differentiation in energy costs; reduce red tape now required to install such options. The overall effect of Net Zero homes of course works towards the larger issue of creating less pollution, and could potentially create jobs. Gerald Van Decker, Renewability Energy, Inc., local manufacturer of renewable energy systems, on Low energy living through renewable energy technologies for home and business Mr. Van Decker's talk was a bit harder to track as he covered a variety of areas. His premise that product prices reflect energy costs, and thus we should all buy the cheapest product was a bit too simple a theory to take to heart. (And he argued against his own statement a couple times in his talk!) However, Van Decker had lots of good common sense beliefs which everyone can appreciate, such as consume less, walk and cycle more (by living near where you work), and buy things that last. He also pointed people to the Power Pipe (http://www.power-pipe.ca ), a system for making use of the waste water heat to help heat your home. A BIG THANK YOU... goes to Christine, Lynn and May of the Voluntary Gas Tax group for their $ 300 donation to CFRE as one of two of eligible organizations they picked for support. We already have applied this donation together with one from a private donor to purchase 100 Energy Saving Compact Fluorescent light bulbs to help people to conserve electricity in their homes and farms. FROM THE COORDINATOR... Well, we finally got together for a board meeting! After the attempt failed following our AGM in May because of the late hour and the long travel distances, we had a worthwhile session on July 11 in Port Hope. Port Hope, you ask? When board members are spread out across the province you have to try to cut travel distances to a fair length and Port Hope seemed to be the central point. We carpooled to the extent possible. The main item on the agenda was a temporary relocation of CFRE's office because of the coordinator facing age-related health problems(hip replacement surgery) and having to find a location with more normal facilities than his century-old log home. The board decided to have CFRE supplement any extra costs for a 4-month temporary relocation from January to April 2005. Board members also offered help with electronic communication and webside upgrades. Help with staffing CFRE displays is also needed at a number of high-profile events and the call goes out to our members to volunteer and contact us at cfre@web.ca In our continued quest for raising funds we decided to purchase an initial 100 energy-efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs to help promote energy conservation. We intend to sell them at displays and workshops for the low price of $ 5 including tax. Our 'Happy Face' t-shirt fund raising campaign is currently on hold because of problems sourcing a Canadian supplier of organic cotton/hemp fabric. Gary Bastin, longtime CFRE member, who was in attendance, volunteered to work on a funding application to the federal program called EcoAction. We would also like to embark on a project signing up members who are planning to install solar water heating systems. Being the lowest cost and fastest pay-back application of solar energy we feel that getting 20-30 members together might result in a quantity discount price. We are looking to OSEA for support for this project. The board agreed to match the coordinator's contribution of $ 50 USD to the Nuclear Information and Resource Service(NIRS) who has been very helpful in providing objective information on nuclear issues in the U.S. and around the world. Also we committed to buying 3 green power certificates from the Pembina Institute at $ 27 each to offset several thousand kgs of Green House Gas emissions from dirty generation, thereby being able to claim that our website is powered by clean and safe renewable energy. We encourage our members to follow CFRE's example and practically embarrass our laggard government by investing in and encouraging power generation from clean and SAFE renewable sources. It looks like this government is bent on promoting polluting power with the recent announcement supporting the private consortium leasing the Bruce nuclear plant to restart 25-year old laid-up reactors. After Pickering how many more millions if not billions of our tax dollars will they squander on this dangerous unreliable energy? We would like, at this time, to extend a big thank you to our longest serving board member, Vitold Kreutzer, who decided to step down because of new commitments (see article on front page). We owe Vitold our gratitude for all his help over the years. He assured us that he would continue to give his support to the best of his ability. In accordance with our by-laws the board has approached Gary Bastin, school teacher from Cambridge, and a long-time active member of CFRE, to fill the vacant position and he agreed to serve. Welcome, Gary, and we are looking forward to your help and expertise! The coordinator responded to calls for comment on two important proposals: The provincial Electricity Restructuring Act(Bill 100) and the review of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement(GLWQA), a bilateral agreement signed by the U.S.A and Canada in 1978 and amended in 1987. Two detailed submissions on behalf of CFRE were handed in last month and we are awaiting the response. As always, copies of these submissions are available to our members on request. After a somewhat lacklustre summer we all are looking forward to a nice long autumn with lots of beautiful colours. Hope you are able to enjoy it in good health! QUOTABLES... "The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up!" Mark Twain Go to next newsletter Go to previous newsletter Return to Newsletter list Return to main page