Solar Power at Rockway Celebrates First Year
One year ago, in November 2012, our dreams of installing a 16.8 kW Photovoltaic Solar System on the roof of Rockway were realized. With considerable excitement we flipped the switch on our new system and began quietly absorbing photons of light energy and generating clean electricity to be fed back into the power grid. Under the Ontario Power Authority’s MicroFIT contract we secured a very favourable rate of 80.2 cents per kWh generated for the next 20 years.
After one year our panels have collected a total of 16,299 DC kWh. That electricity after conversion to alternating current, was sold to the power authority generating a total income of $11,457. This total is just shy of the predicted income of $11,825, with the difference likely due to the fact that last year had slightly less sunshine than average. One thing that’s clear is not much electricity is generated in February when the panels are covered in snow!
The total cost of our system was about $62,000. About 50% of this expense was paid for through funds collected by our annual student fund-raiser, the “Envirothon-Servathon”. Nearly $10,000 was obtained through a grant form the City of Kitchener, administered through the CREW’s Solar City program. The remainder was covered as a capital expense by Rockway Mennonite Collegiate.
Over the twenty year contract period, we anticipate generating a total of about $216,000 of gross income. We expect to pay back our original investment after 5.5 years and then to generate a profit of around $8000 per year! Clearly, installing this system made sense from both environmental and economic perspectives.
The rich solar-electrical data collected online over the course of the year will provide valuable, real-world stats for analysis in a variety of science and geography classes. We are excited about the inquiry-based learning opportunities this system provides… from the engineering of photovoltaic systems, to the politics and economics of solar power in southern Ontario.
Steffan Pauls, Environmental Concerns Faculty Advisor
