Connect with us:
linkedin
twitter
youtube
email

  • Home
  • About
    • Our Story
    • Our Team
    • Our Supporters
  • Get Involved
    • Book a Tour
    • Post Secondary Tours
    • Rent the Facility
    • Become a Supporter
    • Corporate Volunteering
  • Systems
    • Building Integration
      • Building Automation
      • Power Monitoring
      • Security
      • Lighting
    • Building Envelope
      • Thermal Mass
      • Total Opening Solutions
      • Recycled Rubber Roof
      • Green Roof
      • White Roof
    • Renewable Energy
      • Photovoltaic
      • Carbon Offset
    • Green Office
      • Fixtures
      • Cleaning
      • Green Washrooms
      • Smart Commute
    • HVAC
      • Earth Tubes
      • Geothermal
      • Engineering
    • Water Conservation
      • Wastewater Treatment
      • Stormwater Management
    • Information Technology
      • Data Centre
      • eWaste Recycling
      • Building Information Management
    • Sustainable Site
      • Landscaping
      • iRestore
  • Gallery
    • Photos
    • Videos
    • Infographics
    • Live Data
  • News
    • E-Newsletter
    • Blog
    • In the News
  • Contact



  • Photovoltaic

What is Solar Photovoltaic Power?

Solar Photovoltaic (photo meaning “light” and voltaic meaning “electricity”) is electric power created when the sun’s rays hit a silicon semiconductor. These semiconductors are arranged in panels or films, and can be mounted to almost any surface to generate clean power from available sunlight.

How do we use it?

Two arrays provide one third of our annual consumption. The first one is a fixed 28 kW array mounted to the roof of our aviary that generates 30,000 kW per year. The second array tracks the sun’s position in the sky and is mounted on posts in our parking lot. It is 57.6 kW and provides 100,000 kWh per year. Both arrays are connected to the Ontario Power Authority’s Feed-In Tariff program, which was implemented to encourage renewable energy generation in Ontario. The power we generate is fed into the grid, generating almost $70,000 per year.

How does it make us more sustainable?

Generating solar power at the Earth Rangers Centre means that less power is required to be generated and transmitted from power plants. On a cool summer day, we will produce more power than we consume, helping to power our neighborhood. This power does not require fossil fuels or nuclear power, reducing emissions and other impacts on Ontario’s power grid. The sun will continue to shine and our panels generate clean power when it does.

Photovoltaic image gallery

All six trackers
All six trackers

Our 57.6 kW parking lot array will tilt and spin to stay perpendicular to the sun’s rays. This makes it more efficient than a fixed, roof-mounted array.

Aviary array
Aviary array

The roof of our aviary also features skylights that allow natural light to flood the raptor spaces beneath. The entire building is designed to capture and use sun’s energy.

Full aviary array
Full aviary array

The aviary is home to bald eagles, peregrine falcons, barn owls and red-tailed hawks.

Construction of solar panels
Construction of solar panels

This 2010 construction photo shows one of the dual-axis trackers being assembled in the parking lot. In total there are 6 trackers following the sun from sunrise to sunset.

Construction of solar panels
Construction of solar panels

An almost complete tracker stand ready for electrical connection in March of 2010. Each panel can generate up to 175W, with 54 panels making up each tracker.

Parking lot array
Parking lot array

Each tracker sits in a naturally landscaped garden that features native, drought hardy species that do not require regular irrigation.

Birds on solar panels
Birds on solar panels

Local birds enjoy a rest on a tracker early in the morning. Each panel has its own microinverter, so even if a panel is soiled or dirty, it will not decrease the output of the entire array, increasing its ability to generate power.

Solar metering
Solar metering

The aviary array’s power is inverted to alternating current by these six Sunny Boy inverters for use in the building.

Perfect solar weather
Perfect solar weather

Bright, clear days like this are best for solar power generation, although the panels continue to generate even when lightly covered by snow.

Aviary array
Aviary array

A 28kW array mounted to the roof of our naturally ventilated aviary generates enough power to run three average Canadian homes for an entire year.

OverlaysShareTweet
PreviousNextPreviousNext

Did you know?

  • Our Photovoltaic capacity

    The ERC features two types of solar phototaic installations. One is a fixed, roof mounted array, located on our aviary. The second is a dual-axis tracking array located in our parking lot.

    The aviary array has a 28.08 kW capacity, and is made up of 144 Sanyo panels, each rated at 195 Watts. Initial modeling predicted that the array would generate up to 36,000 kWh per year. The DC power generated by the panels is converted to 208V three phase AC power by six Sunnybox SMA inverters each rated at 5 kW.

    Since installation the array has generated, on average, 32,000 kWh. This decrease in output is a result of snow cover in winter months and the growing tree line to the south of the building that blocks some late afternoon sun from hitting the building.

    The parking lot array consists of six post mounted trackers that tilt and spin to stay perpendicular to the sun during its daily path through the sky. This tracking should allow each panel to generate 30-40% more energy than if they were stationary. The array consists of 324 Solgate panels each rated at 175W. These panels were encapsulated locally in Woodbridge. Each panel has its own Enphase microinverter, which will allow the array to continue to generate optimally even if part of the array is shaded, avoiding “string inverter” issues. In 2012, this array generated 80,500 kWh.

    The roof of the ERC is solar ready, with the skylights designed to accommodate solar panels on their south facing surfaces. Current concepts would include an additional 70 kW on these skylights.

    In total, we currently generate approximately 25-30% of the energy that we consume.

  • Tracker control

    The parking lot solar trackers are controlled centrally through input of their GPS coordinates and an internet connection to tell the controller the exact date. With this data, the controller then knows exactly where the sun is in the sky without having to look for a bright spot which can be difficult on overcast days when there is a lot of diffuse light in the sky.

    The trackers can be manually placed in the vertical position to dump snow accumulation, or automatically stowed flat to protect the structure from damage during high winds. At night the trackers are placed on a thirty degree incline, which experience has shown will minimize the accumulation of snow and debris on the surface of the panels.

    Height restrictors bar the parking lot area beneath the trackers to service vehicles or any vehicle taller than a full-size pickup truck. This is to ensure that a ladder or cargo box does not accidentally hit one of the trackers when it is in the vertical position, such as first thing in the morning when the trackers are facing a sunrise.

The ERC is generously supported by:


Become a supporter

Newsletter

On Twitter

Tweets by @ERCshowcase


Copyright 2013 Earth Rangers