Reading Time: 4 minutes If you’re looking for a solar contractor, there’s no shortage of them. And that can be a problem. Thanks in part to large-scale incentives by the provincial government to boost use of solar energy, the number of solar photovoltaic (PV) installers has doubled over the past two years — 223 are listed on the Solar […] Read more
Watch out for yourself in solar land
The sun doesn’t always shine on every solar project
It’s a good time to install a solar system, but you need to consider many factors before plunging in
Reading Time: 5 minutes If you’re a producer who has recently decided to install a solar photovoltaic (PV) array on your farm or ranch, your timing is right. Under the Alberta Agriculture and Forestry On-Farm Solar Voltaics Program, the provincial government is offering to cover up to 35 per cent of costs for producers building on-farm, grid-tied solar systems. […] Read more
Government cash makes it a sunny day for solar power
Growing Forward 2 has put extra dollars on the table, but they’re expected to be snapped up in a hurry
Reading Time: 4 minutes If you want to get into solar, there’s now more government cash on the table — but you’ll have to hurry. The On-Farm Solar Photovoltaics Program now offers 75 cents per watt for projects of 100 kilowatts or less, and 56 cents per watt for installations that are between 100 and 150 watts. Both have […] Read more
When the herd is a province away, you need reliable water
Beiseker rancher has solar waterer for 100 cow-calf pairs he grazes across the Saskatchewan border
Reading Time: 2 minutes The phrase ‘remote watering’ takes on a new meaning on Duane Kent’s farm. Kent lives in Beiseker (northeast of Calgary) but also has a four-quarter pasture more than 500 kilometres away in Biggar, Sask. The site has no natural surface water and it would cost $30,000 to bring in electrical power. So he relies on […] Read more
Solar-powered irrigation proving its worth for Alberta operation
Cory and Lindsay Nelson are the first in the province to use solar for large-scale irrigation — and they’re happy they did
Reading Time: 4 minutes Cory and Lindsay Nelson have always embraced innovation and after attending a talk on solar energy put on by a producer group, their interest was piqued. So the brothers approached Enmax and a Lethbridge solar installation company called Solar Optix to look at their electrical bills. The numbers seemed to pan out, and it looked […] Read more
It’s a drag — but one that saves water, cuts costs, and reduces disease
Mobile drip irrigation is pricey but worth the money for high-value crops such as alfalfa seed production or to reduce disease issues
Reading Time: 2 minutes Converting to mobile drip irrigation could be financially beneficial for some growers. Along with more efficient water delivery and lower energy costs, this system can improve crop health by reducing leaf burn and disease issues. Mobile drip uses specially designed drip lines that drag on the ground and deliver water directly to crops to reduce […] Read more
Alberta producers asking big questions about solar power
There’s huge interest in this technology and issues such as payback, fixed costs, and government programs are top of mind
Reading Time: 4 minutes There’s no doubt that the government of Alberta is betting big on renewable energy. The goal is to get 30 per cent of Alberta’s electricity needs from renewable energy by 2030, and it earmarked $5.5 million last year to help farms and municipalities develop solar power projects. With that kind of big money comes big […] Read more
Can producers make money as solar power providers?
The province is currently consulting stakeholders on a framework that could help farmers do this
Reading Time: 2 minutes In many places, farmers are allowed to turn a profit by tying their solar power systems into the electrical grid. Albertans can export solar electricity to the grid — but there are currently no programs allowing system sizes larger than those that meet on-site electrical requirements. “Alberta’s micro-generation law was crafted for homeowners, business owners, […] Read more
The solar power math is starting to add up
A steep drop in solar prices is giving a new meaning to ‘green’ power — and giving Alberta farmers a way to cut energy costs
Reading Time: 6 minutes Cory Nelson isn’t what you might call a ‘tree hugger.’ But the Grassy Lake-area farmer is a businessman, and to him, solar energy just makes good financial sense. “We view it as an investment,” said Nelson, who grows a variety of crops under irrigation on his southern Alberta farm. “Our best math said it was […] Read more
Funding sparks boom in small-scale solar projects
Attractive lease rates for ‘micro-gen’ projects have many farmers thinking of doing their own
Reading Time: 2 minutes Although smaller-scale community-organized solar farms have, so far, been left in the lurch, there’s good news for farmers and other rural landowners interested in solar. Growing Forward 2 offers grants of up to $50,000 for ‘micro-gen’ solar projects where the power is used in the production of a primary commodity. That kind of government support […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
