Photo by Shawn Talbot
Solar panels at Tantalus
Tantalus Vineyards has launched an innovative solar energy project that reduces greenhouse gases, and returns a profit to grassroots investors.
The project is the brainchild of SolShare Energy and Tantalus, who installed 108 solar panels on the winery’s main building.
The solar panels are dual sided, meaning they can produce energy from both sides of the panel.
What’s really unique about this solar installation, however, is the business model. Rather than simply buying the panels and pocketing some savings, Tantalus has partnered with SolShare on a community-owned solar project.
As the name implies, these types of projects are owned by members of the public, typically with some sort of investment to buy a share of the solar installation in return for dividends.
SolShare Energy is a subsidiary of Vancouver Renewable Energy Co-op, which runs similar programs allowing people to invest in and profit from renewable energy installations.
In this case, Tantalus held an open house in May at its LEEDS-certified winery in East Kelowna, where people were invited to invest for a minimum of $1,000.
Tantalus then purchases whatever power it needs from the Solshare installation, while any excess power is sold back to the grid, and a credit is issued by FortisBC.
In return for their buy in to the project, investors are paid a regular dividend from the power purchases.
“Our mission is to deliver clean energy to our communities, and in turn, give annual returns to our local investors,” said Robert Baxter, CEO and founder of SolShare Energy. “We’ve completed two prior projects in Vancouver; one with a co-housing complex and another with a small developer. This will be our biggest installation so far.”
Baxter believes the Tantalus installation will not only be the largest to date, but also the most profitable, due to the amount of sunshine enjoyed in the Okanagan Valley.
“We have consistently paid four per cent over the last four years to our existing community investors, and expect to increase dividends in Kelowna,” he said. “With more than 300 days of sunshine a year in Kelowna, the Tantalus solar installation holds a lot of promise, and is an example to wineries and other businesses in the Okanagan of the potential that sun-powered energy offers.”
That type of arrangement is also a bonus for wineries, housing complexes and other types of businesses, as it lowers capital investment, while simultaneously lowering power costs and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
David Patterson, the general manager and winemaker at Tantalus, says the 50 kilowatt installation will produce an estimated 60,000 kWh per year, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 5.8 metric tonnes.
The facility will produce between 70 to 100 per cent of the winery’s overall electrical consumption, depending on the weather, and in some cases there can be extra power that is sold to the FortisBC utility.
“Partnering with SolShare has enabled us to achieve the goal of significantly reducing our reliance on the grid, without huge upfront costs,” said Patterson. “It’s a win-win.”
The open house at the winery was held on May 5, and by May 17 the partners had raised their entire $120,000 goal towards construction of the solar installation.
Renewable energy generation is considered the single most important aspect of the drive to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which in turn cause global warming.
The reason is that the generation of electricity is the single largest source of greenhouse gas emissions globally, due to the fact that electricity is often generated using fossil fuels like oil, gas, or coal. In the United States, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), electrical power generation represents 28 per cent of all emissions.
Global warming from power generation is beginning to decline, however, as renewable energy generation starts to increase. Currently, according to SEIA, solar energy alone is reducing GHG emissions by the same amount as 2 billion full grown trees.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions by the Numbers
A 2020 report from Climate Watch and the World Resources Institute provides the best example of why reducing energy expenditure in buildings, industry, transportation and agriculture is so important.
- Global GHGs for 2016: 49.4 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalents.
- Percentage of emissions for energy consumption: 73.2 per cent
That includes:
- Energy use in industry: 24.2%
- Energy use in buildings: 17.5%
- Energy use in transportation: 16.2%
The remainder comes from agriculture and fishing, fugitive emissions from energy production, and unallocated fuel combustion.
In 2016, agriculture also contributed 20.1% of global GHG emissions, the second highest of any other sector, following industrial production at 24.2%.
On The Bright Side ….
Renewable energy is growing faster than any other source of power, growing by 3% in 2020, and more than 8% in 2021.
The share of renewable energy generation jumped to 29% of the world’s total energy production in 2020.
Solar and Wind power now contribute roughly two-thirds of renewables growth.
Canada currently places seventh on the list of countries generating the most gigawatts of power from renewable sources, and is the smallest country in the Top 10 by population. The Top 10 countries are, from most to least: China, the US, Brazil, India, Germany, Japan, Canada, France, Italy and Russia.
Canada currently produces 103 gigawatts of renewable energy. The US, with 10 times the population, produces 325 gigawatts, and first-place China, with over 1 billion people, produces 1,020 gigawatts.
