Image: Contributed
Fortis is about to make the final case for its solar power pilot project in Kelowna
FortisBC will make its final case to the British Columbia Utilities Commission on Thursday, asking for permission to build a 720-panel solar array in Kelowna.
Should it get the green light, the utility will build its Ellison Community Solar Pilot Project at the Ellison substation, across from the airport.
Fortis’ Nicole Bogdanovic says the utility wants to build the array so customers have some access to renewable energy–especially those who live in places where installing their own solar arrays is difficult or impossible.
At 240 kilowatts, the project would be the largest utility-led community solar project in the province. However, Bogdanovic says it’s meant primarily as a pilot to test the interest in, and effectiveness of, solar power for Fortis.
“If approved, this will provide FortisBC an opportunity to gauge customer interest and gather important information on the installation, operation and maintenance of community solar arrays,” she says.
Bogdanovic says the plan for the project is to allow customers to “rent” panels from the array through its “Virtual Solar” pilot program, receiving credits on their bills for any power the panels produce.
The amount of energy credited to customers who elect to “rent” a solar panel will be determined by the metered output of the Ellison array. In its BCUC application, Fortis estimates customers will pay a little more than 24 cents per kilowatt hour.
That monthly fee will be “substantially higher…than the participating customer’s regular retail rate,” according to the B.C. Sustainable Energy Association, but the fee will remain constant, while regular electricity rates “continue to rise.”
Despite the price, Fortis believes many will sign up simply because it allows them to support the use of more sustainable energy.
The project will cost Fortis just under $1 million, but the utility says it will recover those costs if the pilot program fills up. If the program doesn’t reach full subscription the remaining cost would fall to Fortis ratepayers.
Bogdanovic says the size and scale of the program have been designed based on customer interest, and Fortis doesn’t anticipate a subscription shortfall.
Once it submits its final arguments, Fortis is expecting the BCUC to come back with a decision before the end of the year.
If the project is approved, Bogdanovic says it could be built within six months. That means customers could be participating in the pilot by next summer.
In the meantime, she encourages any Fortis customers who are interested in participating to pre-register. Customers in any region can participate.
Image: Google Maps
The site of a proposed FortisBC solar farm in Kelowna.
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