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By Jeff Labine, tbnewswatch
An artist rendition of what the proposed solar forest will look is displayed at the Finlandia Club on Saturday.
The idea of solar panels in the shape of trees is being planted into the minds of the community at an open house on Saturday.
Superior Renewable Energy Cooperative is working to develop the lot by the corner of Bay Street and Algoma Street into a source of renewable energy. The plan is to "plant" four solar arrays that look like spruce trees. The volunteer group held an open house at the Finlandia Club from 1 p.m. – 2 p.m. on Saturday.
Charles Campbell, president of SREC, said the project would roughly cost $175,000. SREC has already received funding of $42,000 but requires more to begin construction, he said.
"The biggest chunk of revenue will be in the sale of the power to the grid," said Campbell. "Over the life of the project, we estimate to earn in the area of $160,000 of cash flow."
Campbell said they still require written approval from Suncor, previously Petro-Canada and to formalize the lease agreement with the Finlandia Club, who owns the property. Thunder Bay Hydro will purchase the electricity the trees generate, he said.
The project life span is 20 years, he said. The trees would be low maintenance and would follow the sun. During winter months the panels would be flat to catch as much sun as possible. Campbell said once approved the landscaping and construction would take about three months.
Campbell said Thunder Bay is going in the right direction with renewable energy, as there are plans for a wind farm in the Nor’Wester mountains.
"As much as we have had a history of resource extraction, we’re now seeing the benefit to resource renewal as well," he said.
A slide show was presented as more than 20 people attended the 2 p.m. presentation. The trees output rate was shown to be 1.428 kilowatts. An average home in Thunder Bay uses 32.8 kilowatts/hour per day.
Jane Oldale, a member of SREC, said she was attending a fair couple years ago when she was inspired by triangular shaped solar arrays. The idea eventually came to create solar panels in the form of a spruce tree, she said.
Oldale said the four trees could power an average home. Since the power is going into the Thunder Bay Hydro grid it is uncertain where the power will go. She said that in Europe they use much less power than in Thunder Bay.
"Conservation is always the cornerstone for any renewable energy project," said Oldale. "We will be looking for sponsorship, direct donations and we will be a coop and investor are invited to buy shares."
She said the business model hasn’t been completely worked out but each share would cost between $500 to $1,000. The shareholders would then receive an annual dividend based on the amount of power produced, the amount of power used, and the amount of money earned from that energy. Every kilowatt-hour of energy generated would earn 80.2 cents, she said.
Oldale said she wants there to be eventually more solar trees throughout the city. The trees are estimated to cost $40,000, she said.