Solar Possibilities in Southeastern Manitoba

A standing-room-only crowd filled the Fireside Room at Steinbach 55 Plus last Tuesday. They were there to hear the latest on the use of solar for thermal heating. They were not disappointed.

It had long been thought that solar heating was not practical in cold climates. On a hot summer day it is not hard to get the necessary water for a hot shower from a length of black garden hose lying in the sun. But that does not work on a cold winter day. It does not even work when the ambient temperature is 2^oC. The cold surrounding air conducts any heat gained away too quickly. 

But new technology has changed that, representatives of Evolve Green, a Steinbach based alternate energy company, told us. Evacuated tube solar collectors are now reputed to work very well in cold climates, even on days when the sun is not shining. So currently,  the lowest hanging fruit with respect to solar energy is domestic hot water. In most homes, the amount of hot water used is constant all year round. It will not be cost effective to heat all the needed domestic hot water in December and January, but for the other 10 months of the year, solar energy can heat all the hot water needed in most homes. There will even be surplus energy that is not needed for domestic hot water. This can be used to heat the home.

There is likely a financial gain by installing a solar hot water collector. But the gain is small.

A better reason to install a solar collector is to reduce risk. Anyone dependant on energy sourced thousands of miles away, whether hydro from northern Manitoba or natural gas from Alberta is exposed to risk in two ways. First, there is always the risk of that energy supply being interrupted for whatever reason (Ste. Anne was without hydro for 6 hours last week). Second, the price of that energy will go up! Thermal solar collectors on the roof offer some protection from both events.

Collecting the energy we need with solar collectors is also one way of living more responsibly – of living in a way that leaves the Earth we have been given in good condition for our children and their children. We can only do that if we commit to ways of living that avoid the extraction of irreplaceable resources. Collecting solar energy moves us in that direction.

In many European countries the installation of solar thermal collectors in new construction is now mandatory. Where the installation of these panels is not mandatory, homes need to be constructed “solar ready” – built in such a way that the conversion to solar at a later time is easy. This makes sense. Homes built today are expected to last a long time – into an era when energy, surely, will no longer be cheap. “Solar Ready” guidelines are available for Canada.

Eric Rempel