PROCTOR COMMUMNITY HALL SOLAR SCAM?

      Another grant funded solar system in the parade of grant funded systems in the Nelson Area subsidized by all Nelson hydro ratepayers.

The Proctor Community Hall

In my opinion this goes back to the  Nelson Community Solar garden.  It was never  an honest project.

These solar grants rely on creative bookkeeping exaggerating annual power earned and Nelson hydro paying full retail for any excess solar power.

I was unaware of the Proctor hall solar system until recently, there was never any news it never appeared on line with public solar data as seen from other public systems.

I recently received the grant application for the Proctor Community Hall solar system. The application was for an 84 panel system, their are only 64?  The annual power earned exaggerates all know local data by 30% or more.  

The Proctor Hall system winning bid of 3 came from  Sweet Spot Solar of Kamloops.   The owner, Dr. Michael Mehta a professor, teaches renewable energy at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops.  Can he explain the exaggerated annual solar power earned? 

Below is a picture taken at the Proctor hall showing the huge tree that shades morning sun and the bottom winter sun track is below the mountains.  I would like to see their data that supports their annual energy claims.  Nelson hydro has the meter readings they could make the calculation, will they tell us?

Above a picture at the Proctor hall showing the sun track in winter bottom is behind the mountain and the large tree left shades morning sun all year long.  I don't believe this system can make 30% more power than all other local systems that have no shading and a clear sky all year long.

The grant suggests solar cost was $97,000 for 84 panels, there are only 64.  Over $4/watt installed and two years earlier the Alberta company was installing for $2.68/watt, if I believe that.

I would like to get the complete bid info from all three bidders.

I have written extensively  about this and asked everyone involved why Nelson hydro ignores its own bylaw and never receive an answer.

The Fortis Kelowna solar project was denied by the BCUC because it was of no benefit to anyone.

City electric rates are set by the city with no accountability to anyone.  

Nelson hydro sells power to BC Hydro for less than a penny.

The entire year of Proctor community hall solar power I estimate might earn $65 sold to BC Hydro. They provide no public data I would like to see it.  Confirm or deny my $65 estimate.

Solar adds to our carbon footprint, nothing is cleaner than our water power.  Unless solar power could avoid the burning of a non renewable in a power plant, which can't happen here, it can never be green.

Rural electric customers could end up paying for all Step Code 5 net Zero buildings with solar panels.  

Nelson hydro pays full rural commercial rate for a small hydro project.

 Why is Nelson hydro paying full rural commercial retail for someone's small hydro power when they could buy this power wholesale from Fortis and make a profit?  .

I submitted an FOI requesting the rate paid per kWh for this small hydro.

The city deputy corporate officer responsible for FOI requests replied.

"nobody in the city or Nelson hydro knows".   

The DCO is  Gabriel Bouvet-Bosclair.  He now does all the communication between Nelson hydro and the Utility Commission.

My research shows he is a law grad of the Univ. of Colorado, practiced in New York, specialty is energy and became employed by the city around the same time the Utilities Commission began asking questions in regards to Nelson hydro after a couple of decades of accepting increases by proxy. (trusting them).

NELSON FIBER  do Nelson hydro customers fund this?  Should rural ratepayers fund this?

There was a $90,000 reno for Nelson Fiber paid from the Water licence fund stating " because Nelson Fiber had no money."  The city says this makes them $100,000 a year and saves $100,000 a year?

The city has 10 km of fiber optic cable with virtually no real customers.  Someone estimated this could have cost up to $2M.  In a Commission IR requesting Nelson hydro's participation in Nelson Fiber the manager stated "that was a different budget".  That was never pursued.

Nelson hydro linemen personally told me they were involved in Nelson fiber, they said the hydro manager referred to it as his utility.  In a public budget meeting slide show it named a hydro lineman as having gone for fiber optic training.  So just what is Nelson hydro's involvement with Nelson Fiber?

Nelson hydro installed a submarine fiber optic cable to the north shore about two years ago, in an IR request from the commission the hydro manager said it was for hydro purposes.

The CAO tells a different story regarding the Nelson hydro submarine fiber optic cable, he said it was for strategic partners, future growth, security and to monitor the north shore sewage pump station.

Its almost two years later it remains connected to nothing and likely will never be used.

Should rural Nelson hydro ratepayers fund this submarine fiber optic cable?  Nelson Fiber? All Solar at full retail?  Small hydro at full rural commercial retail?

Nelson hydro in a rate submission claimed to employ two full time IT persons and pay 13%of the Nelson Fiber managers salary.  In a public video presentation to council the Nelson Fiber manager claimed two full time IT persons.  Who is left doing the city IT work?

Building Code Step 5 Net Zero using solar panels, as long as Nelson hydro allows full retail credit for any solar power it could be rural customers buying all the expensive Fortis power in winter when solar doesn't work to fill all these summer solar credits.

BC Hydro and Fortis customers aren't subsidizing solar power.  Why are Nelson hydro customers?

SUMMARY

After over 100 years of  the only city with its own hydro generation making huge profits one would think we should have cheap power and the most modern reliable electric utility.

My experience with the city is a lack of transparency, accountability and not answering any of my questions.  I am uncomfortable with Nelson hydro and city financials.  To many questions and no one wants to answer.  FOI legislation says they are to make every effort to supply the answers in a timely manner.  That doesn't happen for me with the city.

Another FOI request was regarding the engineers drawings for the solar garden installation, someone changed the spacing so the front row shades the back row of solar panels and the tilt angle was changed from optimum to somewhat mitigate the shading.  In the engineers drawing side panel it stated if they were not retained for inspections or changes the owner(city) must keep notes.  My FOI requested these notes, I wanted to see who signed off on these changes, the city reply  "there are no notes".

Who installs solar systems where the front row shades the back row?  Nelson does.  And they pay full retail for the solar power so the profits can be distributed to the church groups, co-ops and others who bought a 25 year contract for the power of a solar panel.  While clean green water and profits that should make that power to help reduce everyone's electric bill goes down the river!  And solar panels add to the cities carbon footprint.