Solar company warms to hot energy market

Solar company warms to hot energy market

The Globe and Mail

Monday May 19, 2008

John Hollick's first solar project was to design a sun-heated hot-water system so he could take a warm shower at a family fishing cabin on an isolated island in Ontario's Georgian Bay in the mid-1970s.

That installation - which is still functioning - was the start of the 62-year-old engineer's three-decade-long mission to get passive solar heating the respect he thinks it deserves.

Mr. Hollick, who had earlier worked as a designer of wastewater treatment systems, shifted into the solar business full-time when he created, with two partners, Conserval Engineering Inc. in 1977. Since then the company has operated very quietly, installing systems that convert the sun's energy directly to heat - unlike more complex photovoltaic systems that turn solar energy into electricity.

Now, however, rising energy costs and a upsurge of interest in solar - along with a willingness from governments to subsidize energy-saving projects - have lit a fire under Conserval's business.

Sales at the private company, currently at around $4-million, have been growing at 50 per cent annually in recent years, and could double in 2008.

"Ten years ago it was really just a novelty," Mr. Hollick said in an interview at his offices on the northern edge of Toronto. "Now people are coming to us."

The Conserval heating system, called SolarWall, is a deceptively simple set-up that can cut heating costs sharply in large industrial buildings. On the south-facing wall of an existing building - or a new one - a second wall is attached with an air gap between the two of about 20 centimetres.

The new wall is made of dark-coloured aluminum or steel cladding, with a series of tiny perforations that allow fresh air to come through.

When the sun hits the metal, the air behind it is heated, and then is sucked by fans into the building's ventilation system. Using this pre-heated air as the fresh air input cuts down sharply on the amount of fuel needed for heating.

In the summer, the SolarWall isn't used for heating, but it helps shade the main wall, thus providing some cooling.

One of the appeals of the design is its ingenious simplicity, Mr. Hollick said. "SolarWall heating has almost zero maintenance except for the fans."

The walls are far more efficient at converting sunlight to energy than other solar systems, he notes. Photovoltaic panels convert just 10 to 12 per cent of the sun's energy to electricity, while a solar wall traps 70 per cent of the sun's power.

Many firms with big, expensive-to-heat factories jumped at the idea - Ford Motor Co. became the first big client when it had seven systems installed in North American plants in the late 1980s. Clients now range from FedEx to the U.S. military to the Greater Toronto Airport Authority. Conserval has installations in the Arctic and in Antarctica, and there are SolarWall panels on a new service centre and clinic at the Beijing Olympic site.

John Reid, an engineering specialist at 3M Canada, says SolarWall provided a remarkably straightforward way to cut heating costs at one of the company's manufacturing plants in Perth, Ont.

In 2006 3M spent about $24,000 to install the system, after getting a grant from Ottawa for about 25 per cent of the capital costs. 3M figures it saves about $6,000 a year in heating as a result, putting its payback at the four-year mark.

"When you look at the simplicity of it, you think 'Geez, I wish I'd thought of that,' " Mr. Reid said. "The concept of passive solar energy has been around since the 1970s, and they've found a very good application of it. With energy costs going the way they are, [that] has made it an attractive product."

Mr. Hollick acknowledges that until recently companies were often hesitant to invest in this kind of energy-saving approach, particularly when natural gas prices were low and payback stretched over a half-dozen years or more.

"There wasn't any real incentive to switch to solar," he said. "That's all changed now, with climate change, high fuel prices, and all the media attention ... All these things came together at one time."

A firm can now recover its investment in two to five years, or even less if the SolarWall is designed into a new building, he said. Government subsidies for energy-saving projects have also helped. In Ontario, the provincial government now matches federal grants, so up to half of an installation can be subsidized.

Even the architectural community is now on board, since SolarWall systems gain points under the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) program.

Conserval has been able to protect its product by taking out patents, and it has lawsuits under way to stave off infringement from competitors.

While Mr. Hollick is a crusader for passive solar heating, he has also embraced photovoltaics. A new product being developed by Conserval combines the two technologies, essentially mounting solar electric panels on top of a SolarWall installed at an angle on a roof. Dubbed by Mr. Hollick as "solar co-generation," this system traps and uses the waste heat that is generated by solar electric panels. An added benefit: cooling photovoltaic panels by removing the heat makes them generate electricity more efficiently.

But Conserval isn't stopping there. Research is now under way to find ways to store heat, and cooling, so they can be used when needed.

Mr. Hollick predicts building codes for new construction will eventually require minimum levels of renewable energy, something that's already the case in parts of Europe. "I think there will be a profound shift in the way people view energy production and usage," he said. "Solar has to be part of that mix."

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080519.RSOLARWALL19/TPStory/?query=climate+change

Northern towns consider carbon tax revolt

By IAN BAILEY

The Globe and Mail

Saturday May 17, 2008

VANCOUVER -- Unhappiness over B.C.'s landmark carbon tax is prompting a northern revolt, with the mayor of Williams Lake saying his community won't pay the tax on municipal fuel purchases unless the Liberal government proves its claims that the tax will be revenue neutral.

Mayor Scott Nelson, who is expecting his council to endorse the plan at its May 26 meeting, says he has left messages with or talked to the mayors of 12 other northern communities about joining the protest, which would begin when the tax takes effect on July 1.

The protest comes as northern communities have been suggesting the Liberal government's tax on carbon is unfair to northerners who drive more than their southern counterparts and face higher costs heating their homes and properties.

"Up to date, every politician I have talked to loves the idea [of withholding the tax]. They say, 'We recognize the issue,' " said Mr. Nelson, mayor of the community of about 10,000 people.

The tax, aimed at cutting carbon use, will start at a rate of $10 per tonne of carbon, adding 2.41 cents per litre of gasoline, or 2.76 cents per litre of home heating fuel. It will rise by $5 per tonne annually for the next four years.

Mr. Nelson's plan would be to put aside the amount of carbon tax on municipal fuel bills in a separate account until the province satisfactorily explains its suggestion that the tax will have no cost for municipalities because it will be returned as tax cuts. Some municipalities are disputing the government's argument on this point.

Mr. Nelson said he supports action on climate change, including the tax, "but we want to make sure it's not done on the backs of rural British Columbians."

He said the issue is testing his support of Premier Gordon Campbell. "I have worked on the Premier's campaign. I have worked for the B.C. Liberal Party. I am a supporter of government.

"But because you're a supporter doesn't necessitate that you should be handcuffed and duct-taped not to protect your taxpayers and your municipality."

He said withholding the tax may create some legal issues among energy suppliers.

Nate Bello, mayor of Quesnel, said he will be bringing a motion on the withholding idea to his own council. "I am in sympathy with the idea," he said yesterday.

John Wolbers, a Williams Lake councillor who is also chair of the Cariboo Regional District representing the communities of Williams Lake, 100 Mile House, Quesnel and Wells, described the idea as "absolutely brilliant" and said he is prepared to bring it to a vote for the district.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080517.BCCARBON17/TPStory/?query=climate+change

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