Businesses In Cold Weather Regions Harnessing Solar Power To Bring Down Utility Costs

A Minnesota man cleaning his solar panels. Photo by cleantechnica.com.

When most people think of the northern latitudes, they think of cold harsh winters, short days, and this year - tons of snow. This isn’t what most people would consider suitable climate for generating solar power, but major companies are betting otherwise.

While the common assumption is that solar power needs a lot of sun and hot weather to be worthwhile – this is only partly true. Like with other electrical devices, heat isn’t a solar panel’s friend.

Brightstar Solar, a New England-based company that designs and installs photovoltaic systems, explains it this way:

As temperatures rise, the efficiency of solar panels decreases. Heat causes electrical resistance to the flow of electrons. On days where the temperature is more than 75 degrees, the electrical resistance makes the voltage fall and thereby producing less kilowatts per hour.

Photovoltaic systems still produce energy on cloudy days. The electricity production may not be as high as on a sunny day, but your system will still produce electricity because there is still some irradiance. Under a light overcast day, panels might generate about half as much power as under full sun.

When a home or business is also connected to a power grid, the photovoltaic system works with the grid, so the utility makes up for the electrical shortfall. The reverse is also true. When the photovoltaic system generates more energy than the building requires, the excess power is exported to the utility grid, reversing the electrical meter – effectively giving you money back from the utility company.

All this has become increasingly common knowledge to businesses looking to lower their utility bills. Already around the world are some solar projects in the works that are definitely worth mentioning.

In the United States, the real estate development company Avidan Management has branched out into the solar industry with Avidan Energy Solutions.

Last month, the Avidan Energy decided to move forward with the development of a 4.26 megawatt solar energy installation in Middlesex Country, N.J. Construction has already begun on the 50 acre site, which houses multiple office and warehouse tenants, including businesses whose job it is to store refrigerated and frozen food products.

The completed array is expected to cover 650,000 square feet, and draw power from about 18,000 photovoltaic panels built and designed by SolarWorld.

This project is Avidan Energy’s first venture into solar power. When the project’s done, the company predicts that it will be the largest rooftop solar array in the country. Avi Avidan, the company’s managing member, said in a statement that he is confident that when the project is completed, it will reduce tenants’ operating expenses by “bringing down energy costs and offering protection against the uncertainty of rising utility rates.”

Makita Corp., which makes and sells power tools, air tools, garden tools, household tools, and stationary woodworking machines, has just finished installing a photovoltaic system on the roof of its main factory in Takamatsu, Japan. The system was designed and installed by Mitsubishi Electric Corp.

Electricity will be generated by a total of 448 photovoltaic modules installed over a surface area of 7000 square meters. It will cover about three percent of the factory’s power requirements. The new system is expected to generate about 95,000 kilowatt hours of electricity annually.

On the more experimental level, Enertia Engineering has just completed a limited installation of solar powered street lights specifically designed for cold weather climates in Kimberley, British Columbia, and Camrose County, Alberta (Canada). Enertia is an electrical equipment manufacturer and electrical engineering consulting company.

For homeowners in any climate deciding on solar panels, it’s also advisable to get professionals to put them up, so that they’re installed properly. In colder climates, maintenance will also include buying a roofrake, which is a special tool for cleaning the snow off the solar panels.

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