INNOVATION September-October 2014

Figure 1

Solar Energy Yield (kWh/kWp/a) – BC and Alberta. VAT Mounting. Contour Map © EcoSmart 2014

irradiation—the sun perspective—this map takes the “PV point of view” and shows the expected electricity production from a PV system installed at a particular location. The results depend on various parameters such as: mounting system (in this case, a vertical- axis tracker), the angle of the panels to the ground, (the optimum calculated at each point), the ambient temperature, the level of irradiation, the ratio between direct and diffuse light, and more. The red zones in the map have extremely good solar energy capacity: more than 2,000 hours per year—i.e., a 1 MW solar PV plant can produce 2,000 MWh per year. The best locations are in southern Alberta, which has one of the highest solar irradia- tions in Canada, followed by the Kootenays in BC. Thus, the best places to start a solar project in Western Canada would be near Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Fernie, Cranbrook, and Kimberley. In fact, every zone in the map except the dark blue receives more solar energy than Germany. It shows the enormous solar potential in Western Canada. ( Solar maps are available at ecosmartsun.com/ canada-solar-maps/)

Figure 2

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