P.E.I. wind energy enthusiast makes switch to solar and never looks back

Article content

SUMMERSIDE, P.E.I. After nearly 15 years of powering his home with wind turbines, a local green energy enthusiast has made the switch to solar and says he would encourage anyone else to do the same.

Article content

Article content

Ron Rayner, a retired electrician who lives in Bedeque, put up his first small-scale wind turbine around 2009. Over the years he worked his way up to larger systems, until, for the past several years, he has used a 25-kilowatt turbine.

Article content

That size of system is big for use with a single residential home, but it was offered to him from a local source which no longer wanted it, so he used his own know-how, resources and connections in the industry to install it on a 100-foot tower on his property.

Wind turbine damaged

The turbine generated electricity for the grid and Rayner received more than enough credits annually from Maritime Electric to completely cover his power bills, other than the usual monthly connection fee all customers pay.

But the turbine was damaged during the winter of 2022, which made Rayner stop and reevaluate whether he wanted to fix it yet again.

I could have fixed it, but at my age, I was getting too old to climb 100 feet in the air and hang on for dear life trying to fix this thing, said Rayner.

Smooth transition to solar

So, he did his research and decided to make the switch to solar power.

I have a meter on my solar system and I had a meter on my wind system, I can tell you daily what both were putting out … without a doubt, the solar is better. Ron Rayner

With his usual do-it-yourself attitude, Rayner purchased the solar panels himself and used the remains of his wind turbine tower to build the ground-mounted arrays to hold them.

The 13.5-kilowatt solar system has been generating power since March.

Article content

Comparing wind and solar

Rayner lives on a prominent property just off the highway, which means the wind turbine was also in full view of hundreds of passersby every day. As a result, Rayner has often received questions about the technology or people arranging visits to see the particulars for themselves.

Its a subject a lot of people like to talk about and know a little about, he said.Everything I do here, somebody sees it.

When the wind turbine came down and was replaced by the solar panels, Rayner said he received a lot of questions about the switch.

After several months of monitoring his solar energy production, which he has compared to his records from the wind system, he reports the two systems have produced roughly the same amount of energy, between 2,000 and 3,000 kilowatt hours per month.

He now has a clear favourite between the two systems, he said.

I have a meter on my solar system and I had a meter on my wind system, I can tell you daily what both were putting out … to ask me, point blank, which is the better of the two, I would say, without a doubt, the solar.

Maintenance: wind vs. solar

Article content

The wind turbine was great for production during the winter months and was weaker in the summer, while the solar system is the opposite.

All told the two were comparable except for the maintenance required.

Throughout his time owning wind turbines, Rayner developed a relationship with the handful of other small-scale wind power producers in the province, as well as the instructors at the wind turbine technology program at Holland College, which regularly used his tower for training students and helped make repairs when needed.

Without the help of the college and the small community of people who owned similar devices, it would have been much more onerous to stick with wind power, he said.

Wind turbines have moving parts, which can get up to relatively high speeds during high-wind events, and can require cranes or lifts to service and repair.

He has none of those concerns with solar power, he said, so for the average homeowner there is no contest that solar is the way to go for anyone interested in investing in renewable energy.

Article content

Solar energy growth in P.E.I.

According to a spokesperson for the provincial Department of Environment, Energy and Climate Action, there are anecdotally about 10 residential wind turbine users in the province.

That is compared to at least 3,216 solar systems installed between 2019 and March 31, 2024 a number based on how many systems applied for and were successful in receiving the provinces Solar Electric Rebate Program.

That program offers a contribution of up to $10,000 for residential, and commercial solar systems, and up to $35,000 for farms based on various prerequisites.

For solar, wed only have the number of people using our Solar Rebate Program, so it wouldnt include those who installed prior to 2019 or for some reason werent eligible/didnt apply, but these numbers should be fairly comprehensive otherwise, noted the spokesperson.

For his part, Rayner is happy with the change and happier not to have to climb a tower to make repairs anymore.

Colin MacLeanis the lead editor at the Journal Pioneer in Prince Edward Island. He can be reached by email at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @JournalPMacLean .

Article content