Oakview couple hopes to soak up savings with solar switch

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This article was published 04/07/2017 (3269 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

MUNICIPALITY OF OAKVIEW — Wim and Marlies Verbruggen are basking in the glow of not giving Manitoba Hydro another cent.

The Verbruggens have installed what is believed to be the largest private solar energy installation in the province. The south-facing solar photovoltaic system, located on the family’s farmyard off Provincial Road 250, produces 70.2 kilowatts of electricity.

The energy is generated through 260 ground-mounted solar panels, positioned in two rows on the north side of their farm.

Wim Verbruggen didn’t think too long before betting on alternative energy.

“It was a quick calculation and it was pretty clear,” he said.

Moving from the Netherlands in 2002, Verbruggen and his wife have long known the advantages of solar power, since the method is popular in Europe.

For years, he considered installing solar panels at his Manitoba farm, but it never made sense because of the province’s cheap electricity rates.

That changed when Manitoba Hydro began offering a rebate program last year, which offers $1,000 per kilowatt on residential and commercial solar power installations, essentially sparking the province’s feeble solar power industry.

Verbruggen did his research and connected with staff from Solar Manitoba, who brought the Verbruggen farm online with solar power this May.

Justin Phillips, co-owner of Solar Manitoba, heard last week from Manitoba Hydro that their system north of Rivers is the largest solar installation taking advantage of their rebate program.

Phillips also believes this is the biggest solar installation in the province.

“The agriculture market is … our focus here in Manitoba, because they spend a lot of money on electricity,” Phillips said. “They hedge every year with their grains and their crops; they understand how the market works and they understand that electricity rates are only going up.”

Business has lit up even more after Manitoba Hydro announced this year its intention to raise electricity rates by double-digit percentages.

In May, the Crown corporation specified they want to hike rates by 46 per cent over the next five years.

As a result, Solar Manitoba, one of the province’s largest solar system installers, has bolstered its operations to keep up with demand.

They have jumped from two full-time employees 18 months ago to 10 full-time staff members today and 15 contractors.

The company has completed more than 20 installs in Manitoba and already has deposits for 70 more customers. They are weeks away from opening up their second office in Dauphin.

The company’s largest installation so far needed to be massive because of the hefty $15,000 bill the Verbruggens were paying Hydro each year for electricity.

Manitoba Hydro determines the number of solar panels it will help cover by calculating a property’s average annual consumption over a two-year period.

Since the family farm uses approximately 85,000-kilowatt hours a year, a solar power system producing 70 kilowatts of electricity would ensure a “net zero” bill at year-end, wherein enough electricity is generated in the summer to cover increased usage when it’s cooler.

The rebate covered approximately $70,000 of the $210,000 cost to the Verbruggens, Phillips estimated.

He said there is sticker shock to the cost, certainly, but in time, the solar system will pay for itself.

“For farmers, this really is the only piece of equipment that a farmer is going to buy that won’t break down and will make him money.”

If Hydro’s anticipated rate increases are approved, Wim Verbruggen’s investment will pay off in under a decade, he believes.

“At this moment, everything’s gone great, no problems or nothing,” he said. “I just hope the sun is shining a lot.”

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