Today "!69solar" began producing electricity from the 21 solar panels installed on our roof. For months before this, Anne and I had discussed the possibility of generating power from our south facing roof. It was on April 29th that we began to take steps to put this dream into reality. On that date we noticed an article in the Ottawa Citizen Newspaper about a "Solar Fair" to take place the next day at Ottawa City Hall. "Lets go."
On the 30th, we took the bus downtown, and following a scribbled cardboard poster, arrived at the fair. There were perhaps a dozen booths set up: solar panel companies, Hydro Ottawa, Ontario Hydro, finance companies and the City of Ottawa. We spent a couple of hours talking to representatives there and became excited about the possibilities of contributing non-polluting, green power to the electric grid of Ontario, and making some money too. We collected several business cards, signed up with two or three companies for follow-up visits, and returned home.
Over the next two weeks we did thorough investigations via the internet of Solar Power, and received visits at our home from three different solar energy companies. In short order, we made the decision to go ahead and become a solar power generating company (169solar). We signed up with a particular company, isolara
, to install the panels and guide us through the bureaucratic process.
http://www.isolara.com is isolara's website where you can learn about solar power, and see examples of live solar power installations in and around Ottawa.
Over the next few months, we took all the necessary steps that lead to the installation of the 21 panels on our roof,, the installation of the new meter system, and the turning on of the system at 9 00 am this morning. The system is running well and generating power as the sun shines.
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