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Power Outages Plague Calgary
Apr 08, 2013
Last week, Calgary experienced mass power outages to thousands of residents. When this type of event happens, we always see an influx of calls inquiring about switching from utility power to solar power.
While disconnecting from the utility is a realistic task, we need to look at a couple of factors.
1. What are your energy needs: The size and requirements from the PV system directly correspond to the energy demands of the user. Is the system required even feasible for the location?
2. You already have utility power: You have already paid to have utility power on site, so from a purely financial point of view, are there going to be sufficient savings from not having a power bill to justify an off grid / battery based PV system?
3. The security of being off grid: If costs savings are not your primary justification, and can accept the responsibility of being your own utility? While a properly designed PV system is extremely reliable, it is not immune to problems and the PV system owner needs to be capable of providing support to the system.
Being one's own power provider is extremely satisfying, but also bears more responsibility than simply purchasing energy from the utility. Education is critically important to determine whether you're ready for such a venture.
To learn more about living off grid, we have a variety of resources to assist. Please contact us if we can help you decide if solar is right for you!
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