Sackville Non-Profit Plans Bulk Order Of Solar Panels For Homes And Businesses Across N.B.
SACKVILLE, N.B. – A local environmental organization that coordinates bulk solar panel purchases is expanding its reach as it watches New Brunswickers take a growing interest in solar energy and has put its feelers out for interest.
Lauren Clark, the projects coordinator with EOS Eco-Energy, told Huddle the company is planning its fourth bulk order of solar panels to New Brunswick and will be offering that order to a wider geographic area in the province than ever before.
In order to qualify for a 10-per-cent discount on the price of the panels, ESO needs to purchase 100 kilowatts worth of panels.
To find people with those kinds of renewable power needs, EOS has partnered with Imaginons la Peninsule Acadienne Autrement (IPAA) to coordinate the bulk purchase with Trusun, a Beresford, N.B.-based solar panel installer, offering buy-ins for the bulk purchase by homeowners and businesses across New Brunswick.
IPAA focuses on sustainable development, food security, and energy consumption reduction, and Trusun is a founding member of Green Economy New Brunswick, a peer network helping businesses transition to a low-carbon economy.
“We’ve done it ourselves in the past, but that was just in the southeast region. This is the first time we’re expanding our reach…and the installer is happy to install anywhere in New Brunswick,” said Clark.
“We’re hoping this helps folks because it can be a complicated process to navigate. We’ve seen demand increase as the years have gone on.”
Clark said working with IPAA and Trusun will give EOS a bilingual edge and French-speaking capacity it has not had before.
“We wanted to make it accessible to Francophones, as well.”
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As part of the bulk purchasing program, Trusun will determine customer compatibility by conducting analyses on buildings and homes.
EOS’s bulk purchase program mostly attracts homeowners, but Clark said EOS has also worked with businesses, such as the Auberge Bouctouche Inn & Suites, with its purchase of 40 panels in 2020.
“Sometimes, businesses order more panels than homeowners, so that helps us work toward our goals and certainly, this time around, we are inviting businesses to take part.”
EOS, which has three full-time staff members and two summer students onboard, handles the coordination of each purchase, gathering information from customers.
The extent of the discount depends on how many kilowatts’ worth of generating power from solar panels participants order.
Power generation is measured in kilowatts – solar panels range in wattage from 250 to 400 watts per panel.
“Let’s say you need 20 (300 watt) solar panels to offset your energy consumption, and each of these panels is 300 watts. All of the panels together make up 6,000 watts – which is the equivalent to six kilowatts,” said Clark.
She noted that with the average solar panel system costing about $2.90 per watt, a 6-kilowatt system would cost about $17,400. If the bulk purchase reaches 100 kilowatts in total, the 10-per-cent discount would reduce the cost of that solar system for the customer buying a six-kilowatt system to $15,660.
EOS’s first bulk purchase was a 60-panel one in 2015 – enough solar panels to power three homes – all three served by EOS’s first bulk purchase were in Sackville.
EOS subsequently bulk purchased an increasing number in 2019 and 2020, ordering more than 100 for homes across southeast New Brunswick.
“We’re hoping, with a wider scope, we’ll see a larger number than before,” said Clark.
EOS arranges for the purchase of panels manufactured by U.S.-based Trina Solar, a researcher, developer and producer of solar photovoltaic technology.
The company has its solar panels manufactured in China, Vietnam and Thailand.
EOS has operated for 17 years, promoting renewable energy in New Brunswick. Its original mandate was rooted in an abandoned bid to build a community-owned wind farm in the early 2000s in the Sackville area that went as far as the feasibility study stage.
It transitioned to a non-profit community organization promoting energy efficiency, sustainable development and action on climate change in 2004.
Sam Macdonald is a Huddle reporter in Moncton. Send him your feedback and story ideas at [email protected].