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Selling Electricity to BC Hydro
by Jim Easterday

It was minus 30 degrees outside. Hydro power was off for eight hours and the house was getting very cold. Soon the water lines would freeze and burst. If only the wood furnace worked, but it would not start without electricity to run the fan.

Eventually the electricity came back on and all was well, but that experience years ago convinced Josette Wier of Smithers that she needed an alternate source of electricity in case the hydro failed again on a cold dark day.

It all starts with solar panels
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Josette wanted a source of electricity that did not depend on BC Hydro at all. We do not have enough wind in the Bulkley Valley to run a windmill for electrical power so the choice was solar power. Sixteen solar panels were installed in 2000 on the south side of the house. They were all tilted enough to squarely face the sun. Each panel could generate 100 watts in bright sunlight and together they could operate a furnace fan.
Batteries store the electricity for later use
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Of course, the solar panels only produce electricity during daylight hours. To store the electricity for use on cloudy days or at night, power from the solar panels charges a bank of sixteen batteries in the basement.

When an appliance or light is turned on in the house, electricity flows from the batteries through an inverter that converts the battery power to AC power. The electricity then flows through the house wiring to all lights and appliances.

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