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Solar power options abound

How do you get power out to fields in the middle of nowhere? That was a dilemma facing farmers across the province who were looking for ways to water their cattle in pastures, and one for which Vern Stocking provided a solution.
Vern Stocking, owner of solar business Solar Works in Barrhead, stands with the four main components making up a solar water pump used by farmers all over Alberta.
Vern Stocking, owner of solar business Solar Works in Barrhead, stands with the four main components making up a solar water pump used by farmers all over Alberta.

How do you get power out to fields in the middle of nowhere?

That was a dilemma facing farmers across the province who were looking for ways to water their cattle in pastures, and one for which Vern Stocking provided a solution.

Stocking began his solar business, Solar Works, in 1995. Shortly after, farmers started coming to him asking for some way to pump water from their dugouts to high land, in order to prevent their cattle from walking into dugouts and rivers. That’s when Stocking decided to try solar pumps.

The pumps have four components: a pump, batteries, solar panels and a float switch. Batteries connected to solar panels power the pump, which floats in the river. The float switch, which stays in the trough, turns the system on and off depending on how low the water level in the trough gets.

The pumps caught on very well, said Stocking. Currently he has about 400-450 pumps working in the summertime all over the province, covering areas from Lloydminster, to Fairview and Hinton. About 20 of these pumps are in the Paddle River, between Mayerthorpe and Manola.

“That’s 20 less herds of cattle walking into that river. So they’re not messing up the water where we take our household water from,” said Stocking. “That’s a good selling feature as far as keeping up water quality.”

Every system is individualized, said Stocking. The pump size and power necessary depends mainly on two factors: how large the livestock herd is, and the distance and height the water needs to be pumped from the river to the trough.

The smallest pump Stocking has available is for 50-60 cow/calf pairs, and costs roughly $1,400. The largest single system he has working right now is in Edson, and waters 850 cow/calf pairs.

Once the pumps became popular, Stocking began installing solar systems on RVs and cottages as well. Eventually, he had people asking him about powering their houses and acreages with solar energy.

Wanting to see for himself if it would work, Stocking decided to talk to his product suppliers in Edmonton about installing a system in his own home.

“I don’t have enough time to read about this stuff, so I have to prove it to myself it works first,” he said. “At the end of the year I had $10,000 to invest, so I invested it in solar to put on my house. That was six years ago. That solar system has faithfully paid half to two-thirds of my power bill.”

Stocking has eight panels on the roof of his house. The panels, which have a 25-year warranty, charge in DC current. That power goes into an inverter that changes it to AC power, which then either powers the home or goes back into the electrical grid. The panels also don’t require any maintenance after they’re installed.

“When the daylight comes in the morning, the unit starts itself,” said Stocking. “When the solar panels go passive at night, the inverter automatically shuts itself off until daylight again.”

When Stocking originally had the panels installed, he figured it would take about 13 years for the investment to pay for itself. Now with the cost of power going up, he says it looks like it’s only going to take about nine.

If he was to invest another $10,000, Stocking said he would have no power bill. It would cost about $20,000 for enough solar panels and an inverter to reduce the power bill of an average house to $0.

Stocking said he would absolutely recommend installing a home solar power system, if a person has the money to invest.

“It’s an investment in yourself, and it’s also a step to the green side,” said Stocking. “It’s our way of saying the sunshine is there for our use, and it’s free if you’re willing to invest in it.”

Solar power is an efficient and low-maintenance option for everyone, whether you’re looking for a way to keep your cows out of the river or lower your power bill at home. And the opportunities and technology are only going to continue growing.

“All I can see are pros, pros, pros,” said Stocking. “The technology is unbelievable.”

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