The trends are exactly
as predicted:
...the cost of traditional fossil fuels is going up, and the cost of renewable energy is going down. With electrical restructuring occurring in Canada, the electrical utilities are looking for new revenue streams, a better, nature-friendly image with consumers, and a more stable cost structure. Renewable energy provides all three.

“Going green” is not a trend, it's a smart new way of doing business. In addition to being the right thing to do to conserve the planet for future generations, incorporating environmentally friendly practices can benefit everyone. We see no reason to expect those trends to change any time soon.

Infinity Technologies

With the introduction of net metering programs, our Solar and Wind Energy products deliver personal energy independence. These products offer to the consumer the ability to independently create and deliver electricity, in a dependable, competitive, environmentally responsible, green manner - anywhere on the planet.

The technologies of wind, solar, storage, and power conversion have matured greatly over the last twenty years. It is now quite common to use wind and solar energy, to provide electricity not only off-grid but in on-grid scenarios, to be paid for the electricity you generate.

ON-GRID:

Commonly referred to as Grid-Tie Systems, these renewable energy generating systems are connected and interact with the utility, and come with or without batteries. They utilize a relatively new breed of inverters that actually sell any excess power produced by your system, back to the utility grid. With the overwhelming public concern about utility rates going up and consumer efforts to reduce their monthly electric bill, grid-tie renewable systems makes perfect sense. These systems are easy to install and since some do not have batteries for back-up, the lack of batteries in these systems means no messy maintenance or replacements to worry about. With solar panels mounted on your roof or a wind turbine out in the yard - they sit quietly generating power from the sun and wind that you can either use directly or sell back to the utility company.

Grid-tie systems uses the utility company, in effect, as its storage battery. When the sun is shining or wind is blowing, your electricity comes from your solar or wind generating system, via the inverter. If the system is generating more power than you are using, the excess is sold to the power utility company via the net-meter connection. When you need more power than you are generating, the power comes from the utility company.

OFF-GRID:

Isolated communities have until now, relied on diesel generators. For remote locations, connecting to the grid is prohibitively expensive. In both cases, choosing an alternative power system is a very wise decision. A renewable energy system requiring an inverter application is economically viable in most situations, as the cost of extending grid wiring to a remote location can cost anywhere from $20,000 to $80,000 per mile.

Wind and solar are intermittent resources, so some short-term storage is required to deliver reliable 24-hour “utility-grade” power. Wind and solar power systems can often be less expensive to install than grid-extension and less costly to operate than diesel generators. Keep in mind that the costs of wind and sun power systems, unlike other sources of electrical power, are almost entirely due to the cost of purchasing and installing the system. Once the renewable energy system has been installed, there is no fuel costs associated with its operation; you will only need to pay for maintenance of your system, which in this case is very minimal.

NET METERING:

Canada has opened the electricity market to safe and clean renewable energy. Net metering regulation is designed to help you participate in this clean energy future – and to manage your energy costs. Power utility companies typically install a new bi-directional meter to measure flow in both directions. The net amount consumed or exported is then calculated and reflected on your monthly utility bill.

Net metering provides several benefits:

First, net metering allows you to get use for most, it not all, of the electricity you produce. It does this by permitting you to put any excess electricity you generate back into the electric grid and retrieve it within a certain time period, free of charge, for your use. Getting this high retail value for your excess electricity makes owning your own generating system more cost-effective.

Second, net metering allows you to get retail value for the excess electricity you produce. You get full retail value for the power you produce since every kilowatt hour you produce for your own use directly reduces you purchase of power from the utility at retail cost.

Third, because net metering permits you to effectively "store" your excess electricity on the electric grid, you can also now size your system larger and offset more of your annual electricity needs. Without net metering to give value to this "excess" electricity, you might otherwise make your generating system smaller to minimize the amount of time your system produces electricity in excess of your immediate needs. Unfortunately, a smaller system also means that you would produce less electricity when you did need it. Without net metering, your only alternative would be to purchase some additional device to store this excess power for your later use, such as adding batteries to you system. While having your own electricity storage would mean that you could supply your own power even if there were a "black-out" on the electrical grid, such storage is expensive and can reduce the cost-effectiveness of your system.

Wind and solar energy is an intermittent resource and customers may not be using the power as it is being generated. Net metering means you no longer need to purchase expensive batteries or a backup generator – or factor those costs into the price of installing a renewable energy generation system.

SMART METERS:

Smart Meters are an important part of both the Federal and Provincial government’s initiative to create a lasting “conservation culture”.

Commonly referred to as consumption meters, Smart Meters will replace your existing meter and will monitor and record how much electricity you use and when you use it. It then communicates this data wirelessly to a central computer. Time-of-use (TOU) information will be available, indicating time of day, week and month and consumption levels. This technology will provide customers with the information they need to make choices about how and when they use electricity.