EA was contacted in the Spring of 2008 to do a site visit and energy
audit for an equestrian center / residence near Smithers, BC. The client
was concerned about power outages, and how she will manage her horses
during an extended outage, as well as wished to lower the environmental
footprint of the operation.
EA Technicians attended site, met with client, and set a plan in place.
This was an extensive installation over 8 weeks, involving numerous local
sub-trades, all with rather unpredictable weather around the corner.
Solution:
• 20' container, customized for cold northern climate housed system
components.
• 4.2 kW PV array on two Zomeworks tracking arrays, 24 x Sharp 175
watt PV modules
• Dual Xantrex XW6048 inverters (12 kW continuous, 24 kW surge)
• 60 kWh battery bank, Global-Yuasa industrial 2V cells
• Yanmar 18 kW industrial diesel generator
• Grid-tie feeding surplus power back to grid
• Extensive rewiring of outbuildings to allow essential-loads to
be automatically powered during a power failure by using dedicated load
panels.
• Rainwater catchment and storage system. 20,000 L of underground
storage
• Multi-stage water filtration system, automatic switch from cisterns
to well water based on conditions.
• Extensive site trenching for water system and rewiring.
• Backup power system for well pump (on it's own electrical service
1 km from site)
• Remote monitoring and control system
• Installation of zero-energy horse watering systems to replace existing
heater-based units
