The solar photovoltaic panel installation at Medicine Hat College is complete! You can see on the panels mounted on the roof of a new residence building as you drive into the college. The panels are south facing with no obstructions and will have maximum sun exposure. Each panel provides 250W of electrical energy and, when connected to the grid, this system will provide 5 kW of electricity to the college.  Come check them out!

On the left, Marcus Campbell of Terralta Inc. is screwing in the bracket that mounts the panel to the frame. This needs to be done for all 24 panels. On the right, Joe Grove, an electrical instructor at Medicine Hat College, is connecting the Enphase microinverter to the panel.

Marcus Campbell describes the Enphase microinverter connection for the solar photovoltaic system installed at Medicine Hat College. One inverter will be installed for every panel. The inverters will convert direct current (DC) from the solar panels to alternating current (AC) and will form part of the college's electrical supply.

On the left, one of the installers is adjusting the frame that the solar photovoltaic panels will be mounted on. He is ensuring they are straight and that all holes drilled for the frame's feet are completely sealed. On the right, the installers are securing the cables and installing the Enphase microinverter. For a full description check out the video in the next post!

Medicine Hat College is in the process of implementing solar energy technologies into the operations of our campus. Our solar thermal project will provide domestic hot water to the Trades Building heated via a solar thermal panel installed on the roof of the T Wing on-site of the college. The college is also looking to install 5 kW of solar photovoltaic panels on the roof which will be integrated into our existing electrical supply. Students are involved in the construction and performance verification of these systems. This project is being supervised by Danny Wilson, MHC’s Trades Innovation Coordinator. Hamed Bahri, an MHC Engineering Instructor, is the student supervisor for the data collection from our solar energy system.