“It the right this to do. That’s it,” said Invictus president Previn Solberg.
Solberg says his team took many steps during construction to make sure the building would be ready for solar panels just as soon as they were in the budget. The south-facing roof was designed at an angle that was good for solar panels, and the type of roofing they used made it easier to clip the panels in place.
This new system is a 40 kilowatt system that will allow their energy meter to roll backwards if they generate more than they use.
With solar prices falling dramatically over the last decade, solar systems are becoming more accessible for power companies, as well as for homeowners and businesses.
“Solar is obviously becoming much more popular,” said Solberg. “What I’m noticing is that power companies like Connexus and others are seeing the benefit that solar can provide for a long term sustainable energy future.”
Solberg says Invictus has been working towards sustainability in ways beyond solar as well – from their electric car chargers to composting.
“Since day one, we’ve made a lot of decisions that have been focused on sustainability and the environment. We recycle and compost everything that we possibly can,” he said. “We just try to make every decision we possibly can to be as energy efficient and environmentally friendly and as sustainable as possible.”
The system still has to undergo final inspection, but Solberg said he hopes it’s running within a month. Once it is on, there will be a monitor in the taproom for everyone to see exactly how much energy the solar panels are using at any moment.
