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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2010-12-16, Page 20PAGE 20. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2010. With the implementation of the Province’s Green Energy Act, a local renewable energy-centred company is attempting to help farmers get in on the profits. Ceres Wind and Solar, a new venture started alongside Grain Stoves Inc., a company which has been manufacturing alternative energy products for 20 years near Westfield, hopes to help local farmers and customers “harvest the power of the wind and sun” according to company representative Chris Gauntley. Opened in March, Ceres Wind and Solar, owned and operated by Charles Gulutzen, is selling products that are mostly crafted in Canada to help customers hook in to the Ontario power grid and start making money from the Ontario Power Association (OPA) through the Green Energy Act. Gauntley said that the name of the new enterprise addresses everything that the company hopes to help their customers do. “Ceres is the female god of the harvest,” he said. “We think of [micro Feed In Tariff (microFIT)] opportunities as a crop, so we want customers to have the best ‘harvest’ of their solar and wind power.” The company achieves this better harvest by offering unique products that better convert the elements into power. The best example of this, according to Gauntley, is their solar panels and micro-inverter system. “Micro inverters are a more efficient way [compared to string systems] to convert solar energy into electricity,” he said, explaining that micro inverters convert the power from each panel in an array individually, while strings handle many panels. “Because we know what each individual panel is putting out, it makes debris and problems much easier to find, isolate and repair,” Gauntley said. “Wiring the system is also easier.” String systems typically have one- to-two inverters running all the panels, meaning problems can be hard to find. The micro inverter, which has its own energy rating, will also help in getting more bang for the customer’s buck according to Gauntley. “A microFIT system has to be under 10 kilowatts per hour,” he said. “And you can measure that one of two ways, you can measure the panels or the inverters. Our units have the maximum amount of panels – 52 – so that actually has a maximum output of nearly 15 kilowatts per hour, but the inverters are rated at [a cumulative] 10 kilowatts per hour.” Another technology that Ceres uses is their heavy-duty hydraulic tracker units. “The hydraulics handle the wind and elements of Ontario better than electric because they are made in and for Ontario weather,” Gauntley said. The “built in [Canada]” parts of the systems Ceres sells is important, according to Gauntley, because the Ontario Government is going to try and cause more investment in Ontario by requiring microgeneration stations to have more content built in Canada, and is raising the percentage of units that need to be domestically produced to 68 per cent in 2011. “We already do meet that 68 per cent,” he said. “Our panels, inverters and trackers are all built in Canada.” Ceres is also offering warranties to cover the operations of the product, and is pairing their warranty with the contracts that users are going to sign. “Because the contracts with the OPA are for 20 years, our warranties are available for 20 years” Gauntley said. Gauntley says staying on top of new technology is the key. “We’re seeing new products from new technology all the time,” Gauntley said, stating that new panels will be available “sooner than expected” that have micro inverters built into them. “Soon solar panels will be smaller and we’ll be able to do more with them. We could use them to shingle a roof or cover the side of a building,” he said, adding that he believes that solar micro- generation will be paramount in the future. “Solar will be the new economy,” he said. “That’s my philosophy.” Ceres wind products are also produced in Canada, and can be set up in concert with solar power and batteries to let someone live completely off the grid. “We sell packages that can set a customer off to live completely off the grid, with wind power able to constantly charge batteries, and solar power able to charge when the sun is out,” he said. “With that kind of system, someone can live completely off the grid and save themselves a minimum of $50 per month in their electricity delivery fee, plus whatever their monthly costs are.” Total receipts for Brussels Livestock for the week ending Dec. 10 were 2,409 cattle, 785 lambs and goats. On Tuesday fed steers and heifers sold steady. Choice steers and heifers sold $97 to $101 with sales to $102.75. Second cut sold $95 to $97. Cows sold steady. On Thursday veal sold on a strong market at prices steady to last week. Lambs sold on a strong market at higher prices. Sheep and goats sold steady. On Friday calves sold $2 to $3 higher and yearlings sold on a steady trade. There were 115 steers on offer. John Wiersma of Blyth, consigned ten steers averaging 1,415 lbs. selling for an average of $99.25 with three blonde steers averaging 1,362 lbs. selling for $101.25. Dave Eadie of Holyrood, consigned thirty-eight steers averaging 1,403 lbs. selling for an average of $98.88 with seven red steers averaging 1,431 lbs. selling to Ryding Regency for $100.85. Stewart Strong of Gorrie, consigned eleven steers averaging 1,491 lbs. selling for an average of $99.34 with six red steers averaging 1,483 lbs. selling to Ryding Regency for $100.75. Brian and Bill Dallner of Atwood, consigned one black steer weighing 1,560 lbs. selling to Ryding Regency for $100.25. Donald Fluney of Shelburne, consigned six steers averaging 1,243 lbs. selling for an average of $95.94 with three cross-bred steers averaging 1,235 lbs. selling for $99.50. Mike Dalton of Goderich, consigned five steers averaging 1,236 lbs. selling for an average of $96.24 with two limousin steers averaging 1,170 lbs. selling for $97.25. Elam W. Martin of Harriston, consigned six steers averaging 1,416 lbs. selling for an average of $87.52 with three simmental steers averaging 1,522 lbs. selling for $97. There were 205 heifers on offer. Glen Walker of Wingham, consigned twelve heifers averaging 1,488 lbs. selling for an average of $100.29 with seven limousin heifers averaging 1,409 lbs. selling to Norwich Packers for $102.75. John Barbour of Orangeville, consigned fifty heifers averaging 1,289 lbs. selling for an average of $97.82 with ten black heifers averaging 1,282 lbs. selling for $98.35. Ray Waechter of Walkerton, consigned five heifers averaging 1,385 lbs. selling for an average of $96.86 with two limousin heifers averaging 1,538 lbs. selling to Holly Park Meat Packers for $98. Darren Johnston Farms of Bluevale, consigned twenty-six heifers averaging 1,386 lbs. selling for an average of $95.63 with one simmental heifer weighing 1,185 lbs. selling to Norwich Packers for $98. Martin Metske of Lucknow, consigned nineteen heifers averaging 1,279 lbs. selling for an average of $97.52 with ten black heifers averaging 1,297 lbs. selling for $97.75. Tom Fischer of Mildmay, consigned four heifers averaging 1,378 lbs. selling for an average of $97.12 with two black heifers averaging 1,325 lbs. selling to Holly Park Meat Packers for $97.25. Miriam Terpstra of Brussels, consigned six heifers averaging 1,339 lbs. selling for an average of $95.35 with five cross-bred heifers averaging 1,335 lbs. selling to Holly Park Meat Packers for $97.25. There were 303 cows on offer. Export types sold $53 to $57 with sales to $65; beef cows, $54 to $60 with sales to $66; D1 and D2, $47 to $53; D3, $35 to $47; D4, $30 to $35. Ken Durrer of Mildmay, consigned three cows averaging 1,347 lbs. selling for an average of $52.85 with one limousin cow weighing 1,435 lbs. selling for $58.50. Isaac Stutzman of Lucknow, consigned one gold cow weighing 1,745 lbs. selling for $58.50. Jo Louwagie of Mitchell, consigned six cows averaging 1,456 lbs. selling for an average of $46.08 with one holstein cow weighing 1,670 lbs. selling for $54.50. There were 12 bulls on offer selling $50 to $57 with sales to $61.50. Concrete Holsteins of Kirkton, consigned two bulls averaging 1,575 lbs. selling for an average of $57.75 with one holstein bull weighing 1,565 lbs. selling for $58. Waltercroft Farms of Goderich, consigned one red bull weighing 1,955 lbs. selling for $57. There were 217 head of veal on offer. Beef sold $120 to $150 with sales to $155; good holstein, $100 to $105 with sales to $115; medium holstein, $90 to $100; heavy holstein, $95 to $105. Lamar Frey of Listowel, consigned five veal averaging 727 lbs. selling for an average of $135.59 with one simmental steer weighing 755 lbs. selling for $155. John L. Miller of Lucknow, consigned three veal averaging 803 lbs. selling for an average of $144.91 with one blue belgium steer weighing 765 lbs. selling for $151. Henry Martin of Teeswater, consigned three gold heifers averaging 632 lbs. selling for $144. Lambs under 50 lbs. sold $230 to $265; 50 - 64 lbs., $210 to $360; 65 - 79 lbs., $205 to $284; 80 - 94 lbs., $176 to $235; 94 - 109 lbs., $187 to $209; 110 lbs. and over, $107 to $167. Sheep sold $60 to $106 with sales to $128. Goats: kids sold $75 to $125 to $140 per head; nannies, $50 to $100 to $125 per head; billies, $150 to $250 to $300 per head. Top quality stocker steers under 400 lbs. sold $109.75 to $174; 400 - 499 lbs., $131 to $157; 500 - 599 lbs., $90 to $147; 600 - 699 lbs., $119 to $137.50; 700 - 799 lbs., $110.75 to $130; 800 - 899 lbs., $100 to $119.50; 900 - 999 lbs., $108.25 to $119.50; 1,000 lbs. and over, $104 to $114.75. Top quality stocker heifers under 300 lbs. sold $124.50 to $170; 300 - 399 lbs., $133 to $161; 400 - 499 lbs., $112 to $148; 500 - 599 lbs., $108 to $133; 600 - 699 lbs., $111.50 to $129.75; 700 - 799 lbs., $97 to $118; 800 - 899 lbs., $90 to $112; 900 lbs. and over, $101 to $111.25. Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh Township Councillors were not impressed by the new mandatory septic system plan put forward at Huron County Council’s Committee of the Whole meeting on Nov. 10. Reeve Ben Van Diepenbeek explained that the Huron County Health Unit had presented a revised plan with a lesser price to county council, but still didn’t outline what the price bought ratepayers. “We’ve been spinning our wheels [at the county level],” Van Diepenbeek said. “We could [run our own program] ourselves if we model it after Tiny Township.” Tiny Township is located near southern Georgian Bay and has been implementing a full septic-system inspection for less than a third of the Huron County Health Unit’s original proposed price $355, and less than half of the current proposed price of $155. “We could have a checklist for haulers, and then have [post- secondary] students look around for any water problems or backflow when the tank is being drained,” Van Diepenbeek stated. Outgoing councillor Carl Sloetjes suggested that the township contact the University of Guelph, which is known for its environmental programs, to see if the University would be interesting in running an inspection program as a means of furthering their students’ educations. Councillor Barry Millian had many questions that weren’t answered by the Health Unit’s plan. “I want to know how the price dropped,” he said. “What were they doing [that was more expensive] before? What are they doing now?” Millian also stated he was less than impressed with the Health Unit not addressing Tiny Township’s system, and not allowing representatives from ACW to present their findings. “We made them fully aware that there is a program that is working, and it’s done for $69 per inspection,” he said. “We made them aware of it, and it’s working, it’s proved itself for 10 years and we offered to inform them about it. “They didn’t want to meet with us,” he said. “They still haven’t acknowledged the fact that we requested a meeting.” Deputy-Reeve Neil Rintoul stated that the Health Unit has apparently been in contact with Tiny Township, but hasn’t shared any further information regarding those meetings. The discussion was tabled for a later date as no motion was put forward. Westfield company helps farmers with solar, wind ACW weighs in on mandatory inspections AgricultureBrussels Livestock report Calves sell $3 higher at Friday’s sale TUESDAYS 9:00 a.m. Fed Cattle, Bulls & Cows THURSDAYS 8:00 a.m.Drop Calves 10:00 a.m.Veal 11:30 a.m. Pigs, Lambs, Goats & Sheep FRIDAYS 10:00 a.m. Stockers Call us 519-887-6461 Visit our webpage at: www.brusselslivestock.ca email us at: info@brusselslivestock.ca BRUSSELS LIVESTOCK Division of Gamble & Rogers Ltd. UPCOMING SALES By Denny Scott The Citizen By Denny Scott The Citizen BUY? SELL? TRY CLASSIFIED