NANTON, AB – Terry Dixon, owner of Sentimental Journey Antiques on Hwy 2 North in Nanton, AB, is adamantly committed to the principles of re-using and re-purposing. She just recently took her passion one step further by installing solar panels on the roof of her 9,000 sq ft shop located in Nanton’s historic Keeley building.

“Solar energy is one of the best ways to make a real contribution to sustainability,” Dixon said. “I wanted to become a producer of clean renewable solar energy – to be part of the solution and gain energy independence…and also lower my utility bills.”
So far, she’s had 12 panels installed on the roof plus extra racking and wiring for six more panels to be added at a later date.
The Sharp NDU-230 watt panels are six feet wide by 30 feet long. They use a Sunenergy 5,000 watt inverter made locally by Sustainable Energy Technology in Calgary.

Dixon can track how much energy her solar panels are producing. “We receive live information on our computer in the store. It shows us real time daily, weekly, monthly and year-to-date data,” she explained.

The panels, racking and installation cost Dixon $6.50 per watt of installed power and she’s spent $18,000 to date. She’s already noticed a savings in her store’s electricity costs but says the energy companies need to lower their demand charges.

“I did this out of the passion to go green and to lead the community,” Dixon said. “We all need to move towards lowering our carbon footprint.  More and more people want to become part of the solution and solar energy is one of the best ways to make a real contribution.”

Visit www.sentimentaljourneyantiques.ca.

Solar panels in racking prior to installation.


 

 

 
Crane helping to install solar panels on roof of antique store.
– photos courtesy Terry Dixon