Albertans, Wouter d’Ailly of Okotoks cares about the environment – for years he dreamt of using alternative
energy at home, but was deterred by the cost.

“I started Simple Solar because I was frustrated that there was no way to do the environmental thing – whether
geothermal energy or solar panels on the roof – in a way that was remotely economical,” he says. “After all this time, we can put a man on the moon and we can do all this stuff – I thought there’s got to be a way the average guy can participate in the green movement.”

So, three years ago, he and his business partner decided to investigate how they could cheaply implement solar
technology in homes. The end result was Simple Solar, a system that heats water using solar energy. Unlike electric panels that only store 15 per cent of the sun’s energy, solar panels designed to heat water were far more efficient, storing 70 per cent of the sun’s energy.

The trick was creating panels that were reliable in all kinds of weather (and didn’t freeze when the mercury dropped below minus 40), easy to use and install, and allowed users to save on their energy bills right away.

Now, after solving these technical issues with some help from TEC Edmonton, SimpleSolar has completed its first commercial installs and is earning revenue. Placing as a runner-up in the TEC VenturePrize Fast Growth competition has been “a huge boost,” says d’Ailly.

“First of all, it got us thinking about our business model, which was extremely helpful – the feedback we got was great,” he says. “We shifted our thinking and our approach because of it, no question about it.” Now, Simple Solar is well on its way to creating profit while decreasing environmental damage. “Every time we install a panel, we like to say that we’ve taken a car off the road.”

Edmonton Journal/Calgary Herald Advertorial October 2008