The City of Airdrie has completed installation of Canada’s largest municipal rooftop solar field consisting of 3,800 panels.
On July 10, local dignitaries and city staff took a tour of the site and held a ceremonial opening on the roof of the Genesis Place Recreation Centre.
“Airdrie is proud to be leading the way in Canada with respect to the generation of solar energy through municipal infrastructure,” said Mayor Peter Brown.
The $2.8 million, 1.55-megawatt system was made possible through funding from the Municipal Climate Change Action Centre and the federal Gas Tax Fund.
“Municipalities like Airdrie are driving change towards more sustainable practices, and as an energy provider, Enmax is here to help them find smart solutions,” said Erwin Kantwerg, vice-president of sales at Enmax, which supplied the panels.
The solar array will provide power for up to 30 per cent of the recreation facility’s electricity needs and reduce costs for the city by up to $80,000 per year, the city estimates.
“There’s approximately 30 years of life to these panels, which means we’ll be paid back for years to come,” Brown said.
During the peak summer months, the panels will export approximately 140 kilowatts per hour back into the city grid.
– Airdrie Echo
