September 24, 2018

Airdrie set to become home to Canada’s largest rooftop solar field

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The City of Airdrie is set to play host to the largest solar-panelled rooftop in the country after city councillors endorsed the project earlier this week.

The project approved for Airdrie’s Genesis Place — a multi-purpose recreational facility on the city’s east end — will see solar panels offset 28 per cent of the electricity consumed there.

The panels will produce 1.4 megawatts per hour annually, amounting to over $100,000 in savings per year, the city said.

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Airdrie Mayor Peter Brown said the exciting initiative was concocted by a forward-thinking member of the city’s staff, which prompted conversations with the province and Enmax.

“We all thought it would be an awesome initiative,” said Brown.

“It’s very exciting and I’m excited (for it) to be one of the first of many fields coming into our community. I think it’s our first major foray into solar and for a community that wants to go green, this is a great start.

“Right out of the chute, it’s a positive change to how our traditional habits were.”

The panels are expected to export 140 kilowatts per hour back to the city grid during the summer months when power generation is at its peak. In addition, greenhouse gas emissions will be reduced by 916 tonnes — equivalent to taking 194 vehicles off the road.

Enmax, which supplies Airdrie with its electricity, has been installing solar powered systems across the province since 2009 and currently has more than 1,000 of them in Alberta.

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