May the sun shine down on the Rotary Spirit Centre this day and for many days in the future, at least until we break even.
Westlock town councillors heard from a representative from ENMAX, Kelly Lenyk, at their June 17 committee of the whole meeting regarding the potential of installing a solar energy system on the rooftops of the Spirit Centre and curling rink.
The system would use the energy needed to operate the facility first and then when there isn’t as much power needed, it would be distributed to the electric grid and a credit would appear on the town’s bill. During peak sunny days in the summer, when the ice plant isn’t running, the town would be making money, or at least cutting into the cost of powering the facility throughout the winter.
Council accepted the presentation for information and has not made a decision as to whether or not to move forward, but they had a lot of questions. ENMAX has submitted an expression of interest on behalf of the town in regards to the grant that is required to move forward with the project. Essentially, if the grant doesn’t come through, then the project dies.
The grant would theoretically cover 43 per cent, $511,000, of the $1.184 million price tag, producing 631 MWh of electricity every year. That’s about half of what the facility consumes in the same time period, so “net-zero” is not necessarily the goal. The goal is to offset the costs of operating the gargantuan recreational facility, which is prudent.
With the recent change in government in Alberta though, even the status of the grant is in question, so the naysayers need not worry about the town rushing to part ways with taxpayers’ money just yet. There is still a lot of discussion to be had.
It should be mentioned that other municipalities have been successful in harnessing the power of the sun.
The Town of Raymond’s recent achievement in reaching “net zero” energy production for the municipality’s operations has been widely reported.
Granted, Raymond, population 4,000, is located in the far south of the province, where the sun tends to shine more, but if the panels are rain, snow, wind and hail resistant, and the system is guaranteed to produce a certain amount of energy for several decades, then what is the harm in looking to the future both financially and environmentally?
If nothing else it seems like a possibility to explore.
