Solar power for new town hall

By Sean Feagan, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Strathmore’s new town hall will have a solar panel array – in what is projected to be a profitable investment for the town long term.

Strathmore town council voted to approve an 88 KW solar power array for the rooftop of the new municipal building during its regular meeting on May 20. 

Enmax Corp. was selected to provide the solar panel array for the new municipal building. The project includes funding for all permits, design, procurement, construction, commission and safety requirements, as well as remote monitoring of the facility.

The modules (the photovoltaic panels) and inverters (that convert the direct current from the panel to alternating current for power) have a 25-year system and maintenance warranty. A 15-year warranty for limited operations and maintenance is also included.

The decision to add the solar panels will make the town money over the 25-year lifetime of the project, said Councillor Jason Montgomery, who is the elected representative on the town’s sustainability committee. 

“From the sounds of it, it will be revenue positive,” said Montgomery. “The amount of money that we could save from producing our own power and selling some into the grid will apparently put us ahead.”

Specifically, the project is projected to provide an economic benefit of $43,500 over the project’s 25-year lifespan, according to a report presented by town administration. The project’s break-even point is around the 17-year mark.

The projected capital cost of the project is $187,300, but it will be supported by grant funding through the Alberta Municipal Solar Program, an initiative by the Municipal Climate Change Action Centre. This grant provides a rebate for 75 cents per watt on total installed capacity, up to 30 per cent of eligible expenses, as well as a first-time application bonus for 25 cents per watt, up to a maximum of $250,000, according to the report.

The project is projected to be eligible for up to $78,200 in grant funding, resulting in a grant-adjusted total capital cost of the project of $109,100.

The town received two offers for the solar array project, Enmax and SkyFire, which are both based in Calgary. However, the SkyFire offer leverages the town’s debt capacity and balance sheet to fund costs. In contrast, Enmax’s internal financing leaves no impacts to the town’s debt balance, according to the report. They are offering a three per cent capital funding cost for a 15-year term, according to town administration.

Originally the town found that seven separate solar deployments projects would be economically feasible due to a large among of available grant funding. However, the availability of this grant funding has decreased recently, so the scope of this initiative was reduced to just this single project, according to the report.

“At this time, the characteristics of this project best match the remaining grant funding available and the limited time available to apply for it,” the report states.

The initiative fits within the mandate of not just the committee, but of the whole town, said Montgomery.

“We’re very interested in acting in a sustainable way and being able to use renewable power whenever possible.”