Camrose rec centre gets solar energy upgrade
2,886 panels will generate almost 1/3 of the rec centre's electricity
Alberta's newest large-scale solar installation is now up and running in Camrose as the city's recreation centre gets an upgrade of nearly 3,000 high-efficiency solar panels.
The $1.7 million project is the first major investment to help the community become greener and cleaner, the mayor says.
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"One of our city's top priorities is to consider cost-effective measures to prevent the deterioration of the environment and to protect the health of its citizens," Norm Mayer told CBC News.
"And installing these solar panels we think is a logical step in that direction."
When the panels start generating power, in the next few weeks, they will meet almost a third of the rec centre's electricity needs.
Mayer said this could be just the beginning for the city of about 18,000 which is 95 kilometres southeast of Edmonton.
"One being city hall itself but we wanted to get a little bit of history on this one for a few months to see how it's going and we would move forward with some more," he said.
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The solar panels, 2,886 of them, cover about 33,000 square feet and based on current usage, they will generate about 31 per cent of the facility's electricity needs, offsetting about 690 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions each year, Enmax said in a release.
"We work very closely with communities and businesses to help make their renewable electricity plans a reality," said Gianna Manes, Enmax president and CEO.
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With files from Diane Yanko