Wind power to supply 500 Alberta schools
25 school boards have signed on for 25 years of renewable energy
Calgary's C-Train already runs on it and now 500 Alberta schools have signed up to be powered by the wind.
Across the province, 25 school boards have signed 25-year contracts with Calgary-based BluEarth Renewables, which built a 29-megawatt wind farm near the Saskatchewan border in order to power the schools.
Yvan Beaubien manages operations for the FrancoSud school board, which has eight schools in Calgary and one in Airdrie.
"We're all kind of happy and proud here, teachers included, that we went that way," he said.
"Instead of just talking about how good green energy can be, we actually can do it right here in our own backyard."
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The schools do not directly use energy generated from the wind farm. However, the turbines contribute electricity to the system from which they are supplied.
Grant Arnold, the CEO of BluEarth is an obvious proponent of wind energy and said it makes sense as it's cost-effective.
"Alberta and Saskatchewan probably have the best winds for wind energy in Canada," he said.
The energy from the new Bull Creek wind plant, which took six months to build, can power 10,000 homes.