'Saving the planet': Solar co-op works with Saskatoon business to go green

A Saskatoon business says it's easy going green.

The north end company Montgomery Agencies has partnered with the SES Solar Co-operative to reduce its carbon footprint.

"It's just so simple and it's just the right thing to do: reducing our emissions and generating some renewable energy," Jeff Montgomery, Montgomery Agencies representative, told CBC Radio's Saskatoon Morning. "I just jumped on the opportunity to have that done on one of our commercial buildings."

He said the local business entered into a lease agreement with the co-op to have a rooftop system — consisting of 80 environmentally friendly, 280-watt solar panels — installed.

According to Jason Praski, volunteer chair of the SES Solar Co-op installations committee, it's a system that has the potential to produce 22.4 kilowatts of electricity.

"This project is four or five times what a homeowner emits," said Praski.

There's no savings per se aside from saving the planet.- Jeff Montgomery, Montgomery Agencies

Montgomery said the amount of electricity that is generated offsets the amount that the company generally consumes from SaskPower, so the cost it pays for electricity to the co-op remains the same.

"The solar co-op is putting up the installation, so it doesn't cost the building owner or the tenants anything at all," he said. "[But] there's no savings per se aside from saving the planet — which, I think, everybody involved in the project thinks is a lot more important than saving a couple of dollars."

The community-owned SES Solar Co-op is the first solar power co-operative in Saskatchewan and was initiated by the Saskatchewan Environmental Society. One of its major goals is to work towards reducing greenhouse gas pollution.

This is the third major solar installation done by the co-op in Saskatoon.