Calgary going green in a big way with new solar power installations
There's a lot of work that has to be done in preparation to put up 175,000 solar panels and a massive amount of space is required for ATCO's two projects that equal about 170 Canadian football fields.
The Barlow project is located northwest of the intersection of Barlow Trail and 114th Avenue and the Deerfoot project is further east on 114th Avenue near 52nd Street. Combined, they will make up the largest solar array in a major urban centre in Western Canada.
Bob Myles, ATCO’s executive vice-president of corporate development, says Microsoft has signed an agreement to purchase power from one of the sites. He says the energy provider set a target of 2050 to be net zero and also has a goal by 2030 to have 1000 megawatts of renewables.
"We spend a lot of time over the last couple of years taking a look at where we want to go as an organization," said Myles. "Renewables and clean fuels are really a space that we feel we can participate, it's really our commitment to the energy transition side of the world."
Myles points to an Oct. 5 announcement by ATCO company Canadian Utilities Limited that it has entered into a definitive agreement with Suncor Energy Inc., to acquire a portfolio of wind and solar assets and projects located in Alberta and Ontario for a purchase price of $730 million, making it a major force in renewable energy.
"This definitely makes us a player and our commitment into this sector really was over the last couple years," he said. "We have a hydro facility here in Alberta, we're in Mexico, we've got some business in Australia but really this acquisition we announced yesterday is really showing our commitment to Alberta and to Canada."
Darcy Fedorchuk, ATCO's vice-president of North America power and renewables and is overseeing the Barlow and Deerfoot solar projects that will produce 27 and 37 megawatts respectively. He says the land at the Barlow site was prime for this kind of development.
"It's largely an unusable piece of land that, with the benefit of the solar, is creating an opportunity for this land that otherwise wouldn't have been used," he said.
"So it's a real win-win from a land perspective and the project perspective."
Fedorchuk says work started on the Barlow project in June with 100 workers and Deerfoot construction started in August. He says they weren't impacted by supply chain issues.
"We actually got ahead of that early in the process," said Fedorchuk. "We got into the market for our panels and all of our related equipment and materials and in fact, all of our material is here on site now, so we don't have the challenges that others are seeing."
Because of the size of the project, some workers are preparing foundations and the accompanying racking system for the panels while others began installing the panels in the first week of October.
"So these panels are new in terms of the industry that are bifacial so they'll produce energy on both sides," said Fedorchuk. "Sun intensity (is captured) from the top and then a rebound off the ground, that increases the overall production of energy, which adds additional electricity into the provincial grid."
The lifespan of the solar array is anticipated to be 25 to 30 years. ATCO says the Barlow facility will begin generating power in mid December.
Learn more about it here.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
Stormy Daniels took the witness stand Tuesday at Donald Trump's hush money trial, describing for jurors a sexual encounter the porn actor says she had with him in 2006 that resulted in her being paid off to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
CFL suspends Argos QB Chad Kelly at least nine games following investigation
The CFL suspended Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly for at least nine regular-season games Tuesday following its investigation into a lawsuit filed by a former strength-and-conditioning coach against both the player and club.