CALGARY
In the heart of Calgary, a 1-kW grid-connected solar PV system is turning sunlight into electricity. The system is located on the sloping glass roof of an enclosed glass walkway into the City of Calgary Municipal Building.
The city views its participation in the Alberta Solar Showcase demonstration project as a small but symbolic commitment to initiatives such as the imagineCALGARY Plan. The plan’s goals for the community include reducing greenhouse gas emissions by six per cent from 1990 levels by 2012, and by 50 per cent from 1990 levels by 2036. A related target is to derive 30 per cent of Calgary’s energy from low-impact renewable resources by 2036.
The solar PV installation also demonstrates the type of technology that could be used in future City of Calgary building designs, which will adhere to Calgary’s Sustainable Building Policy. Also, it’s an example of a renewable energy system that Calgarians could install on residential and business rooftops to help reduce the impact of fossil fuels used to produce most of Alberta’s electricity.
Solar team: Sedmek (Calgary)