Edmonton building Canada's largest rooftop solar array
Edmonton will soon be home to the largest rooftop solar array in the country.
The city is installing panels on the roof at the Edmonton Expo Centre.
Phase 1 of the $5.03 million project will include the installation of 5,754 solar panels across 193,735.5 square feet above Hall D through H.
“With over 2,300 hours of bright sunshine every year, Edmonton is a city made for solar energy,” said Pascale Ladouceur of the City of Edmonton.
“The electricity generated here will be equivalent to the electricity consumed by 375 residential homes.”
The city believes the energy generated will yield operational savings of $290,000 to $460,000 per year.
“Anytime we can save money through our operations by having to spend less money to run this facility, it’s more money we can reinfect into Edmonton’s economy,” said Melissa Radu of Explore Edmonton.
And Radu says while you won’t be able to see the panels, they’ll still be a tool for attracting business.
“Major international events, we know that they want to host their gatherings in cities that are demonstrating environmental sustainability and leadership in innovative technologies, so our rooftop installation allows us to attract more of those events.”
The panels are expected to last about 25 years, and will yield a payback between 10 and 17 years with energy prices and whether energy consumption aligns with generation.
Construction is expected to be complete in November.
The Edmonton EXPO Centre will remain open during construction.
Phase 2, which has not yet been approved, would see additional panels installed above Hall A through C, adding a production of about 1.9 gigawatts to the system.
The additional cost would be $3.4 million, with savings of about $185,000 to $300,000 per year.
This is one of 11 solar projects currently underway in the city with a goal of increasing energy efficiencies.
There are currently six city-owned solar arrays operating in Edmonton. The others are Queen Elizabeth Pool, the Meadows Fire Station, Jasper Place Fire Hall, Blatchford DESS, Davies Garage, and the Edmonton Convention Centre.
With files from CTV News Edmotnon's Joe Scarpelli.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs to start for Canucks in Game 1 vs. Oilers
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs will start in net for the Canucks as Vancouver kicks off a second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers Wednesday night.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.