By Aaron Mahoney (@Mahones93 on Twitter)

Lethbridge County undertaking new Solar Panel Project

Jul 22, 2018 | 9:27 AM

LETHBRIDGE – The Lethbridge County administration office building, in an effort to be more environmentally conscious, will look a little different over the next few weeks as solar panels are installed on the roof of the building.

The project will see 220 solar panels installed on the east, west, and south-facing slopes of the roof.

ENMAX Generation Portfolio Inc. was selected as the successful proponent for the project and a local company, SolarWind Renewable Energy Inc, have been subcontracted to install the panels.

Reeve Lorne Hickey says the solar panels will ensure that the County’s administration office will operate in a more energy-efficient manner.

“This project demonstrates Lethbridge County’s commitment to long-term sustainability and climate change awareness,” Hickey continued. “It’s important to Council and staff that we take steps to reduce our carbon footprint when possible, and this project will play a role in that.”

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As per a release, once the project is complete the solar panels will produce 99,717kWh of energy annually which will allow the County to offset as much as 22 per cent of the administration building’s current energy consumption resulting in an estimated 14-year payback. 

The total cost of the project is $156,403 and is partially funded through the Municipal Climate Change Action Centre, covering 25 per cent of the project cost. 

The County also received a grant of $2,263 from Energy Efficiency Alberta under the Community Energy Capacity Building Program to offset design costs of the project.

“Lethbridge County is committed to finding environmentally-friendly solutions where possible and this project is an important step in achieving that goal. The County was able to utilize the available grant funding from the province, which makes projects like our solar panel initiative more feasible and accessible to smaller municipalities,” Chief Administrative Officer Ann Mitchell said.

The project is scheduled for completion in the first week of August.