The Town of Banff is going after federal funding to help pay for a proposed solar photovoltaic installation at the Fenlands recreation centre.
At a meeting Monday (June 13), Banff’s politicians indicated the municipality will fund the balance of the project if an application for up to half of the money through the Canada 150 Infrastructure Program is successful.
Council unanimously approved going after the federal funding. Any operational savings from the project, should it go ahead, would be reinvested in the municipality’s environmental reserve.
Town officials say initial estimates for a 722 solar module project put the cost at about $465,000, noting they have already been successful in getting $84,000 in provincial funds for the project.
Chad Townsend, the Town of Banff’s environmental coordinator, said solar for the Fenlands roof was initially included as part of the 2008 design concepts, but was scrapped due to costs.
“The recreation facility is one of the Town’s largest municipal consumers of electricity, second only to the wastewater treatment plant,” he said.
“This consumption grew significantly after expansion in 2009, and is a major facility operating cost - $130,185 in 2015 alone.”
Townsend said the arena roofs are large, clad in heavy-duty standing seam metal and new in 2009. Two of the barrel-shape sides are more or less south facing, with the parking area in the front resulting in low shading.
“A solar photovoltaic system would contribute directly to operation cost reduction, and decrease greenhouse gas production,” he said.
The Town of Banff has already been notified it is eligible for $84,000 for the solar project from the Municipal Climate Change Action Centre, an Alberta government group established to support municipalities across Alberta in addressing climate change.
The application deadline for the Canada 150 Infrastructure Programs funding is June 22. A maximum of $500,000 is available and a minimum of half of the total project costs must come from sources other than federal funding.
