Gazing at the Rocky Mountains in this area, one is often struck by the bluebird skies and the intensity of our natural light source, the sun.
While there’s nothing like the warm embrace of the sun on a cold winter day, those same warming rays can also, in the right circumstances, produce power – something Banff residents may get to experience on a larger scale than is now seen in the mountain town.
Being that Banff is a compact town which embraces green initiatives, sticks to a small municipal footprint, banned the sale of ridiculous bottled water in its rec centre, is already quite pedestrian-friendly, got on board the mass transit ideal some time ago and has already embraced solar power as a town and through the school system, expanding solar power seems a natural fit.
Council is right in pursuing an incentive program.
Admittedly, the 17,000 kilowatt hours per year the Town Hall system is producing is a far cry from, say, an under-construction 100 megawatt Grand Renewable Solar Project in Ontario that will power 17,000 homes – but you’ve got to start somewhere. Then again, there’s really no room in Banff for the installation of 450,000 solar panels on an 800-acre solar farm.
Like most things green, solar power initially had a high cost factor in implementation. The price per watt is still up there, but reports indicate that the cost per watt has now dropped from $3 per watt to $1.
Much like recycled toilet paper, recycled plastic deck materials and fleece made from recycled pop bottles, prices do come down eventually.
With the Town looking at a financial incentive program to encourage solar installation, it’s hoped businesses and homeowners alike will take part. Who knows, boosting solar power may even somewhat offset the power wasted by leaving retail shop doors open in winter in the tourist town.
The beauty of solar, of course, is that, unlike wind turbines, there are no concerns with birds being killed, or as with hydro, of rivers being dammed and fish habitats negatively affected. Pollution is pretty much limited to the actual construction materials of solar panels. Once installed, they benignly and quietly sit there and generate power.
And, as Chad Townsend, Banff’s environmental manager, pointed out to council, energy consumption is the source of most of the greenhouse gases in Banff. That energy consumption is fed by coal. Going solar, he said, would be a visible symbol of environmental awareness.
Banff, then, could join forward thinking countries like Germany, Denmark and India in embracing solar power as a means to reduce reliance on coal.
Like with these other countries, south-facing Banff rooftops could be adorned with solar panels which could produce power during all hours of sunlight. A common misconception is that solar won’t work in the cold of winter, but heat has nothing to do with the solar rays that can generate power.
In fact, according to CanSIA (Canadian Solar Industries Association), which features a report on Banff Community High School’s project online at www.cansia.ca, the efficiency of solar PV increases in colder temperatures and is particularly well-suited for Canada’s climate.
Indeed, Banff homeowners and business people could pride themselves in the fact that they’d be part of a world-wide U.S. $244 billion (as of 2012) being poured into renewable energy, according to Ren21 (Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century).
