The sun shone down on the Fenlands Banff Recreation Centre Aug. 22 as council celebrated the completion of the biggest solar panel project in the Bow Valley.

“We’re very excited to show off our latest solar panel array at the Fenlands,” Banff mayor Karen Sorensen said.

The solar panel array installed on three roofs of the recreation centre began generating renewable energy on July 25, 2017.

“I have to say it’s really been wonderful to watch progress of our solar program and to see how far we’ve come as a community in embracing solar energy,” Sorensen said. “All the way back in 2013 we installed 72 solar panels on the roof of town hall. At that time it was the largest solar installation in the Bow Valley. And here we are, just a few years later, celebrating the fact the Fenlands is now the largest with 984 solar panels.”

The total cost of the project was $488,932.

“We couldn’t undertake this very large solar panel (for example: RENOGY 200 WATT ) array installation on our own. The town of Banff was fortunate to be the recipient of the Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Program,” she said.

The program chipped in $244,466. The Town also received assistance from the Alberta Municipal Solar Program, which provided $131,575. A sum of $112,891 came from the Town of Banff’s Environmental Reserve.

“These panels will not only reduce greenhouse gas emissions but they will provide a safeguard against electricity price fluctuations. Solar power saves money and creates jobs,” Cam Westhead, MLA for Banff-Cochrane said. “We will prevent approximately 66,600 tones of greenhouse gases over the 25 year life of the solar panels.”

Visitors to the Fenlands Arena can check out a large TV screen in the lobby that shows how much energy is being consumed, and the environmental benefits of using and generating solar energy.

“This building is actually the municipality’s second largest energy consumer, the wastewater treatment plant being the first, so it’s great that we’re able to put the roof to work, reducing emissions and saving $15,000 a year in electricity costs,” Sorensen said. “It’s been incredible to see our solar panel program grow over the years, but what’s even more impressive is how our community has embraced solar panels for their homes and businesses.”

The Town of Banff Solar Production Incentive Program, the first of its kind in Canada, has supported 30 residents investing in renewable energy since 2015, she said.

“That’s everything from the small setup on a home to covering nearly the entire roof of a business. Combined, we’ve helped our community install more than 170 kilowatts of solar generation capacity and every year we receive more applications to take part.”

Just recently council re-stated that this incentive will continue for those purposes, she said.

“It is interesting as you drive around town and go ‘oh, look who put solar panels up’,” Sorensen said. “So thank you for investing in solar energy. I’m very excited I’m getting mine installed in the middle of September for 7.2 kilowatts.”

“Banffites pride themselves on being a model environmental community and one of our priorities as a council over the past four years has been environmental sustainability and reducing our impact on the National Park,” Sorensen added. “It is a privilege to live in such a spectacular place and we need to do everything we can to ensure we preserve and protect it. Investing in solar energy is one way that we are achieving that.”