University of Alberta-Augustana project coordinator Mike Clermont (left) and facilities and operations manager Christopher Blades show off the recently completed solar project on top of the Augustana forum building in Camrose on April 28. The school now has the capability to produce 252 kilowatts per hour of energy. (Josh Aldrich/Camrose Canadian)
The university recently completed the second stage of their solar roof project, installing 469 panels on the Jeanne and Peter Lougheed Performing Arts Centre and on the forum building. This is in addition to the 488 panels already on the fly tower of the Lougheed Centre. In all, they have the capability to produce 252 kilowatts per hour of energy, 130 KW of that is from the new panels.
According to facilities and operations manager Christopher Blades, the solar panels have a greenhouse gas offset of 125 metric tonnes of C02 mitigation for Lougheed Centre and 60 metric tonnes for the Forum.
"If you put the fly tower and the new installation together, you have enough power to power … 30 to 32 new homes," he said. "That's really significant."
Blades says with the fly tower alone over the performing arts centre, there are already days where they are over producing energy and selling it back into the grid, despite the facility being busy. The university, however, still does draw on the power grid.