KIMBERLEY, B.C. – Kimberley’s SunMine has won the National Award for an Engineering Project or Achievement from Engineers Canada at their Awards Gala on May 26th in Charlottetown, PEI.
The National Award for an Engineering Project or Achievement bestows distinction for an outstanding engineering project or achievement that has had a significant positive impact on society and/or industry and/or engineering, and recognizes engineering achievements involving Canadian engineers.
The idea for SunMine was initiated by Michel de Spot, P.Eng. of EcoSmart Foundation Inc. SunMine is British Columbia’s first grid-connected solar facility, as well as the first solar facility to be built on a reclaimed mine site. With 4,032 solar cell modules mounted on 96 solar trackers that follow the sun, the site provides almost 40% more energy than a traditional fixed system.
Previous winners of the National Award for an Engineering Project or Achievement include the Port Mann Bridge/ Highway 1 Improvement, the Calgary West Light Rail Project, and the BC Place Revitalization.
Kimberley has previously received the 2015 Community Excellence Award for Leadership and Innovation in Green Initiatives from the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM), the Sustainability Award from the Association of Professional Engineers and Geologists of BC (APEGBC), and the Community of the Year from Clean Energy BC.
“The recognition the City has received for the SunMine project has been exceptional, and the requests for tours and information on the project has been overwhelming”, states Chief Administrative Officer Scott Sommerville. “I would like to congratulate Michel DeSpot on the National Award for Engineering, and to take the opportunity to thank retired Project Coordinator Don Schacher and Economic Development Officer Kevin Wilson on a successful project.”
