A solar installation at Summerland’s municipal hall building is now completed.
The municipality’s installation of a 5.4-kilowatt solar photovoltaic array on on the roof of the building consists of 17 panels.
It will provide more than 6,900 kilowatt hours of power to the municipality each year. This works out to around five per cent of the building’s current electrical energy use.
Upcoming energy savings measures at municipal hall, such as the conversion of all indoor and exterior lighting to LEDs means the panels will cover an even higher percentage of the building’s energy needs in the future.
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“The municipal hall solar array is one more way Summerland is benefiting from renewable energy,” said Mayor Toni Boot. “This installation will not only provide cost savings to our community, but it is a highly visible reminder that we are committed to demonstrating leadership on clean technology and innovation.”
This latest installation joins a larger 50-panel (17.25 kW) array completed on the Summerland Arts and Cultural Centre in fall 2018.
Both installations were funded by a $25,000 grant from the North Family Foundation’s Solar Now project and a $30,000 allocation from the municipality’s unallocated surplus fund.
“The leadership of the district of Summerland exemplified by the installations of renewable solar energy on public buildings is inspiring,” said Bill Swan, Solar Now Project Manager. “Demonstrating that renewable solar energy is not only viable but achievable for citizens and whole communities is precisely why Solar Now was established to work with future thinking communities and organizations.”
The arrays will produce almost 30,000 kWh of power each year and each serve as demonstrations of the municipality’s commitment to becoming a leader in the utilization of renewable energy for the benefit of the community.
Summerland also has a solar hot water installation on the Summerland Aquatic Centre that has been reducing natural gas use in that facility since 2010 and is currently developing the Summerland Solar+Storage Project.
this is a one megawatt solar array with two megawatt hours of battery storage.
The solar arrays on municipal hall and on the Arts and Cultural Centre can each be monitored in real time through online portals, accessible through www.summerland.ca/climate-action
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