“To put this in perspective, when I started the company in 2009, it took about four and half years to install a megawatt in the province and now we’re going install over a megawatt within probably about four to six weeks,” says Clifton Lofthaug of Great Canadian Solar, the Alberta company that installed the Leduc solar system. Photo David Dodge, GreenEnergyFutures.ca
By David Dodge & Dylan Thompson
Mayor Greg Krischke being interviewed by Green Energy Future’s David Dodge on the roof of the Leduc Recreation Centre, the home of the largest rooftop solar system in Western Canada.
Mayor Greg Krischke could barely contain his enthusiasm as he announced the opening of the largest rooftop solar system in Canada in his home city of Leduc, Alberta, also home to the birth of the oil industry in 1947.
The 3,622 solar modules being installed on this building’s roof will provide “1.1 megawatts of clean, renewable electricity each year,” he said.
With Alberta Energy Minister Marg McQuaid-Boyd watching, Krischke continued “Now, I have to tell you, there’s about nine megawatts of solar power in Alberta right now. So, with the addition of this 1.1 megawatts, this project alone represents more than a 10 per cent increase to that capacity. This is an important project for Leduc, and indeed, the province, that will contribute towards our sustainability goals in clean energy.”
The birthplace of Alberta oil
The Leduc Recreation Centre has 3,622 solar modules on the roof. At 1.14 megawatts this is the largest rooftop solar array in Western Canada. Photo City of Leduc
Leduc Number 1 was a last-ditch oil well drilled on Feb. 13, 1947 that erupted with light crude and changed the course of history in Alberta.
“It (Leduc) was the birthplace of energy. And it’s fitting that this also should be the birthplace of alternative energy where we can think sustainably into the future,” Krischke told Green Energy Futures.
Krischke said he was impressed when he attended the opening of a 100 kilowatt solar project on the community centre in neighbouring Devon, Alberta. Instead of saying we’re taking a certain number of vehicles off the road: “There was a big screen on the inside and it counts down how many dollars you’re saving and how much energy is produced.”
“When people can actually see in dollars and cents how much money is being saved because solar is installed on a roof, that really got me thinking that we could convince our community that this is the right thing to do,” said Krischke.
“…in 2009, it took four years to install one megawatt in the province. Now we’re going to install it within four to six weeks,”
And timing is everything: it just so happened ENMAX was able to bring funding from the Climate Change Emissions Management Corporation to the table to sweeten the deal. Leduc agreed to install 1.1 megawatts on the recreation centre and another 600 kilowatts on the city’s public works shop for a total cost of $3.5 million.
Robyn Wadey and David Clark installing one of the 3,622 solar modules in the 1.14 megawatt solar system on the roof of the Leduc Recreation Centre. The system will pay for itself in 15 years and produce electricity for 25-30 years. Photo David Dodge, GreenEnergyFutures.ca
By the time the climate change money was applied, Leduc was paying about $1.48/watt all in, a figure that the city conservatively estimates will pay for itself in less than 15 years. The modules are guaranteed for 25 years. But these numbers start to look even better when you consider the avoided carbon levies that start next year.
Marg McCuaig-Boyd, the minister of energy was on hand and she confirmed Alberta’s new Energy Efficiency agency “will support diversification, just as this project has.”
ENMAX, Leduc’s energy provider, developed this solar project. They chose Great Canadian Solar, a small Edmonton-based company, to be the installer for this project.
“To put this in perspective, when I started the company in 2009, it took four years to install one megawatt in the province. Now we’re going to install it within four to six weeks,” said Clifton Lofthaug, president of Great Canadian Solar.
Alberta’s solar industry is growing in more than just megawatts
Thanks to the support from climate change funds, “I think municipalities who are coming on board realize that investing in solar is a really good opportunity for them because somewhere down the line, say somewhere between 12 and 15 years, this system will be paid off, possibly sooner and it’s going produce electricity for free at that point,” said Lofthaug.
Prior to this project, Lofthaug’s seven-year-old company employed seven people as their “core installation design and project management team.” But this opportunity has provided them with great growth potential.
“We’ve since hired on 10 additional employees and we’re looking to potentially hire on about two more. So we’ve more than doubled our staff,” said Lofthaug.
In a way Lofthaug is lucky; this project is supported by a small program that existed at the CCEMC prior to Alberta announcing new programs would be coming as part of its Climate Leadership Plan. Lucky because the industry is stalled a little right now while it waits for announcements of new programs to come.
Lofthaug’s company is as ready as any company could be for the coming boom in solar. When he thinks about the future Lofthaug would like to be installing about 10 megawatts per year. That’s as much solar as has been installed in all of Alberta’s history.
For now, Lofthaug is focusing on streamlining his business, and becoming as efficient as possible, to be competitive when the boom hits.
Meanwhile Alberta pulled back on the CCEMC funding, to get ready for new programs, and in the waning days of that program ENMAX was able to move nine megawatts of solar in Alberta, effectively doubling the current solar in Alberta.
Leduc is the biggest project done by ENMAX to date, but even as the CCEMC funding winds down, ENMAX President and CEO Gianna Manes is looking to the future.
“Well, certainly the government of Alberta, as part of their climate leadership plan, has set a goal to be off of coal electricity by 2030 and to replace a large portion of that with renewable energy,” said Manes. “And ENMAX, as a large participant in the electricity sector here in Alberta, we look forward to participating.”
As for Leduc, the city plans to complete their two large solar projects and then collect some data over the next few years to see what more they can do.
