Ontario Construction News staff writer
Conestoga College is ramping up efforts to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by installing a 1.3MV solar photovoltaic system at the Kitchener – Doon campus.
The system is expected to generate 1.6 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of renewable, clean energy annually, reducing demand and emissions from other sources.
More than 3,000 panels have been strategically installed on the roofs of several facilities, including the Doon Main Building, Woodworking Centre of Ontario, and the ATS Engineering Complex, to help Conestoga meet 15 per cent of its annual demand and offset peak demand by 57 per cent.
“Conestoga is committed to supporting Canada’s clean growth and climate change goals for a more sustainable future,” said Tim Schill, vice-president, Facilities & Capital Development. “This project is a significant step forward in helping reduce GHG emissions and promoting sustainable stewardship of our environment and resources.”
Also, a 158kW solar photovoltaic system at the Waterloo campus went live at the beginning of April.
Combined with the Cambridge – Fountain Street campus system installed in 2019, they are expected to generate 2.5 million kWh of renewable energy a year, or enough to provide electricity to more than 225 homes.
Work on this project and the Cambridge system was completed by Blackstone Energy Services.
“It’s a pleasure to work with the progressive facilities team at Conestoga. This project is another shining example of the college’s leadership in decarbonization,” said Grant McArthur, VP renewables at Blackstone Energy Services. “The net-metered capability of the rooftop solar array combined with our intuitive blackPAC™ distributed energy resource management platform provides generation and management of clean, solar-generated power when demand on the provincial energy grid is at its highest, and most expensive, offering electricity at a reduced cost to the college while lowering Scope 2 GHG emissions.”
For more information visit Facilities Management.
