EfstonScience, Canada’s solar and wind power experts, is pleased to announce the completion of the Municipality of Strathroy-Caradoc’s major solar energy installation — a project expected to bring in up to $80,000 annually for the municipality through the Ontario Power Authority’s microFIT Program.
West Middlesex Memorial Centre
“As with most municipalities, we are always challenged to find alternative and innovative sources of revenue to sustain our operations,” says Mayor Joanne Vanderheyden. “These rooftop solar projects present an opportunity to generate income, while showcasing the efforts of the municipality to demonstrate leadership in green energy and efficiency in the use of our resources.”
“This was a significant project, installing systems on 13 of our municipal buildings in a relatively short timeframe,” Vanderheyden adds. “The municipality is pleased with the work competed by eSolar, and looks forward to reaping the benefits of this investment for years to come.”
The municipality hired EfstonScience/eSolar to install high-efficiency photovoltaic (PV) solar panels on 13 rooftops – all completed in less than two months. Locations now generating solar energy and income include the Caradoc Works Yard, Strathroy Fire Station, Mount Brydges Fire Station, Strathroy Library, West Middlesex Memorial Centre, Strathroy-Caradoc Police Service, Environmental Services/Entegrus, Tri-Township Arena, Town Hall, Strathroy Works Yard, Pump Station, Caradoc Community Centre and the Strathroy and Area Seniors’ Centre.
The 520 Ontario-made photovoltaic panels were manufactured locally in Guelph by Canadian Solar Solutions Inc., Canada’s largest PV manufacturing facility. The modules are each capable of generating 137,000 kilowatt hours annually – enough to together power 13 to 15 average homes – and they require no maintenance or after-sales service. EfstonScience is also setting up online monitoring for each facility, which will provide up-to-the-minute snapshots of how much electricity is being generated and fed into the grid, as well as the income the municipality will earn as a result.
“EfstonScience is proud to partner with Strathroy-Caradoc, as well as other municipalities across Ontario, to help supply renewable energy directly to the community,” says Nick Efston, President of EfstonScience. “Strathroy-Caradoc’s secure, guaranteed long-term investment in solar energy has equipped the municipality with leading technology to not only generate revenue, but also better service the taxpayer by adding power at peak demand time, which helps to avoid brown-outs and the costly importing of energy from other sources.”
— Solar Builder magazine
[source: http://www.solarbuildermag.com/news/efstonscience-completes-13-solar-installations-ontario/]
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