New Westminster is on track to create the first municipal community solar array in the Lower Mainland.
The City of New Westminster recently held a community consultation process about the city’s urban solar garden and made about 150 photovoltaic panels available for subscription.
“It is quite a success,” said Coun. Chuck Puchmayr. “We have 95 per cent of the panels now sold. There is a possibility we will open up another tender for more panels. The price has slightly reduced as the technology has improved."
City council has directed staff to proceed with finalizing the location for the rooftop solar array and to proceed with work needed to meet the objective of having the urban solar garden fully operational by next summer.
Mayor Jonathan Cote said it’s great to see how the community has stepped up and responded to this program, as the city wouldn’t be able to go ahead with the project if people hadn’t signed up and purchased panels.
“I think it really highlights there is a strong interest in the residents of New Westminster to the work we are doing regarding sustainability and reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” he said. “The fact that we have a 95 per cent sell rate on the first time we put this out there speaks volumes to that interest.”
The project allows residents, businesses, non-profits and institutional organizations served by the New Westminster Electrical Utility to buy a solar panel and use the energy generated by the panel as credits toward their power bills.
“There’s no doubt there will be an energy payback, and those who have signed up will receive a credit on their regular electric bills, but the payback will probably take between 10 and 15 years so it will be a patient payback,” Cote said. “But I think the real reason people are wanting to sign up is really because of a commitment and value towards sustainability. I think that’s what’s really helped launch us. I think we are very fortunate to have our own electrical utility here in New Westminster and I think that has made it even easier for us to take on these types of creative and unique initiatives.”
A staff report states the urban solar garden provides the city with an opportunity to diversify the services of its electrical utility by supplementing its primary source of energy from the B.C. Hydro electric grid with locally generated electricity.
Coun. Bill Harper said the idea for this “exciting and very innovative project” originated with the Intelligent City initiative and New Westminster’s electrical utility commission.
“This is a program where people will be able to purchase a panel that is sitting on the roof of a city building and the electricity that is generated out of that panel will actually be deducted from your electrical bill. Over time you will be able to pay that down and at some point, actually generate more and more of that kind of reduction in your electrical bill. This is really innovative
For more information on New Westminster’s solar garden, go to www.energysavenewwest.ca.
