Foothills County was presented with a proposed solar energy project last week that looked like such a slam dunk that council approval would be a mere formality — that was until council members peppered the bureaucrat in charge of the undertaking with questions before postponing a decision.
The green initiative that would see more than 1,000 solar panels installed on the roof of Scott Seaman Sports Rink is estimated to cost $1.3 million, but the good news is that a federal government grant would cover 80 per cent of that price tag. That would leave the County with a bill for about a quarter of a million dollars, which is roughly the amount of money it would save in utility costs over the first four years of the project.
Once the project has paid for itself, it’s anticipated it would save the County north of $60,000 in utility costs annually, making it hard to argue with the financial end of things. So, council members took issue with many other aspects, from what to do with panels at the end of their lifespan to what impacts they would have on the rink’s roof.
Municipal energy manager Adeniyi Adeaga had perfectly reasonable answers for all their queries (over 90 per cent of the solar panel materials can be recycled, while their installation would likely prolong the life of the roof) but that still wasn’t enough to convince council members to give the project their approval.
And it’s not like council was hearing about the project for the first time as politicians provided support for it as part of last year’s energy management plan, which paved the way for the County to make the grant application for federal funding.
It would be disappointing to see a million bucks in green energy funding from Ottawa die on the vine so hopefully County council members get all their concerns addressed before a vote on the project takes place next month.
