Solar Panels for Outdoor Football Field

City of Cold Lake exploring options to add solar panels to the Energy Centre area

Council for the City of Cold Lake discussed the benefits of placing solar panels in the area of the Energy Centre, near where the artificial turf football field will be build. Mayor of Cold Lake, Craig Copeland says they are in discussion stages of the project.

“The next big project we’re going to be working on, is the sports field. It’ll be an artificial turf field,” Mayor Copeland explains the field will be used for football and possibly soccer. There will be a change rooms for the teams with the plan to place solar panels on the structure. “We’re going to put a grant proposal together to put solar panels on that building,” confirms the mayor. The solar panel wouldn’t specifically power the lights on the field or buildings, rather it’ll go back into the City’s grid. “It’ll go into the grid and you hope you come out a wash or ahead,” Mayor Copeland says of the panels.

The Municipal Climate Change Action Centre (MCCAC) is offering a rebate program known as the Alberta Municipal Solar Program (AMSP). The AMSP provides a rebate on solar photovoltaic (PV) projects (Solar PVs are commonly known as solar panels). To be eligible, a solar PV projects must be: undertaken by municipalities; between 2kW and 1 MW in installation capacity; on permanent, municipally-owned structures; connected to the grid; and not otherwise funded by a Government of Alberta climate change initiative.

Funding is available on a first-come first-served basis. Successful projects, once completed, receive a rebate per watt of total installed capacity for the project. The rebate will not exceed 20 per cent of the total project cost, up to $300,000 per project application.

At the September 20, 2016 meeting, Corporate Priorities Committee of Council recommended that Council submit an “Expression of Interest” to the Alberta Municipal Solar Program.

-City of Cold Lake Agenda September 27th

Mayor Copeland says the placement of the field is yet to be determined as some new facilities have been proposed for the Energy Centre area; including a new high school for the Lakeland Catholic School Division. Once the placement is finalized the City anticipates the project will go to tender this winter with construction of the field occurring in the spring of 2017. The City is building road behind the Energy Centre at the park parking lot behind Imperial Oil Place. The road will attach to 16th avenue to help with traffic at busy events.

City Council passed a motion to authorize the City of Cold Lake to submit an “Expression of Interest” to the Alberta Municipal Solar Program for the installation of solar panels on the proposed multi-purpose artificial turf field’s change facility at Imperial Park.