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By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

solar panels, new lighting on the way

Penhold Multiplex to see major upgrades

May 24, 2019 | 12:12 PM

The Penhold Multiplex, which Mayor Mike Yargeau calls the hub of the community, is set to receive major upgrades in the coming months.

First will be the installation of 1,092 solar panels on the facility’s roof at a cost of $750,000, which Yargeau says the Town will recoup in energy savings in less than two years.

“Obviously the cost is a big thing. It just makes sense. This is something we can do to lower our utility bill at the end of the month which saves people money. That was the biggest factor,” he explains.

“Solar panels, to produce electricity, are a technology that we know works now. It’s safe. There are a lot of good reasons to do it, but the biggest is that it saves us money in the long run.”

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The project is the first municipal solar panel installation in Penhold and will be set up by Red Deer-based CBI Solar, the same company which did Canada’s largest roof-top solar project on Airdrie’s Genesis Centre.

It will offset 30 per cent of the facility’s overall power consumption.

Additionally, staff are preparing an application for another grant from the provincial Municipal Climate Change Action Centre to pay for switching all the multiplex’s lights to LED.

The grant, which is also paying for $400,000 of the solar panel project, is funded by Alberta’s carbon tax and is likely to be scrapped once the UCP follows through its promise to end the tax. Hence, the Town of Penhold can’t be certain whether they’ll qualify for any help with the LED project.

Meantime, the Town will replace the failing condenser for the multiplex arena, something that thankfully didn’t die overnight, the mayor notes, meaning they were able to budget for a new one at a cost of $170,000.

“The whole facility has run great since we opened it,” said Yargeau when asked if the multiplex has faced any recent significant challenges.

“We’ve got ice time booked steady, we’ve got a drop-in gym, basketball leagues are playing out of there, and the addition of the school helped out a lot. We share the gym with the school.”

The Penhold Multiplex opened in 2010 and was built for $23 million.