Lacombe County recognized for environmental stewardship; solar project

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County officials say the Solar Panel Project has been in the works for several years. This spring, the panels were installed on top of the Lacombe County Public Works building by Sky Fire Energy and went online in May .

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The 115 kilowatt-peak (kWp) system consists of 288 – 400 W solar panels and is estimated to produce 122,100 kWh of electricity in the first year, which equates to powering 17 Albertan homes for a year.

This is anticipated to offset The County’s electricity usage between the administration and shop buildings by 17 per cent annually and reduce The County’s overall carbon footprint by approximately 69.5 tonnes/year.

The County participated in a rebate program through the Municipal Climate Change Action Centre, which is expected to cover 30 per cent of the project costs. Through this rebate and the cost savings on The County’s electricity bills, the system is anticipated to have a return on investment within eight to nine years.

“A project such as this enshrines Lacombe County’s commitment to ensure a healthy environment for generations to come,” emphasized Reeve Law.

In 2013, Lacombe County implemented the environmental policy, which solidified the organization’s long history of commitment to the environment. Since then, The County has completed numerous initiatives through the environmental program and recently released an updated Environmental Management Plan (EMP).

The EMP focuses on five priority areas, which aims to ensure Lacombe County keeps the environment at the forefront of its actions and decisions each day.

These priorities include:

• Water Quality and Security
• Waste Creation and Disposal
• Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation
• Energy Consumption
• Land Use in the Built and Natural Environment

Additional environmental initiatives include:

• Reclamation of Crooker Wetland (former gravel pit) (2017)
• Implementation of the Environmental Community Engagement Program (previously known as the Environmental Improvement Grant)
• Support and maintenance of local natural areas
• Remote shop construction (reduces the travel of equipment and powered partially by solar energy) (2016)
• Focus on agriculture and environment in the revised Municipal Development Plan (2017)
• Partnerships with neighbouring municipalities/groups on items like Take It Off Program for ice fishing huts, Agricultural Plastics Recycling Program, lakeside clean up events, etc.