A solar farm just outside of Strathmore is starting to take shape and will hopefully be up and running by the start of 2022. 

On Monday, Strathmore Mayor Pat Fule and others from the Town of Strathmore were able to take a tour of the grounds which lay across the highway from the Edgefield Co-op.  

The Town of Strathmore has leased 320 acres of land to Capital Power which is heading up the project.  

“There are 190,000 solar panels in many long lines, attached to thick metal rods that rotate and tilt to the height and location of the sun,” explained

Steel posts have been drilled into the ground and are waiting to have solar panels installed next. the Mayor, who was very impressed by the project, in a Facebook post. “They have no glare whatsoever, as the panels are black and densely made. In fact, when the panels are angled to the sun, their back surfaces still take in light from the reflections of the grass and snow in the winter.” 

This project is the company’s first solar project in Canada explained Senior Vice President of Captial Power, Steve Owens. "The Strathmore Solar Project is going to produce 40.5 megawatts of clean energy, which is the equivalent of being able to power 12,000 homes in Alberta but at the same time, it will be offsetting about 46,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions on an annual basis.” 

READ MORE: Strathmore’s Exciting Solar Energy Project 

The Town of Strathmore has not invested capital in this project. Capital Power pays lease and property tax payments to the Town of Strathmore which means that a new revenue source will be gained when the project is finished in early 2022.  

“So, all of the energy and the renewable energy credits that are generated by the projects are sold to TELUS Corporation on a 25-year power purchase agreement, but that's strictly for their internal use like the powering of their towers or the switchgear,” Owens continued.  

Strathmore Mayor Pat Fule and Town of Strathmore employees stand in front of the "Golden Row," which is the first rows of panels to be installed. Owens explained that almost all of the materials used will be recycled when the project has reached the end of use. Until then, goats and sheep are being looked at to help keep the grass between panels down to decrease the project's environmental footprint further.  

“The project overall is expected to have an operational life of about 35 years. That being said, solar panels do have a degradation that occurs over time, and I think panels last about 10 to 12 years until they may have to be changed out. The panels are made up mostly of steel, glass, and other, very highly recyclable components. But at the end of the 35 years, two things may happen. We may repower using newer, more efficient technology or take the entire facility out and then reclaim the land.” 

Additionally, the project has hired over 100 locals to build the Solar Project. Borea Construction, which has been contracted to build the site by Capital Power, is hosting another job fair at the Strathmore Farmer’s Market Pavilion at 1 Parklane Drive on Tuesday, September 28 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. to onboard more employees.  

“Our expectation is always to hire and source as many local supplies and resources as we can. I think that's happened in Strathmore as well.  We have a number of contractors and some spin-off business now with local contractors," Owens concluded.

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