Generating new revenue for the City of Ottawa from space that’s otherwise unused, while at the same time making a positive difference for the environment with renewable energy. This is what Energy Ottawa, an affiliate of Hydro Ottawa, and the City are doing, by turning eight municipal rooftops into generating stations that feed the local power grid.
Energy Ottawa is installing solar panels on the rooftops of these buildings through a 20-year lease from the City. The City will receive about $85,000 a year in revenue, or $1.7 million in total.
This model has been proven through several iterations of Ontario’s Feed-in-Tariff program, managed by the Independent Electricity System Operator. Successful pilots are already operating on the rooftops of City Hall and the OC Transpo garage at 875 Belfast Rd.
The first project to come online is the Jim Durrell Recreation Centre. It features a 250 kW solar photovoltaic system with an estimated output of 328,465 kWh/year – equivalent to removing more than 30 homes from the grid annually.
“We understand how important green energy solutions are to our customers, our city and our province,” said Greg Clarke, Chief Electricity Generation Officer at Energy Ottawa. “This helps us further diversify our green generation portfolio and strengthen Energy Ottawa’s reputation as Ontario’s largest municipally owned producer of green power.”
These projects have a combined capacity of roughly 2.3 megawatts and an estimated generation of three milllion kWh/year, which is enough to power more than 300 homes in Ottawa.
“Creating new sources of renewable energy in our own backyard reduces how much electricity Energy Ottawa must draw from fossil fuel sources to meet the ever-changing needs of residents and businesses,” said Clarke. “We will trim Ontario’s greenhouse gas emissions by 41,382 metric tonnes over the 20-year term.”
Which buildings will be getting solar panels?
– Ray Friel Complex, 1585 Tenth Line Rd.
– Jim Durrell Recreation Complex, 1265 Walkley Rd.
– Kanata Recreation Complex, 100 Charlie Rogers Pl.
– Walter Baker Sports Centre, 100 Malvern Dr.
– François Dupuis Recreation Centre, 2263 Portobello Blvd.
– Operations Garage, 3100 Conroy Rd.
– Articulated Bus Garage, 755 Industrial Ave.
– Operations Garage, 110 Iber Rd.
Learn more at energyottawa.com/generation/rooftop
