Rockyford expects to save up to $7,000 annually through its new solar project.
The village recently installed solar panels at its village office to generate electricity for the office and fire hall.
According to the village, the panels are expected to produce about 77 per cent of the electricity used by the two buildings annually, reducing operating costs.
Mayor Darcy Burke said the project cost just under $45,000 and was fully funded through grants.
The project received funding through the Municipal Electricity Generation Program and the Canada Community-Building Fund, now known as the Build Communities Strong Fund’s Community stream.
The Municipal Electricity Generation Program supports municipal electricity-generation projects, including solar installations. It is administered by the Municipal Climate Change Action Centre, a partnership of Alberta Municipalities, the Rural Municipalities of Alberta and the Government of Alberta. The Canada Community-Building Fund provides federal funding for local infrastructure projects.
“Our project here was 100 per cent paid for by grant funding,” Burke said.
Burke noted the anticipated savings could be redirected toward other municipal priorities.
“We’re going to see $7,000 that can be utilized elsewhere in our budget,” he said. “If it does work out well, council will move forward with doing some more community buildings as time progresses and to further continue reducing costs.”
Burke said the project is one way the village is exploring renewable energy to improve efficiency and manage spending.
“These are steps that we must take in order to become more efficient with our tax dollars,” he said.
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