Town of Viking Net Zero Electric Solar PV

OVERVIEW

As part of the MCCAC’s Alberta Municipal Solar Program (AMSP), the Town of Viking installed an 1.05 MW solar PV ground mount system at the Town’s lift station. The main objective of the solar farm is to reduce the cost of the direct energy used by the Town. The system will produce enough electricity to offset 100% of the electricity used annually by all Town operations. The project was completed in 2020.

APPROACH

The ground mount solar PV array installed at the lift station includes 2,880 x 365 watt DC solar modules (panels) and 6 x 150 kW AC string inverters. It is expected to produce 1.39 MWh (1,388,951 kWh) of electricity per year. The system cost was financed through a 15-year debenture by the Town who received an Alberta Municipal Solar Program rebate of $807,528.97. The annual financing costs (principle and interest) will be fully covered by the annual electrical savings produced by the project. The expected annual electrical cost savings and rebate result in a simple payback period between 7 and 8 years against the 25-year lifecycle of the solar farm. 

RESULTS

The electricity produced will offset 100% of the annual use at all Town owned facilities and is expected to reduce annual electricity costs for the municipality by more than $135,000. As electricity on the Alberta electrical grid is produced mostly by natural gas and coal generators, reducing the Town’s grid electricity consumption will also reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 791 tonnes per year, which is equivalent to removing 242 passenger vehicles from the road each year of the system’s minimum 25 year expected lifespan.

See real-time solar production data and a video of the project on the Town of Viking website.

Here’s what Don McLeod, Chief Administrative Officer for the Town of Viking, had to say about the project and participating in the Alberta Municipal Solar Program:

As a CAO, I am always looking for ways to make each dollar go as far as possible, come up with creative ideas to lower costs, and find additional funds without raising taxes. Through accessing funding from the Alberta Municipal Solar Program and securing a debenture the Town was able to install a ground-mount solar array that will save the Town the entire energy charge for electricity each year. Effectively, a net zero electrical consumption for the Town of Viking. These annual costs savings will more than cover the annual loan payments for the system, meaning we are cash positive from year one and aren’t using tax revenue to pay for the project.

Don R. McLeod, Town of Viking CAO

Watch the Action Centre’s webinar, Power your Municipality with Solar PV, with guest speaker the Town of Viking, to learn more about AMSP, the technical details of Viking’s system, how the Town financed the project, and their lessons learned.