2021Completion Year
302.7kWInstalled Capacity
$382,946.56Project Cost
$30,010Cost Savings
$114,883.97 MCCAC Funding
8.93Simple Payback Period
300,100 kWh/yearElectrical Energy Savings
171.06 tonnes CO2e/yearGHG Reductions
Greenhouse gas emissions reductions for this project are calculated based on Alberta’s Carbon Offset Emission Factors Handbook Version 2.0
Overview
Over the summer of 2021, the Town of Banff completed construction of their new solar PV installation, a 302.7 kW solar PV system on the roof of the new Roam Transit Operations and Training Centre. The system comprises 680 solar modules and is conservatively estimated to generate 300,100 kWh per year. The energy generated will offset a portion of the electricity consumed at the new facility and allow the Town of Banff to produce renewable energy, lower its carbon footprint, and lead by example in the community. The system was designed and installed by Kuby Renewable Energy and received a rebate through the Municipal Climate Change Action Centre’s Alberta Municipal Solar Program for $114,883.97.
Approach
Roam Public Transit, the Government of Alberta, the towns of Banff and Canmore and Improvement District 9 (Lake Louise) opened a new transit operations centre today in Banff to enhance service across the Bow Valley and accelerate down the road toward the goal of zero emissions.
Three new battery electric buses – the first based in Banff National Park – also rolled into service for popular destinations in Banff, including the Banff Gondola (the top destination in the Banff area), Bow Falls, the Banff Springs Hotel, and the Tunnel Mountain Campgrounds, as well as downtown Banff year-round.
Results
The project will reduce the municipality’s greenhouse gas emissions by 171.06 tonnes of CO2e per year, equivalent to removing 47 passenger vehicles from the road.
The $8.5 million Roam Transit Operations & Training Centre houses administrative offices, a state-of-the-art driver training simulator, indoor and covered storage for 32 buses, an environmentally responsible wash area and charging stations for the electric buses. The 27,000-square-foot facility is net zero via the largest solar array in Banff and Jasper National Parks and is heated entirely by the new biomass energy district heating system that turns wood waste into heat energy for four buildings. The super-insulated building does not have a natural gas connection.
Today is a major milestone for Roam Public Transit and for the Bow Valley. We are making public transit better, our air cleaner, and our communities healthier. We are moving forward on our goals to preserve our world-class national park and mountain towns for years to come.
Brian Standish, chair of the Bow Valley Regional Transit Services Commission (BVRTSC)
