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Solar panels atop Chinook Centre able to feed into power grid


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Enmax installed 1,900 solar photovoltaic panels on top of the shopping center and commissioned them this May.

Enmax has installed 1,900 solar panels on top of the CF Chinook Center in Calgary, which will feed excess energy back into the grid.

Enmax and CF Chinook Center have taken a major step in bringing solar power to commercial and industrial facilities to increase reliability on the state grid.

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Enmax installed 1,900 solar photovoltaic panels on top of the mall and commissioned them in May. A first for North America, the system allows for the export of excess energy to a secondary grid, such as residential properties with solar panels.

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“This pilot wasn’t really about volume, but it was about proving the technology that we could really enable the flow of energy,” said Jana Mosely, president of Enmax. “We will now continue to work with other customers who are interested in providing this for them as well.”

A secondary grid is used by many large municipalities to provide reliable and safe electricity.

Enmax modified the network’s hardware, software and communications to enable two-way flow without compromising network security and reliability.

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Mosley noted that other major centers such as Edmonton, Saskatoon, Toronto, San Francisco, Seattle and New York are closely watching the project as a potential blueprint for future infrastructure.

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The Chinook Center’s panels, which cover the area of ​​three NHL ice surfaces, have provided 5,000 kilowatt-hours of power to the grid since commissioning. on solar energy.

Paige O’Neill, general manager of CF Chinook, said the array is expected to generate 900,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity for the mall during the year – about 10 percent of demand – and reduce 650 tons of carbon dioxide. .

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“This of course coincides with and complements the Cadillac Fairview initiative to reduce our carbon footprint and electricity consumption,” he said.

CF Chinook was approached about the project by Enmax, which received $1.4 million from Natural Resources Canada and $820,000 from Alberta Innovates. The size of the roof of Calgary’s largest mall was a big factor in its selection, as well as its high energy demand. The installation of solar panels started in April 2021.

If the project is successful, Enmax will look at more buildings in the secondary network, including the installation of roof coverings in downtown offices and other commercial centers.

As the price of electricity increases and the load on the grid increases, alternative energy sources become more important.

Last week, the Alberta Electric System Operator issued two separate Grid Alerts requiring backup systems and recalling Albertans back to service.

AESO also reported that the average pool price for electricity from September 22 to 28 was $308/MWh, more than double the annual average pool price of $145/MWh.

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While no silver bullet, Mosley says it could be part of a long-term solution to decarbonisation.

“We as a community will need every tool in our toolkit to achieve our clean energy goals in our state, our country and globally,” he said. “We also need to look at ways in which we can better use distributed energy sources directly at the source, taking less from the grid, and a project like this allows people to do that. “

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Twitter: @JoshAldrich03

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