Still at the drawing board stage, Suncor is proposing three solar projects in Alberta, each capable of producing 80MW of energy. — Photo courtesy DPW Solar
For Alberta they’re “staggering," a solar industry consultant is quoted as saying when talking about Suncor's proposed solar projects.
Suncor’s three solar projects might be at the drawing board stage of planning but at 80 megawatts each, they represent a significant leap in commercial solar production in Alberta, according to an article published in the Medicine Hat News.
Two projects, Schuler and Forty Mile, are scheduled for development in the Medicine Hat area, with another project, a third called Hand Hills, proposed for the Hanna region.
“For North America, the sizes are 50 to 80 MW for your standard, generic solar farm,” said Paula McGarrigle, managing director with renewable energy consulting firm Solas.
While solar projects in the range Suncor is proposing might be nothing new on a global scale, for Alberta they’re “staggering, frankly,” said McGarrigle.
At two MW, Bassano’s Green Acres Hutterite Colony currently has the largest solar farm in the province, while another two proposed projects by BluEarth Renewables’ near Burdett are expected to be in the 20 MW range each.
One of the three Suncor projects would be double all those solar facilities combined and significantly raise Alberta’s current combined solar production generation of nine MW, according to the News.
“It’s the very first time it’s at this stage in Alberta,” said McGarrigle of the commercial grade solar farms being proposed, in an interview with the newspaper. “Once you get the large size, you get significant economic advantages.”
In addition to these two solar projects, Suncor is also proposing two windfarms in Schuler and Forty Mile with an estimated capacity of 80 MW and 200 MW respectively.
Read the entire article here.
