Canada/Last stretch to solar power in Edmundston
If all goes according to plan, the Edmundston solar power project could be commissioned as early as August 2025.
For the past few days, machinery has been busy in the parking lot of Edmundston's Centre Jean Daigle. The Solstice solar panel project is progressing apace. Installation of the panels began on the roof of the arena and is now complete on the roof of the sports pavilion.
The city is close to the finish line with its ambitious $8 million project. According to the municipality, this is the largest rooftop solar panel project in Atlantic Canada.
If all goes according to plan, commissioning could begin as early as August 2025. The project alone will be able to generate 1 megawatt of energy and store up to 2 megawatts. The project will also significantly reduce the city's carbon footprint.
It's a very, very fine achievement. We've been working on the Solstice project for almost five or six years now. We had the idea as soon as the Jean Daigle Centre was built. Edmundston Energy already produces energy, so we've had this idea in mind for a long, long time. It's something that will perhaps enable us to follow in the footsteps of other similar projects," says Edmundston mayor Éric Marquis.
Other possibilities in Edmundston
According to Edmundston Energy coordinator Kevin Kilfoil, the supports for the solar panels have been installed. Installation of the panels has been completed on the sports pavilion, and work has begun on the arena roof.
Once the solar panels have been secured, they can be connected to the substation alongside the amphitheatre. The substation can then be connected to the city's power grid, and the new energy source put into operation.
All that remains to be done is to excavate the site and prepare the foundations to accommodate the batteries and transformers, among other things.
Éric Marquis hopes that this project will have a following. He also sees other infrastructures within the city limits as interesting locations for solar panels.
Source: ici.radio-canada.ca/
