For the past couple years, Powell River Curling Club (PRCC)has quietly been trying to find ways to cut operating costs and decided to go with the renewable energy route.
Many cities and businesses across North America are trying to figure out ways to keep spaces cool, while lowering carbon emissions in the face of more frequent heat domes and heat waves. 120 solar panels were installed on the roof of the curling club in 2022, by local electricians at Newport Electrical.
"The grid tie system allows us to bank the generated solar power during summer when we're not running and then apply it to winter months when our plant is running," said curling club director and grant writer Don Mitchinson in an email to the Peak. "We should have an idea soon for energy savings when the season ends in March."
Although photovoltaic cells have gone down in cost, they still require a large initial investment, with the idea of saving money over the long run and helping the environment at the same time.
Mitchinson said funding for the solar panels and other PRCC projects came from multiple sources including: Powell River Community Forest, which gave $53,000; a provincial Capital Project Gaming Grant at $114,000; and the club’s capital assessment reserve funds contributing $50,000 toward the project. Mitchinson said the solar panel cost was under $100,000.
"We've also added a heat exchanger to our dehumidifier so excess heat from the plant will pre-warm the air for the dehumidifier, saving more energy," said Mitchinson. "Both the dehumidifier and heat exchanger came from a COVID-19 federal grant."
Mitchinson said the grant total included solar panel installation, but also included security fencing, new metal siding and a 175-foot art mural. He is excited to now have an app and public dashboard so the curling club and the public can see the solar wattage produced as well as carbon emissions saved.
"For the solar and data geeks out there, we've added a public dashboard for our recent solar panel grid-tie installation," said Mitchinson.
To check out the Powell River Curling Club’s solar panel data, go to monitoringpublic.solaredge.dashboard.
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