The Abbey Centre in Blackfalds was recently approved by council to build solar panels on the roof of their building this summer.

The project was approved at the start of this month by town council, and the panels are expected to be added on to the building this summer.

The $396,000 solar project was started after a Solar Power Feasibility Study was conducted by SkyFire Energy, which determined that the Abbey Centre was the best location in Blackfalds for solar panel installation.

NuEnergy Systems was awarded the contract, with SkyFire Energy approved to provide consulting for the project by the Recreation, Culture, and Parks Board at the May 3rd town council meeting.

The Town also received $99,000 from the Alberta government through the Alberta Municipal Solar Plan.

David Vonesch is a representative from SkyFire Energy,

"So the system just generates electricity to the building, and back feeds the existing electrical system. First the energy is consumed on sight where the Town will save on buying that energy from the grid, than anytime the system is producing more power than they are consuming, the excess goes to the grid where they get a credit for that on their bill."

The project is expected to be fully operational by August of this year. It is hoping to produce around 220,000 kilowatt-hours per year of electricity, which is enough to power 30 average homes for a year, all while reducing the Abbey Centres' greenhouse gas emissions.