You can read a summary of input received through public engagement here.
An online meeting was held on the evening of Tuesday, June 22, 2021. The meeting included an opening presentation by Saskatoon Light & Power, followed by a question and answer period. The presentation slideshow is available here.
For information on the Dundonald Avenue Solar Farm project, click on the Background and Images tabs.
Cleaner ways of generating power is a priority for the City of Saskatoon (the City). As part of the Low Emissions Community Plan (LEC Plan), the City aims to reduce its own emissions by 40% below 2014 levels by 2023 and 80% by 2050. One way to help achieve these goals is through clean power generation, such as solar energy. The long-term plan is to support the Saskatchewan power grid's transition to be carbon neutral by 2050.
Currently, Saskatoon Light & Power (SL&P) buys most of its electricity from SaskPower, which uses fossil fuels. The Dundonald Avenue Solar Farm, a 2.2 megawatt solar power project, will enable SL&P to generate renewable electricity to the power grid for their customers in addition to the 1.6 megawatt Landfill Gas Generation Facility, which was commissioned in 2014.
The Dundonald Avenue Solar Farm will lower annual power emissions by approximately 1,400 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, which is comparable to removing 97 cars from the road each year.
A solar farm is a large collection of photovoltaic (PV) solar panels. These panels absorb the sun's energy, convert it into electricity, and send the electricity to the power grid.
City Council set aside a parcel of land (Parcel M) for solar development. An additional right-of-way immediately south of the parcel has also been included. (Click map for larger version.)
The 14 acres of land between the CN railway tracks and the new Circle Drive South freeway has no commercial value and will be used for the project. This land has excellent sun exposure and is near existing underground electricity lines.
The generated power from the Dundonald Avenue Solar Farm will be tied directly into the main power feed to Montgomery Place. Click on the Images tab to see renderings of approximately what a solar farm in this location would look like.
The City will continue to look for locations and opportunities to generate solar energy to meet its goals.
The total cost of the project is estimated to be $4.2 million. The City has been approved to receive $2.5 million of funding from the government for this project. With this funding, the project will pay itself back in 11 years due to reduced purchasing of electricity from SaskPower.
Stantec Consulting Ltd. conducted a feasibility study in 2021 regarding a potential solar farm at the proposed location. The following is a summary of their findings:
In addition, the City has been running a solar demonstration site just south of the proposed location for a few years and has data that helps with determining the feasibility of solar power generation in the area.
Below are renderings of about what the solar panels would look like located between Circle Drive South and the railway tracks, south of 11th Street West. You can click on each image to view a larger version.
