Medicine Hat warms to solar power

Parabolic troughs placed on lands adjacent to the cityÂ’s natural gas-fired power plant will capture solar energy and generate steam that will feed the plant.

Once in operation, scheduled for two years from now, the solar-thermal pilot project will tie into the existing system and generate about 0.5 per cent of the cityÂ’s electricity, reducing reliance on natural gas for generation.

“It means we’re going to burn a little less gas,” said Russ Smith, manager of energy sustainability for Medicine Hat.

Smith said the city will assess the costs and challenges of the technology in the years ahead to see if it’s feasible to expand solar-thermal operations. “This project, at this point, is not about economics,” he noted.

This type of technology is already used in warmer climates, closer to the equator, Smith said. This pilot project will determine if the technology will work in southern Alberta.

Medicine Hat, about 290 kilometres southeast of Calgary, is one of the sunniest places in the country and is classified by the federal government as the driest city in Canada, averaging 271 days a year without measurable precipitation.

Funding for the project will come from the city itself, the province and Ottawa. Money will also flow from AlbertaÂ’s technology fund, the Climate Change and Emissions Management Corporation, which collects fees from major greenhouse gas-emitting firms.

“It will be an experimental learning project,” said deputy mayor Ted Clugston. “You’ll drive into Medicine Hat and see all these parabolic dishes reflecting light.” Clugston noted Medicine Hat’s publicly owned utility has the uncommon ability to spend time and money on what is an experimental technology for Alberta.

“Private enterprise would be much more reluctant to do something like this because they always look at cost-benefit analysis,” he said. “Whereas as a public utility — well, I’m not much of a socialist — but we look at the greater good. We take an environmental stance, as well.”

Site construction is set to begin next September.