Construction underway for Nelson’s Community Solar Garden
By Nelson Daily Staff
The excitement is building now that construction of the Nelson Community Solar Garden has started.
“I am excited to announce that we have contracted Valhalla Timberwrights to construct and install the solar panel racking system,” said Carmen Proctor, Project Lead for the Solar Garden.
“This work has just begun and should wrap up around mid-October.”
“After that the next step will be the installation of the panels and micro-inverters, and then the wiring and connection to the grid will follow,” Proctor added.
The Community Solar Garden, the first of its kind in Canada, surpassed its goal of 75% of the 50 kW array be subscribed to during the pre-sale event.
The result allowed Nelson Hydro was able to increase the size to 60 kW and move forward with their commitment.
“Our team is excited and proud to be playing a part in this fantastic community driven environmental initiative,” said Brian Coulter of Valhalla Timberwrights in Rossland.
Structural engineer, Alison MacLeod of MacLeod Nine Consultants, which designed the racking system added, “The racking is being built using cedar, due to its durability for exterior applications and low maintenance. Plus, it can be locally sourced, which is an important factor for this project.”
Once the racks are built they will be fastened to concrete blocks. This type of system is being used due to site conditions, which consist of some bedrock which is not easily penetrated.
Initial site work, which involved falling of a few trees and some excavation work to level the site, was completed last spring and the solar equipment has been received.
“Once the racking is in place, the panels will get installed and then the system will be connected to the grid,” Proctor explained.
“The goal is to have it completed by the end of November 2016.”
A grand opening event will be held in the spring of 2017, and the community will be invited to attend.
This project is an excellent example of community, with investors consisting of local residents, small businesses, several of Nelson’s co-ops, churches, schools and Selkirk College.
“Other communities continue to be very interested in developing community solar projects where they live, and Nelson continues to be applauded for this project,” Proctor said.
