Municipal Climate Change Actions
Environmental sustainability has been a focus of the Town of Canmore for the past decade, with several Councils having approved plans and initiating action to address environmental sustainability and climate change. Our actions and initiatives are numerous, including:
- approving the 2018 Climate Action Plan, 2016 Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience Plan and 2010 Environmental Sustainability Action Plan (revised in 2013),
- building LEED certified buildings,
- partnering with the Town of Banff and ID9 to operate local and regional ROAM transit and providing fare-free local transit in Canmore,
- putting in place sustainable building requirements,
- conducting energy efficiency audits of our facilities,
- implementing cycling and pedestrian improvements to shift mode share,
- approving solar installations for Town facilities,
- implementing a community wide organics composting program,
- increasing our in-house resources from one part time sustainability coordinator in 2006 to two full-time staff, who are focused on sustainability and climate action
Solar Installations on Municipal Buildings
| 2022 Statistics for All Buildings | |
| Total Number of Panels: | 2,485 |
| Total Solar Electricity Produced: | 888,250 kWh |
| Total Greenhouse Gases % Offset: | 28.9% |
| Total Dollars Saved: | $76,250 |
Civic Centre
- Commissioning Date: June 2017
- Number of Panels: 192 panels (340 kWh each)
- Maximum Output: 65.28 kWh DC
- 2022 statistics:
- Solar Electricity Produced: 68,820 kWh
- Electricity Offset By Solar: 31%
- Dollars Saved: $3,980
- Greenhouse Gas Reduction: 22%
You can view the live system data here.
Waste Management Centre
- Commissioning Date: phase 1: July 2018, phase 2: November 2020
- Number of Panels: 472 panels (340/400 kWh each)
- Maximum Output: 172.94 kWh DC
- 2022 statistics:
- Solar Electricity Produced: 160,323 kWh
- Building Electricity Offset By Solar: 149%
- Dollars Saved: $8,303
- Greenhouse Gas Reduction: 72%
You can view the live system data here.
Elevation Place
- Commissioning Date: September 2020
- Number of Panels: 931 panels (400 kWh each)
- Maximum Output: 372.4 kWh DC
- 2022 statistics:
- Solar Electricity Produced: 286,312 kWh
- Electricity Offset By Solar: 25%
- Dollars Saved: $19,890
- Greenhouse Gas Reduction: 23%
You can view the live system data here.
Canmore Recreation Centre
- Commissioning Date: September 2021
- Number of Panels: 890 panels (450 kWh each)
- Maximum Output: 400.5 kWh DC
- 2022 statistics:
- Solar Electricity Produced: 371,743 kWh
- Electricity Offset By Solar: 24%
- Dollars Saved: $44,014
- Greenhouse Gas Reduction: 14%
Canmore Rooftop Solar Report
In an effort to increase awareness and understanding of Canmore’s potential to generate solar energy, the Town commissioned a study to evaluate the solar potential of the community. To view the full report pdf click here (3.24 MB)
Highlights of the report include:
- Solar Potential in Canmore: If solar was adopted on every building in town approximately 42,000 MWh/yr of electricity generation would be produced. Annually this is equivalent of taking 8,600 vehicles off the road and would reduce greenhouse gasses by over 40,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide.
- Residents have a significant role to play: 75% of the community is zoned for residential development, so the citizens of Canmore truly have the ability to make a difference, and could offset approximately 64% of their electricity use with solar.
- Rooftop Geometry and Design Verses Valley Location: Roof top geometry and roof design have significantly more impact on solar potential than location within the valley - that is, the design of the roof of the house is typically more important than the location of the house. The impact of mountain shading is not as significant as one would think.
- Canmore Solar Potential Versus Other Areas with High Solar Uptake: Neighbourhoods in the northeast (Silvertip) tend to have better solar production potential, and this gradually lessens as you travel toward the southwest of Canmore (Peaks of Grassi). However southern Alberta, including Canmore, has higher solar insolation (W/m2) than the capital cities of Germany and China (the countries with the most installed solar capacity worldwide). Even Canmore's least productive neighbourhoods still have relatively high potential.
- New Development: New development presents a one-time opportunity to harness solar energy efficiently. The most efficient way to utilize rooftop solar energy is to design rooftops to accommodate solar arrays that have southern exposure, are somewhat flat with minimal dormers, and have continuous roof space with minimal penetrations or chimneys. Building new homes that incorporate best practices for solar design is relatively inexpensive and enables homeowners to optimize this valuable resource for the life of their home.
