Medalta envisions solar power future with funds from Energy Efficiency Alberta

With funding from Energy Efficiency Alberta, Medalta’s National Historic Site completed a solar feasibility study indicating that they would be able to potentially generate more energy than they currently consume by installing a 431.2 kw rooftop solar and ground-mounted carport system at the main Medalta site and a 404.4 kw rooftop solar system at the Medicine Hat Brick and Tile site.

“We were thrilled to receive this funding from Energy Efficiency Alberta to work with local solar industry professionals and explore options to help us understand how investing in solar could defray our substantial electricity costs, that are often over $60,000 per year,” states Aaron Nelson, Executive Director at Medalta.

“As an industrial historic site that was built off the abundant gas resources in southeast Alberta over a century ago, it is exciting to see Medalta’s potential to enter their second century of existence using another abundant energy resource in southeast Alberta, solar energy.

Solar energy helps business and organizations lower their energy costs

According to Energy Efficiency Alberta’s website “Solar is an unlimited renewable source of energy.” This gives businesses the power to reduce operating costs by taking control of their individual energy needs.

By investing in a solar PV system, businesses can stabilize their electricity costs and protect against potentially unpredictable increase in utility bills.

Medicine Hat based organization Terralta Inc. worked with local partners SMC and Action Land Environmental to create a solar feasibility study for Medalta.

“We appreciated the opportunity to work with Medalta to design a feasible rooftop solar PV system and a ground-mounted solar canopy system in their parking lot to help them lower their annual energy costs by 50%”, reports Terralta’s Operations Manager Marcus Campbell. “Now that we know it is a feasible option for Medalta to generate solar energy, they will be able to explore additional options for funding and installing these solar systems.

Local architectural technologist Gil Sissons has created renderings of these proposed solar systems that will be unveiled at Medalta during their annual Heritage Christmas Market on Saturday Dec. 8 at 2 p.m. in the Turning Room, along with a brief panel discussion featuring Medalta staff and some of the local solar professionals who worked on this feasibility study.

Medalta is an innovative, industrial non-profit museum, contemporary ceramic arts facility, art gallery and community hub in Medicine Hat.

Located within a converted century-old factory, it has become an exciting place where cutting-edge technologies meet historic restoration and archaeology come together.