Dawson Creek lights way for cities going solar - solar powered street lights residential

Edmonton-Dawson Creek is located in the heart of the oil and gas country north of the Rocky Mountains, 0 miles off the Alaska Highway.
However, everything you see is a sign of green energy.
From the solar speed sign to the solar hot water system for most public buildings, you will soon feel that the city has surpassed fossil fuels.
Bear Mountain Park is Bear Mountain Park-
34 wind turbines occupy the western skyline of Dawson Creek like green energy Sentinel. The 102-
Megawatt wind farms from 34 Germany-
Built Enercon wind turbines that require much more energy than Dawson Creek's 12,000 residents.
Standing in front of giant 78-
When I called the Wind "farm", Cheryl Schumann, a member of the rice turbine city, smiled painfully.
"This is a" park ", not a wind farm, she corrected my mistake and quickly listed the reasons why people use this space --
Hiking, mountain climbing, picnic, Cross
Skiing, swimming and even bird watching.
No Gear Three
Megawatt's Enercon turbine is very quiet and it is really one of the jewels on Dawson Creek's crown.
Xiong Shan is the first large-scale wind project in City B. C.
It was developed by a local group of peaceful energy cooperatives with strong support from residents.
At Dawson Creek, politicians, city staff and the city's award-winning efforts to produce renewable energy, improve energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions also demonstrate commitment to green energy.
The municipal carbon tax move has attracted attention and has inspired the hearts of carbon pricing experts everywhere. Dawson Creek has imposed a $100 tax on its greenhouse gas emissions per ton.
The money went into the Dawson Creek Carbon Fund to fund energy efficiency and renewable energy projects.
"Last year, when we conducted the audit, we discharged 3,600 tons, so we made sure to deposit $360,000 into a separate fund that can only be used for green initiatives within the community, said Mayor Mike Burney.
The city is very serious about greening.
They have completed an energy audit of public buildings, carried out electrical modifications, and installed solar photovoltaic systems at the Town Hall.
The city has reduced the use of natural gas by installing solar hot water systems at city halls, fire halls, police stations and airports.
The idea also extends to the purchase of vehicles, in which case the city is "adjusting the size" of its fleet, buying a hybrid and having the first plug
A hybrid of Toyota Prius.
Dawson Creek even has his own energy manager, a position funded by BC Hydro.
Matthew McWilliam's first project will be to introduce LED street lights to replace the existing high
Pressure Sodium street light.
These LEDs will use about one
A third energy source.
You multiply it by the 500 lights the city is responsible for and you will start to see some real savings.
Edmonton's huge solar potential, like Dawson Creek, is one of Canada's sunny cities --
Compared to cities like Rio, our solar energy profile is known to the city administration.
That's why in 2010 it offered a solar rebate to home and business owners who installed the grid --Connected Solar-Electrical system.
The project has a small budget, with $200,000 allocated between residential and commercial, selling faster than folk festival tickets.
15 homes and 7 commercial systems have helped the city understand the barriers to installing and running these systems.
According to the renewable energy task force report to the Council, solar photovoltaic and solar hot water systems "provide the most important strategic opportunity for Edmonton.
"Solar photovoltaic power generation can generate 10 per cent of Edmonton's electricity.
The council sent the report back to city staff to flesh out how Edmonton can support renewable energy development.
It's only time to prove whether Edmonton is in the solar field or diving deep like our world-class waste management system.
While Edmonton is just a first step in renewable energy, it's instructive to see what smaller, more flexible cities like Dawson Creek can do.
You can forgive Cheryl Schumann when she calls her hometown "awesome Dawson", but if you stay in town long enough, you may start agreeing with her
The small city in the North is in the heart of the oil and gas country, and is in carbon neutral.
David Dodge is the producer and host of green energy futures, a multimedia series presented on green energy futures. ca.
The series is supported by the TD, Suncor Energy and Pembina Institute.