Whitehorse Daily Star

City staff support solar farm

City planners are recommending that council move forward with a proposed zoning change that would allow for a solar farm in the Mount Sima industrial area.

By Stephanie Waddell on September 18, 2018

City planners are recommending that council move forward with a proposed zoning change that would allow for a solar farm in the Mount Sima industrial area.

At Monday’s council meeting, city planner Mike Ellis brought forward the recommendation on the proposal to change the zoning for the 1.5-hectare piece of land owned by the Yukon government along Mount Sima Road.

It would be altered from future planning to a public utilities designation.

The report followed a public hearing last week on the proposal.

Steve Roddick, who expressed support, was the only person to speak at the hearing, with the city also receiving one written submission on it.

If approved, a 50-kilowatt array of solar panels, which would fall under the Yukon’s micro-generation policy, would be installed at the site.

Supplementary structures could also be constructed on the parcel, which could include a caretaker’s residence and storage sheds.

While support was expressed, there was some concern around the possibility of opening the door for “more intrusive public utilities” such as diesel generators in the future.

Coun. Dan Boyd suggested the city should put restrictions on the zoning to ensure that doesn’t happen.

“I think we need certainty on that,” he said.

Ellis pointed out there’s no definition for a solar farm under the zoning bylaw, but rather a more broad definition that includes a wider variety of public utilities.

Coun. Betty Irwin then argued there should be a definition in place for that.

There were also concerns that residents of the Mount Sima area weren’t aware of the proposal.

Ellis pointed out the city followed the notification requirements to inform everyone in the city of the proposed zoning change. That included running ads, a sign placed on the property, and a letter being mailed out to anyone within one kilometre of the site.

The final two readings of the zoning change are scheduled to come back to council for a vote next week.

City staff also indicated they would get back to council before that on the issues around restricting the site to a solar farm.

Comments (12)

Up 4 Down 0

Wilf Carter on Sep 23, 2018 at 5:51 pm

Rhein on Yukon footprint of CO'2 is not correct. We remove 8 time the carbon that we put out at minimum. How do I know? I studied plant science in forestry engineering.

Up 6 Down 2

My Opinion on Sep 23, 2018 at 2:24 am

@ Werner

What are you talking about? Our power is 97% green Hydro now. You want to burn WOOD? are you kidding? You think that doesn't have a Carbon Footprint? You must be selling that stuff.

Up 5 Down 2

MichaelFaraday on Sep 22, 2018 at 6:18 pm

Install a Mount Sima charging point for our fleet of electric vehicles. Whitehorse has ONE . That new Tesla could then drive around giving jump starts to everyone in need of a boost on a Monday Morning. Price? One hundred dollars a boost. The solar farm would experience payback in, er, about the same time it takes for Elon Musk to be slungshot into the outer Twittersphere.

Up 3 Down 10

Werner Rhein on Sep 22, 2018 at 11:47 am

Hi all residents of the Yukon and in other Northern jurisdictions. There is a lot of cold solar-wind puffed around lately, which will do not much of reducing the CO2 footprint here in the north. By the way, Yukon has the highest CO2 footprint per capita in Canada.

We have another much more effective fuel right in our backyards, wood. If used efficient and well-working wood gasification generators will produce all the electricity we need. And not expensive and polluting LNG or Diesel as planned by our almighty energy experts. The exes heat could be used to heat buildings or greenhouses or too dry the feedstock.

The newest generation of gasifiers can also produce charcoal that can sequester CO2 out of the environment. More questions I'm on FB.
It also would help to mitigate the fire danger around our communities, without cost because the harvested wood could be sold as fuel.

Up 5 Down 1

Josey Wales on Sep 22, 2018 at 6:03 am

Hey BnR...a few more than a dozen, but point taken.
They have those union wage, union laid Christmas lights like a gaaazillion
Of them they leave on for the winter 24/7 ....now they spend more of your money to save hydro?

The wizards in our hall should buy a SIM city for the games they wish to play. No reset button out here for the dullards that pick up a controller and know not what all those buttons are for?
Tax, spend, polarize and waste...the liberal mission statement seemingly.
Solar panels, the new yoga pants...apparently, but way less sexier when properly installed.

Up 12 Down 3

BnR on Sep 21, 2018 at 8:32 am

50kW?
Whats that, like 12 domestic hot water tanks?
More "green" power, subsidized by taxpayers, supplying power WHEN WE DON'T NEED IT. How do these PV installations offset our Carbon footprint? We are dumping water out of the dams in the summer, and the PVs don't contribute meaningfully in the winter. But they are great deals for the people installing them, essentially getting taxpayer subsidized electricity. I'd love for someone to show the REAL numbers on this whole program.
Given that this rezoning will allow for "other" structures, this sounds like a great way for the proponent to:
a-get taxpayer subsided power
b-get a nice piece of country residential land in an area no one else can.
Heck of a deal....

Up 10 Down 5

Idiooddick on Sep 20, 2018 at 1:56 pm

Uh
it won't work
long term it will cost more than it will produce. Care for the city to explain how much they've spent on battery replacements for their solar powered units?

Now multiply that amount.

Also; you'll need to pay to heat the area year round because dun dun dun
batteries need to be kept warm.

Up 14 Down 2

My Opinion on Sep 19, 2018 at 1:15 pm

Something to ask the Councillors and Mayors coming to your door in the future. Are they Fiscally prudent? That is what we need here now. Not more TAXES.

Up 21 Down 2

My Opinion on Sep 19, 2018 at 1:13 pm

First of all we only need additional power in the winter and Solar will do nothing. In the summer we spill water from the Dam constantly as we have an abundance of Green Hydro available all summer long, no Hydro Carbons at all. Say no to this and others looking for tax payers money. If it is viable they can do it unsubsidized.

Up 3 Down 27

Wilf Carter on Sep 19, 2018 at 10:34 am

Hi residents of Whitehorse. This type of investment is great to move us away from fossil fuels. There are some very good technologies out there on wind and solar. City planning has to get ahead of the curve so City can be ready for change and our mayor should champion green energy like this. If I become mayor I already have plans for green energy in our city's future. The city needs vision going forward. I looked at what Europe and China is doing and the advances they are making is incredible. Far as the OCP goes, we really need to bring it into the new age of energy change.

Up 22 Down 3

Bandit on Sep 19, 2018 at 9:53 am

This seems like another Haeckel hill boondoggle considering it takes roughly 25 kw to power the average mid size home. I don’t live at Mt. Sima but I just think the juice ain’t worth the squeeze.

Up 28 Down 6

Max Mack on Sep 18, 2018 at 10:47 pm

Seems like the "right" people can step forward and city planners and council will gladly throw out the OCP, zoning, bylaws and anything else that might slow down progress.

And, a 50-kW solar array sounds like a perfect thing to suck revenue out of the public purse under the "micro-generation" policy.

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