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New solar project brightens condo complex

The Da Daghay Development Corp. has completed a solar energy installation at its River Bend condominium complex in the Whistle Bend subdivision.

By Whitehorse Star on August 14, 2018

The Da Daghay Development Corp. has completed a solar energy installation at its River Bend condominium complex in the Whistle Bend subdivision.

Spread across the south-facing roof area of two of the complex’s three buildings, 198 panels – 99 per building – will together generate up to 61.4 kilowatts of energy.

Over a year, it’s expected that 60,000 kilowatt hours of electricity will be produced, which will power all of the common areas in the buildings.

Excess energy will be sold to the Yukon’s grid through the territorial government’s micro-generation program.

“This was a significant undertaking for us,” said Ben Asquith, the corporation’s chief executive officer.

“But to be able to generate energy using solar panels on our affordable housing development sends an important reminder: sustainable development and operation of buildings is possible, and happening right now, in the Yukon.”

The construction was funded by the corporation, with support from the federal government.

The installation was completed by Total North Communications.

“The construction and development of renewable energy sources in the Yukon is a growing market,” said Josh Clark, vice-president of Total North.

“We’re working hard to be one of the leaders in the field and to help give Yukoners opportunities to generate their own electricity, reduce their costs, as part of a long-term investment in their own infrastructure – and from a Yukon-owned and operated company.”

The solar panels will soon be connected to the grid and generating power.

Comments (7)

Up 0 Down 1

Politico on Aug 21, 2018 at 12:41 am

@Always Questions - Well, you could always go to your neighbors and ask but it's so much simpler for arch conservatives to make unfounded conspiracy claims. If you have questions about the process you could always ask YEC but let's make conspiracy claims rather that search for facts!

Up 1 Down 2

Sally Wright on Aug 20, 2018 at 11:56 am

The people who live in this development should all get electric cars so they can indeed store their excess solar energy in the car batteries. This is the future. I am so glad there are forward thinking businesses that are taking advantage of this carbon reduction technology. Yukon Energy has failed us time and again over the past 15 years when it come to de-carbonizing our energy sector in the Yukon. Now YEC are green-washing their logo. Pathetic. Next thing you know they'll paint flowers on the expanded LNG monstrosity on Robert Service Way.
When it comes to your rates going up, it has more to do with burning so much LNG because Mayo A and B hydro have drained Mayo Lake and the grid is so wobbly that a burnt raven can shut down the whole grid. Where is the smart grid? Where is the demand side management? Where is a low carbon future? I don't think they talk about such things around the boardroom table at YEC.

Up 11 Down 0

ProScience Greenie on Aug 17, 2018 at 10:52 am

One needs to see the number on each of these solar installs before claiming they work or not. Without numbers it's hot air claiming either way. As far as gov grants go, all forms of energy production receive them in one form or another. It would be nice if there were less tax dollars spent on any of it and more in our pockets.

Up 3 Down 4

Torn A. Sunder on Aug 17, 2018 at 7:26 am

Yes the panels will perform best in the summer...."when the extra energy is not needed" does not really apply. The power is there and if it takes the load off the infrastructure at the damn then that's good. In the extreme imagine there were enough installations to not require ATCO at all in the summer.

The panels will produce power whenever the light hits them...they don't care if water is spilling over the dam much.
Most of these installations are "grid tie" systems with no storage capability. You can have this functionality but at a cost of course and even then there are limits.

I'm pretty sure we pay more than 7 cents per kwh no? More like twelve or fourteen I thought.
Lucky for this first nation for sure....and anybody else that chooses to go this route. Put one on your roof and the govies will pay you just like them. No racial motivation required.

Up 9 Down 1

Always Questions on Aug 15, 2018 at 8:11 pm

Two houses in my neighborhood have solar panels covering their roofs, are they getting the same deal I wonder? Is there a storage system to save it for later?
I'd sign up in a heartbeat if I could, a major utility lifecost paying ME for my power bill, awesome.
I'm for alternate energy sources for sure, I'm also for a reasonable, methodical, flexible and fair transition period.

Up 14 Down 5

north_of_60 on Aug 15, 2018 at 3:20 pm

@Max Mack is correct. Like all other solar panels connected to the Yukon grid, they will only produce electricity during the months when there is a surplus of water spilling over the dam.

Generating hydro power costs about 7¢/kWh, how is it 'sustainable' to spill water and pay 21¢/kWh for solar electricity? This clearly illustrates the idiocy of the whole 'sustainability' scam.

Up 16 Down 7

Max Mack on Aug 14, 2018 at 3:08 pm

"The construction was funded by the corporation, with support from the federal government."

In other words, the bulk of costs were covered by grants from the federal government. And, the solar panels will generate most power during the summer months, when the extra energy is not needed. And, "lucky" for the FN development corporation, the government's micro-generation program will pay the FN 3x (?) the going rate to buy electricity that the grid won't likely need.

Sustainable? Ummm . . . sure . . . but for who? I smell my rates going up . . .

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