Riverbank unveils city’s largest solar array

Brandon’s largest solar array has been installed on the roof of the Riverbank Discovery Centre and will become an educational hub for people interested in solar energy.

Brandon Riverbank Inc. marked Earth Day on Wednesday by holding a grand opening ceremony to highlight the 96 new south-facing solar panels located on the east side of the building.

The solar panel system will supply more than 40 per cent of the centre’s annual hydro, saving an estimated $8,000 per year that will be reinvested into the non-profit, said Dean Hammond, executive director of Brandon Riverbank Inc.

“The intent with this project was not to be just a solar array that sits there and generate some benefit, but more so, it’d be a solar array that could be used to educate other people about solar energy,” he said.

Hammond admitted that he was skeptical of the project at first.

“I was under some of the old and outdated assumptions that solar was too expensive, too complicated and was too slow a payback, but the reality is the technology has really come a long way,” he said.

“Solar is absolutely the future.”

The system converts sunlight into electricity when photons from the sun hit the solar panel and make electrons move, generating a direct current, Hammond said. Then a transformer changes the energy into an alternating current, which creates power for the building.

“This system is big enough that there will actually be times where we’re producing more solar than we’re consuming from the grid,” Hammond said.

In that case, the riverbank’s bi-directional meter will keep track of the amount of excess power being produced and Manitoba Hydro will pay them for that electricity through a repurchase agreement, he said.

The panels produce roughly 72,000 kilowatts per hour of clean energy — enough to power six to seven homes or drive an electric car across Canada seven times, the non-profit said. The panels also keep 9.4 tonnes of carbon dioxide out of the air — the equivalent of taking two cars off the road.

Hammond said the project cost $165,000 but grants from Climate Action Team Manitoba and rebates that were available through Efficiency Manitoba were able to cover about half of the amount.

“We estimate the payback for this system to be six to eight years. It’s going to be a very short payback, and the system itself should last 30 years,” he said

The project was made possible through a collaboration with Sustainable Brandon, Climate Action Team Manitoba and the system installer, Westman Solar Solutions, he said.

Madelyn Robinson, chair of Sustainable Brandon, said the non-profit organization initially joined forces with the climate action team in 2022 to find ways to make the biggest impact on sustainable climate solutions locally.

“We wanted a project that would be important for the community, visible, impactful and would work into the future,” Robinson said.

She said Sustainable Brandon received a $50,000 grant from Climate Action Team Manitoba and approached the Brandon Riverbank Inc. in 2024 about using the funds to create a solar pilot project.

Laura Cameron, the programs and strategy director with the climate action team — a coalition of environmental organizations — said she is “very excited” to see the project become a shining example in western Manitoba.

“We hope to work with more communities on more great projects like this,” she said.

Robinson said she hopes the project inspires the City of Brandon to consider a solar array on city buildings. She also wants it to inspire homeowners and businesses to consider how they can lower their own carbon footprint.

Brandon Mayor Jeff Fawcett said city staff are looking into the possibility of installing solar panels on city infrastructure, but it comes down to carving out funds in the annual budget.

“We’ll work with the province. We’ll work with donors,” he said.

“I’d love to see it, but, you know, I don’t know if people paid attention to our budgets — it’d be tough to slide that in.”

Fawcett said the project provides an opportunity for people to discuss solar energy with staff at the Riverbank Discovery Centre. He would like to see future houses in Brandon built with the intention of using solar energy.

“The more individuals that can do this, the better impact we have on the whole province,” he said.

Currently, there are about 100 people in Brandon and the surrounding area who have solar panels installed on their homes or businesses, said Todd Gudz, the owner of Westman Solar Solutions.

He said using solar energy is a “feel good kind of investment” that provides a great example for others and a path toward a sustainable future.

Westman Solar Solutions officially installed the system in the fall, and it became operational in November, Hammond said.

He said Brandon Riverbank Inc. has been pleased with the system’s performance, even during the winter when there’s less sunlight and periods when snowfall covers the panels.

The Riverbank Discovery Centre will have a monitor featured on the building’s interior wall that will show real-time data on how much energy is being produced, he added.

» tadamski@brandonsun.com