Presently, most of the grid electricity in Alberta has a high overall emissions intensity because it is generated by combusting non-renewable fossil fuels (e.g., coal, natural gas). In comparison, electrical energy generated from solar is renewable and considered clean because transforming solar energy into electrical energy creates no direct emissions. Although operating a solar power facility generates direct emissions (e.g., GHGs from combusting fuel for maintenance vehicles) and indirect emissions (e.g., GHGs associated with the electricity used to power service buildings), these emissions are small in comparison to the output of the facility. As such, solar-powered electricity has a very low overall emissions intensity.
The Project is a 6 MW (AC) solar array comprising 14,400 Longi LR5-72HBD-525-545M bifacial solar modules, on a single-axis tracking system tied in to 2 SMA SUNNY CENTRAL SC3060UPUS inverters. Associated infrastructure includes collector lines, access roads, fencing, and connection to the ATCO Electric Ltd. Distribution system.
The expected lifetime of the Project is 30 years.
Electricity generated by the Project will displace grid electricity. Therefore, the baseline condition for the Project is the emissions that would have been emitted by generating an equivalent amount of electricity from fossil-fuel-based sources. GHG emission reductions and removals are calculated using the methodology described in AEP (2008).