ONE MIGHT THINK THAT SOLAR POWER IS BEST IN PLACES LIKE CALIFORNIA. YES, THAT’S TRUE; HOWEVER, SOUTHEASTERN BRITISH COLUMBIA IS SPROUTING A VARIETY OF SOLAR PROJECTS THAT ARE WORKING JUST FINE, THANK YOU.

For example, Kimberley has over 300 days of sunshine each year and is the site of the former Sullivan Mine. Now known as the SunMine, the solar farm is located on the Teck Resources Sullivan Mine concentrator site which has been fully reclaimed. Teck provided land and site infrastructure and a $2 million funding for the project.

More funds were raised via BC’s Clean Energy Fund that provided another $1 million through the EcoSmart Foundation, a non-profit foundation based in Vancouver that promotes economically and ecologically smart projects between the public and private sectors. Other supporters chipped in, including the Columbia Basin Trust and the Southern Interior Development Initiative Trust.

To cap it off, a 2011 referendum saw Kimberley voters approve the city borrowing $2 million. For larger solar installation, assembling several partners can make it work. SunMine, costing $5.3 million, is BC largest solar project with 4,032 solar cell modules mounted on 98 solar trackers which follow the sun’s movements. The project, which has won a number of awards, is first solar project in BC to sell power to the BC Hydro power grid. Teck recently bought out the city’s share so they can start the Phase 2 development.

“I think there are probably several of these sites around (e.g. the mine up the hill by Greenwood) that would be excellent opportunities for development,” said John McArthur, who is on the Board of the BC Sustainability Energy Association and is the Community Liaison in the Kootenay District.

To view the full original article by Ellsworth Dickson, click here: https://resourceworld.com/british-columbia-solar-power-generation-proving-successful/