More Solar Panels Could be Coming to City Facilities

Windsor is looking to implement more green energy technologies.

A request for proposals has been sent out calling for more solar panels on city owned facilities.

Mayor Drew Dilkens says panels on the downtown aquatic centre, the WFCU Centre and the Transit Windsor building are already generating $740,000 in revenue each year and council would like to see that program extended.

He says there's a lot of potential.

"We still have hundreds of thousands of square feet of facilities that we do not have solar panels on. It's a good program. We found success in the other solar panels we've put on the roofs of some of our facilities and we want to try and generate more income for the city as well."

Dilkens says this is a very green way to cut down on the city's energy bill.

"This net metering program will allow us to put solar panels on the roof, actually feed the power back through the meter so it reverses it basically and we would earn credits that can be used within 12 months towards any expenses that we have on the hydro bill."

Windsor mayor Drew Dilkens discusses the city's 2019 budget on April 1, 2019 (Photo by AM800's Zander Broeckel)

He says this is another piece in the plan to fight climate change.

"It fits in with so many things related to climate change and certainly making sure that we're leading the way when it comes to green initiatives. So the city has already done that. We've applied and been successful in the past with many other solar panel initiatives that we have on many of our facilities and this is just the next iteration of that program."

City facilities have an overall roof area of 2-million square feet.

If solar panels were installed on every roof, it would create enough electricity to power 600 homes for a year.