EQUS corporate office solar
Installation at the new corporate offices in Innisfail.
Rural Alberta has always been home
with a natural gas combined heat and
to innovation. Whether it’s borne of
power (CHP) system to create a highly
necessity, creative problem solving, or
efficient energy and heat supply.
a desire for efficiency, sustainability, or resiliency, there is no shortage of innovative power solutions in our rural communities. EQUS is a rural Alberta co-operative electricity distributor, and has been powering those rural
For EQUS, the decision to include the alternative energy system in their construction plans was rooted in a desire to create value for the community and their members.
communities and supporting their
“We’re a co-operative, so we were
innovative electricity solutions for over
motivated to create something that
70 years, so it was an obvious choice
would provide long-term value for
for them to pursue an innovative
EQUS and for our member-owners,”
energy system in the construction of
says Andy Metzger, EQUS CEO. “The
their new corporate office.
alternative energy system was an
Completed in the summer of 2020, the 18,000-square-foot building sits adjacent to Highway 2 in Innisfail, and provides working and meeting space for over 40 employees and the co-op’s
opportunity for us to add that value and sustainability to our facility, and to showcase how functional and beneficial this technology can be for a rural Alberta business.”
Board of Directors. The grid-connected
The system consists of a 55-kilowatt
building blends renewable solar power
ground-mounted solar array that
26 ALBERTA SOLAR REVIEW • 2021
takes advantage of over 2,000 hours of annual sunlight, a 15-kilowatt battery to store excess electricity generated during peak times, and a highly efficient combined heat and power system which generates both power and heat. A smart building management system integrates these elements to optimize the generation, storage, and usage for maximum efficiency. Excess heat from the CHP is recycled through a sidewalk melt system in the winter months reducing maintenance costs. Long-term projections for the system expect to see a 95 per cent reduction in grid power used, a 59 per cent cost savings on utilities, and a 31 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. Since the system came online in September, 2020, EQUS has seen a
