BC SunMine Solar Facility Exceeds Expectations

The 1.05 MW (megawatt) solar project is BC’s first grid-connected solar facility, as well as Canada’s largest project to use solar trackers. Production data since June 22 confirm that the energy being generated by the SunMine is exceeding the modelled design potential. SunMine is supplying enough electricity to the BC Hydro grid to power approximately 200 homes.

SunMine has 4,032 solar-cell modules, mounted on 96 solar trackers that follow the sun’s movement, maximizing solar exposure. It is BC’s largest solar project, Canada’s largest solar tracking facility, and the first solar project in BC to sell power to the BC Hydro grid.

The project is supported by Teck, which has provides land and site infrastructure, as well as a $2 million contribution. SunMine is located on Teck’s former Sullivan Mine Concentrator site, which has been fully reclaimed. BC’s Innovative Clean Energy (ICE) Fund program has provided $1 million for SunMine through the EcoSmart Foundation, a Vancouver-based non-profit foundation promoting economically and ecologically smart projects between public and private sectors.

“Innovative, private clean energy projects have helped power BC since the 1980s and are a cornerstone of BC’s energy policy,” says BC Energy and Mines Minister Bill Bennett. “The Sun Mine project has the potential to spur interest in development of other solar projects, bringing more jobs and economic benefits to communities across BC.”

Find out more: www.sunmine.ca.