There is another reason to look forward to sunny skies next year.
The Rose City Islamic Centre announced plans of a new solar project that will generate approximately 250 kilowatts of electricity for the surrounding community of Windsor, Ontario. The initiative will be carried out in partnership with Solgate Solar, a Woodbridge-based company that manufactures solar photovoltaic panels to meet the domestic content requirements of the Green Energy Act.
The new installation of 1200 solar panels will cover approximately 55 000 square feet of the facilities existing roof and will reduce carbon monoxide emissions by about 371 000 kilograms per year. It is expected that the project will generate enough electricity to power 250 homes and will displace more than 4000 barrels of oil.
The inspiration for the project grew from a desire to invest in the future of the local community, both economically and socially. The venture will utilize Ontario-made products and will employ local labour to install and maintain the panels. The energy that is generated will be fed into the electricity grid and under the provincial feed-in-tariff; will generate another source of funding for social programs operating at the centre.
"We wanted to generate revenue to fund an expansion of our social service programs and also reduce our carbon footprint in the community," said Abdul Asfour, president of the Windsor chapter of the Muslim Association of Canada (MAC) whose organization also collaborated in the project.
It is expected the installation will be begin within the next few weeks with a completion date set for the end of this year.
For more information on the announcement, please visit:
Islamic centre to produce solar power – CBC
Windsor Islamic centre to product solar – The Windsor Star
Photo credit from Tyler Brownbridge