Grid parity solar power generation has been Solar Krafte's exclusive focus from inception.
We build green, benign solar farms intelligently, with scale, through contiguous build-outs, resulting in power prices that beat carbon burning generation now, and even much more so in the future.
Solar Krafte's Prairie Sunlight family of solar farms brings world class, utility-scale, solar PV to Alberta.
Strathmore Solar Farm
About the Project
The Strathmore Solar Farm is a 40.5 megawatt (MW) solar facility located on 320 acres of industrial use Town land in the Town of Strathmore, Alberta, immediately adjacent
to the AltaLink Strathmore Substation. Solar Krafte sold the project to Capital Power in 2020 and Capital Power is currently constructing the project.
The project is estimated to offset 48,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions annually, generating enough electricity to power more than 10,000 Alberta homes.
The total capital cost of the project is expected to be in the range of $50 million to $55 million, bringing an important source of direct and indirect economic activity to the Town of Strathmore and surrounding Wheatland County.
The project is being constructed in one phase and will be operated for a period of 30 years, and beyond. It is anticipated that construction will be completed and the facility operational in early 2022.
The project will tie directly into the local FortisAlberta electricity distribution grid, benefitting Town residents, businesses, and the local community generally, with the use of clean, renewable power during daytime periods.
Strathmore
Solar Farm
Clean, renewable power without subsidies
Solar Krafte focuses solely on power generation in solar rich jurisdictions, where the price for power is not subsidized, delivering power to consumers at the best price, and without emissions or waste.
Through technological advances, and substantial global manufacturing supply increases, the cost to build a commercial scale solar power plant has dropped dramatically over the past few years. What cost us $100 million to build eight years ago, we can build today for $25 million.
The solar panels for this project will be mounted on horizontal trackers, which allow the panels to move throughout the day as the sun arcs across the sky.
Project Schedule
Notify stakeholders
August 2018 & Ongoing
Open House
January 2019
File development permit application with
Town of Strathmore
April 2019
File power plant application with Alberta Utilities Commission
February 2020
Construction
Q2 2021 - Q4 2021
In-Service Date
Early 2022
Visual Impact
The project equipment will have a maximum height of approximately 3.6 metres. The project will only be visible within proximity and will blend in with the horizon at distances of 100 metres and greater, allowing for minimal visual impact to the surrounding communities.
The solar panels are designed to absorb light to convert it into energy, rather than reflect it. This means there will be minimal visual impact caused by glare.
Green Cat Renewables Canada completed a Solar Glare Hazard Analysis of the project, which concluded that no hazard from glare is expected to drivers and residences located near the Strathmore Solar Farm.
Noise
The project would result in temporary noise increases during construction but would not create any substantial permanent increase in the ambient noise levels. We anticipate little to no increase in existing noise levels during the lifetime operation of this project.
Once operational, the only source of noise will be the inverters, which are designed to operate within municipal noise standards. In any event, we locate them centrally in our systems, well away from site boundaries.
Environment
Solar Krafte is committed to mitigating any potential negative environmental impacts.
Our solar generators produce clean, renewable power without emissions or waste, and therefore help to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases emitted during the production of electricity.
Historic Resources
We anticipate limited potential for archaeological and palaeontological resources given that the land use is cultivation. Relatedly, we received Historical Resources Act clearance from Alberta Culture and Tourism which consisted of a review of potential effects to historic resources, such as archaeological resources, historic sites, and Aboriginal traditional use sites.
Community Benefits
Solar Krafte values the long-term benefits of working with the local community.
Beyond the clean, renewable power our project will produce for the residents of Alberta, without emissions or waste, the significant property tax revenue from this project will help alleviate costs of Town of Strathmore services or infrastructure.
Other local economic benefits will include construction jobs, long-term operator positions, and significant, local investment into the hospitality and construction services sector during construction.
