July 23, 2020 – In British Columbia, several clean energy projects have been approved in the latest round of the Community Energy Leadership Program (CELP), including:

Kitasoo/Xai’xais First Nation
$114,510 for a battery power storage bank and control system with 125-kWh storage capacity. The project will operate interactively with an existing hydroelectric facility, and reduce the use of supplementary diesel generators. The total project cost is $347,000.

Village of Midway
$68,000 for energy efficiency retrofits to the Midway Community Centre, as part of a larger refurbishment of the building. The project includes improvements to the hot water system, windows and lighting, which will increase the centre’s energy efficiency by up to 50%. The total project cost is $1,656,870.

Kanaka Bar Indian Band
$33,000 for a 24-kW solar array and battery storage. The project will install solar PV panels on the Band office, health office, a community residential building, as well as installing solar PV and energy storage on a new community building. The total project cost is $111,000.

Lower Nicola Indian Band
$82,500 for a 100-kW solar array on the Shulus Community Arena, displacing around 25% to 30% of the arena’s electrical consumption. The total project cost is $250,000.

Ashcroft Indian Band
$18,000 for an 18-kW solar array on the newly constructed Elders’ Building. The total project cost is $55,000.

CELP supports local government and First Nations investments in energy efficiency and clean energy projects, including building retrofits, heat pumps and solar panels, explains the government.

Funding for CELP comes from the Innovative Clean Energy Fund (ICE) fund. For this round of financing, CELP partnered with the Fraser Basin Council. Contributions for Round 4 will be up to $175,000 per project; recipients are required to cover a minimum of 5% of total project costs and secure alternate sources of funding as needed. Typical CELP contributions range from $10,000 to $175,000, says the province.

CLICK HERE to check out CELP’s previously funded projects.