December 14, 2017 — The government of New Brunswick has installed solar panels on the roof of Fredericton High School. The 100 kW pilot project is the largest solar installation in the province, the government says.

The solar panel system at the school was designed by staff at the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure and installed by Solar Global Solutions. The panels are expected to generate 118,300 kWh per year. The government says that on sunny days, the panels generate more energy than the school can consume, so excess energy is transmitted to the NB Power grid.

“The provincial government owns and manages about 1,000 buildings. By incorporating alternate energy sources and energy efficiency measures into those buildings, we can make real progress towards our carbon reduction goals,” said Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Bill Fraser.

The government of New Brunswick will invest $101 million in energy efficiency programs in provincial government buildings over the next five years. That is in addition to up to $51 million in the federal government’s Low Carbon Economy Fund and up to $82 million by NB Power.