Ald. Ric McIver would like to see other businesses follow the lead of a cutting-edge Calgary environmental company.
Along with Alberta Environment Minister Rob Renner, McIver helped flipped the switch yesterday morning to activate Calgary’s largest solar Photovoltaic (PV) system at DIRTT Environmental Solutions in the Foothills Industrial Park.
“I would love to see every warehouse and factory in the city covered with solar panels someday in the not-to-distance future,” said McIver, noting that such a move would benefit the environment and “really put Calgary where it belongs in the forefront of the energy business in North America, if not the world.”
DIRTT, which stands for ‘doing it right this time,’ decided to install the largest corporate solar array in Calgary to supplement power to its office and factory. The 60 PV modules on DIRTT’s roof will generate about 12,000 kilowatt hours of solar energy, while displacing about 12,000 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions per year.
“It’s the right thing for businesses to do,” said DIRTT CEO Morgens Smed, adding that solar energy is now more readily available and cost effective than in the past. “If I don’t see that I have a moral responsibility to the environment, then I’m being totally irresponsible as a CEO of the company.”
Renner said it’s great to see an Alberta business “stepping up to the plate” to do its part to preserve the environment.
“I would think that this over time would become the norm,” Renner said. “As people start to recognize the cost of carbon, renewable resources become much more viable.”
