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Hannah Waters
John Popovici
Sath Pinikeshi
Vic Tran
Calgary possesses ideal natural conditions to harness solar power, yet the city’s residents still rely heavily on natural gas and coal as their main sources of electricity. A major barrier of entry into solar energy is the lack of access to resources when installing solar photovoltaic (PV) systems.
Local citizens are at the heart of our solution. We must focus on lowering their electricity costs while addressing the climate change crisis in their communities. We must also consider that for many citizens of Calgary, natural gas and coal are not only their sources of electricity but also their source of income.
The local government is responsible for the long-term infrastructure to generate green energy and improve the economic health of their local and provincial communities. They care about boosting the economy, creating jobs, and working towards their carbon-emissions targets.
Clean energy companies are vital to the clean energy transition. They want to utilize their expertise to implement clean energy solutions on a massive scale. As businesses, their ultimate goals are to increase profits and gain a higher market share.
Our team developed four key design criteria to measure any solution against.
Community Education & Promotion
Facilitate active discussion with local citizens through 5+ public forums each year and establish a space where any citizen can access educational materials on solar PV systems.
System Coverage
Installation of solar PV systems on 30+ residential units within 2 years. These systems must produce at least 10-20% of the total electricity used by each residence.
Economic Impact
Immediately following system implementation, residents will enjoy self-sufficient, adequate, and reliable clean energy with reduced utility costs. These savings on utility costs will offset the cost of system implementation within 10 years.
Community Satisfaction
Community satisfaction rate of at least 80% from both local residents and clean energy companies, measured every 3 years over the lifetime of each solar PV system.