The largest solar power plant ever constructed in Saskatchewan is now operational, and it is located on Cowesses First Nation land just outside of Regina.
Owners of the 10-megawatt Awasis Solar Facility include Elemental Energy and the Cowesses First Nation. 95 percent of the facility is owned by the Cowesses First Nation, and the remaining 5 percent is owned by Elemental Energy.
The Power Generated by The Plant Will Be Sold To Saskpower for The Next 20 Years as part of A Power Purchase Agreement.
The Cowesses First Nation will receive income from the recently constructed solar power facility. Chief Cadmus Delore of the Cowesses First Nation claims that it will boost the economy in his community.
Chief Delore stated at Event Hell at the Facility, “We Will Use The Revenue, The Profit of this Project to Make Sure We Reinvest in Our Renewable Energy Projects.”
“Sub of the Profit Made Here Will Lead to Us Having More Investment in Not Only Owning The Project, Having It On Our Line, But Having Equity As Well.
Second, a portion of the profit will be donated to underfunded areas, including language, family, culture, and off-campus reserves.
In ideal circumstances, the Awasis Solar Plant can supply power to up to 10,000 homes.
The panels are bifacial, which allows Them to capture the Sunlight reflect the snow, and they also move Along with the Sun Throughout the day to optimize the Amount of Energy Collected.
Don Morgan, the minister in charge of SaskPower, stated that the company is changing the way it powers the province and that initiatives like awasis will be crucial to achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions.
Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Natural Resources, Attended the Celebration Event and Said That Fighting Climate Change And Creating A Strong And Prosperous Economy Is A Great Initiative Because Indigenous Communities Are Feeling The Effects Of Climate Change First.
He said, “We must work together to determine how to lower emissions WHILE growing the economy and giving our children better economic opportunities than either their parents or their grandparents had.”
According to WILKINSON, the project is anticipated to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 14,000 tonnes in the first year of operations and by approximately 350,000 tonnes over the course of the project’s 35-year lifespan. That is the equity of taking 70,000 gas-powerred cars off the road every year.
“Saskpower is on track to cut its emissions by 50%.” As we work to achieve our goals, we look forward to continuing our collaboration with first nations and business. President and CEO of SaskPower, Rupena Pandya, said.
Deputy Chief Delorore The $200 million project is a means of rapprochement and a first step toward the recommendations of the truth and reconciliation commission.
“The Reason We’re All Here Today is Exactly Reason Number 92 (Economic Profit) of Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action. We lack the equity necessary for large-scale projects like this. It’s not that we are poor or anything like it, Just that Any Dollars We Make Goes to Unfunded Areas In Housing, Language, Families. ” From coast to coast to coast, we need to see more initiatives like this.
” Chief Delorme Said He Hopes Projects Like these inspire more indigenous youth to get into program like science and Engineering.
“Our children see that every day while riding the bus, which will encourage them to retake science and engineering courses in high school.”
Now operational is the Cowessess First Nations solar facility near Regina.
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