Blowin' in the wind: Airdrie school harnesses renewable energy source

Airdrie is home to one of 500 schools across the province to use energy completely driven by the winds of eastern Alberta.

École francophone d’Airdrie belongs to one of the 25 provincial school boards that started receiving wind from the Bull Creek wind farm, owned and operated by a Calgary firm called BluEarth Renewables. It’s a 29-megawatt wind plant with those tall white windmills with gigantic blades that lazily cut through the air, generating electricity as they go.  Bull Creek is near the Alberta and Saskatchewan border and at the present time cranks out enough energy to supply power to 10,000 homes.

Conseil Scolaire FrancoSud School Division has signed a long-term agreement with the Calgary-based company and started using renewable energy at the start of 2016.

The school district which is responsible for francophone education in Airdrie, which is different than French Immersion programs offered in Airdrie public schools, is confident that this renewable electricity from the Bull Creek wind farm is priced competitively and likely not any less or more expensive than traditional sources of energy; however, using this type of alternative energy source provides an example to students and provides a positive message to the student body.

Limiting or decreasing the carbon footprint and being good stewards of the environment is preached in schools and it only makes sense for the school boards to also practice it.

Acting on behalf of the school boards participating in this wind-driven initiative is the Alberta Schools Commodities Purchasing Consortium, (CPC), which assisted with agreements.  This organization has been watching this project and has been committed to bringing renewable energy to Alberta schools since 2010.

The CPC chairman, Francois Gagnon, says that by choosing wind energy, the various school boards are protected against future energy costs because wind, as well as being renewable, is a predictable source of energy.  School boards are also not required to pay carbon tax as it’s not applicable to renewable energy and applies only to fossil fuels.

As part of this deal between the school boards and BluEarth, the company says that it will collaborate with educators to add to the school curriculum as a way of teaching the next generation about renewable energy.

Meanwhile, back at the wind ranch, the Bull Creek facility has 17 wind turbines, manufactured by General Electric that could actually offset about 80,000 tonnes of undesirable greenhouse gas emissions every year.

Alberta is a Canadian leader in clean energy resources, which also includes solar energy, and there is plenty of future growth coming in the days ahead especially since the price of this technology is starting to come down within more reasonable limits.

In the last 10 years, renewable means of energy have started to become an economically feasible and more viable alternative to traditional sources of energy such as coal, oil and gas.

There are 958 wind turbines throughout Alberta providing approximately 4% of the provinces electricity requirements.  The increasing use of wind powered electricity, first implemented in our province 23 years ago, is compatible with the Alberta government’s increased emphasis on fighting climate change.