CALGARY – BP Canada Energy Company today announced more than $100,000 in support for Energy House, a training, research and public education facility to be built on the Dawson Creek campus of Northern Lights College in 2008.
Energy House will demonstrate leading-edge alternative energy technologies, energy conservation strategies and greenhouse gas reduction technologies.
“Energy House is an innovative example of how companies like BP can partner with communities to raise awareness of how alternative energy can play an integral role in our everyday lives,” said BP Canada president Randy McLeod. “BP Canada is known for developing the energy of natural gas – but we are also part of a global company that is one of the world’s largest investors in solar power and alternative energy. BP is committed to looking at producing energy in different ways that may have less impact on the environment.”
BP’s contribution to Energy House includes the donation and installation of 20 solar electric panels produced by BP Solar. The panels will generate 3.5 kW of emission-free electricity for Energy House. BP’s support also includes funding for:
Landscaping of the Energy House site.
Development of a public education video about Energy House.
Development of curricula for Northern Lights College’s new Solar Thermal, Solar Electric and Geo Thermal Installer programs.
“With BP’s donation, Northern Lights College students gain access to an operating solar electric system – providing them with first-hand knowledge about these systems as they prepare for careers in the growing field of alternative energy,” said Howard Mayer, Dean of Business, Industry and Contract training at NLC. “Having BP’s technology resident at Energy House will provide an ongoing legacy for students being trained in alternative energy technologies.”
BP is testing the use of the panels at some of its own natural gas well sites in northeast B.C.
“As an innovative producer of natural gas, BP Canada works to ensure our projects are developed in an environmentally responsible manner – which includes assessing the potential for incorporating alternative energy,” said McLeod. “At our proposed Noel Major Project south of Dawson Creek, for example, we plan to use solar panels combined with wind power to run well-site monitoring equipment – reducing carbon footprint as we work towards a goal of zero emissions well sites.”
Energy House, supported by government, non-profit and private sector sponsors, is part of the British Columbia government’s 100,000 Solar Roofs initiative, which is designed to encourage the adoption of solar energy systems across the province.
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