VICTORIA, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA (May 26, 2009) A social housing development in Surrey, British Columbia is getting a green energy upgrade with the addition of a grid-tie solar power system from Carmanah Technologies Corporation (CMH:TSX). As part of BC Housing's commitment to developing sustainable social housing, Greenbrook will be equipped with a grid-tie solar power system designed to provide 10 percent of the development's annual electricity requirements to assist with common area loads such as area lighting and air source heat pumps.
Valued at approximately $1.34 million in total, the photovoltaic system will be installed in stages by Carmanah Technologies under contract with Yellowridge Construction Ltd., with completion scheduled for mid 2010. With a combined capacity of approximately 139 kW, the site-wide renovation project represents Carmanah's largest grid-tie project to date, and Western Canada's largest solar grid-tie project.
Located in Surrey's Newton Town Centre, the Greenbrook complex includes 29 buildings with 127 town houses. The grid-tie system will connect to the electric utility through multiple net metering connection points within Greenbrook's common distribution electrical system.
In designing the photovoltaic system, Carmanah representatives combined a comprehensive site evaluation with best industry practices and practical implementation strategies to design a system that would meet the challenges of local shading issues, fixed orientation of structures and an annual energy target of 130 MWh. This solar power upgrade is one aspect of a site-wide building envelope replacement that addresses a range of other improvements such as drainage, electrical, landscaping and mechanical upgrades.
For more information on this or other solar grid-tie applications within Canada, contact Richard Wayte at rwayte@carmanah.com, or visit Carmanah at www.carmanah.com.
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About BC Housing
BC Housing is a provincial agency committed to developing and managing environmentally sustainable social housing for British Columbians in greatest need. Through its "livegreen" sustainable action plan, BC Housing delivers on its commitment to build and maintain sustainable social housing to help increase energy efficiency and reduce water and energy consumption. For more information, visit www.bchousing.org.
About Carmanah Technologies Corporation
As one of the most trusted names in solar technology, Carmanah has earned a reputation for delivering strong and effective products for industrial applications worldwide. Industry proven to perform reliably in some of the world's harshest environments, Carmanah solar LED lights and solar power systems provide a durable, dependable and cost effective energy alternative. Carmanah is a publicly traded company, with common shares listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol "CMH". For more information, visit www.carmanah.com.
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