Grande Prairie Bus Barn Solar
The City of Grande Prairie has five electric buses powered by 480 solar photovoltaic (PV) panels. Energy is generated from these panels and stored in a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS). Any surplus energy is sent to the electrical grid.
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Solar power is ample from March to October. Excess power demand beyond the capacity of solar energy, caused by reduced daylight hours, is supplemented by drawing energy from the electrical grid
The cost to operate and maintain an electric bus is $1/km versus the $1.25/km for a traditional diesel bus.
These panels can be found on the roof of the City Service Centre.