Alberta’s government is looking to power some of its jails with solar energy. The province says it’s planning to build solar installations at five of its ten correctional facilities, with early energy cost savings estimated at $1 million dollars per year.
“The solar installations are expected to offset approximately 80 per cent of the energy used at each site,” said Michael Kwas, press secretary for Infrastructure Minister Martin Long. While the ministry didn’t say which jails have been chosen, two are in the Edmonton area and three are around Calgary. There are three provincial jails in the capital region: the Edmonton Remand Centre, which houses those awaiting trial; the Edmonton Young Offender Centre, directly beside the remand centre; and the Fort Saskatchewan Correctional Centre, northeast of Edmonton.
The province may be planning to start accepting bids to build the solar arrays later this year or in early 2026.
The estimated savings will likely change as the installations are further designed.
A procurement document published by the province, which lists future projects with approved construction funding, says the government’s budget for the solar proposal is anywhere from $10 million dollars to $50 million dollars.
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