Renewables Technical Practice Leader Stantec Consulting Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
Description and Background: Importance: The presentation emphasizes the importance of community engagement, and brainstorming as a standard for innovative engineering design under a triple bottom line approach (people, planet and prosperity).
Summary: Detested to loved solar and battery project, that is the story of the EL Smith Water Treatment Plant smart grid. Shortly after Stantec started the detailed design, the project was cancelled for two years due to community and government pushback. And through the process of community engagement and brainstorming the project was re-started in 2021 after the addition of several innovations that improve the social, environmental, and economic aspects of the project. This complex 14.4MWac Solar + 4MWh Battery project connected directly to a critical facility is unique.
The hybrid microgrid lowers electricity costs, provides energy security, incorporates a pollinator field in the solar array area, incorporates a wildlife corridor, incorporates a community education center on renewable energy, local wildlife and Native ancestry, respects archeological artifact findings onsite, is designed to withstand the 1 in 500-year flood from the adjacent North Saskatchewan River, and powers a Water Treatment Plant to supply 60% of the City of Edmonton’s drinking water. Designs that consider a triple bottom line (people, planet, and prosperity) are more interesting and better for the community.
