Alberta’s West Central Airshed Society has opened the province’s first air monitoring station powered by solar and wind energy.
The station, one of 127 air monitoring stations in the province, is meant to provide background data to help manage air quality in the province. The Alberta government, which put up $40,000 toward the design and construction of the station’s alternative power system, called it a “model” for other jurisdictions that need reliable air monitoring stations in remote areas.
“With an energy-efficient building, two wind generators, solar panels, battery storage and occasional use of a propane generator, we’re up and running,” said Cecil Andersen, chairman of the West Central society, in a provincial release.
The society monitors air quality in Breton, Drayton Valley, Edson, Entwistle, Hinton, Jasper, Pigeon Lake and Thorsby.
Premier Ed Stelmach recently cited monitoring and managing Alberta’s air quality as a key action identified under a plan to manage the province’s growth pressures, the government noted.
