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The installation tour came the same day a city survey found 68 per cent of Edmontonians want the city to invest in transitioning to renewable energy sources with 52 per cent hoping it will do more to combat climate change.

Photo by Shaughn Butts / Postmedia

“As part of the City of Edmonton’s commitment to sustainability, we’ve been exploring some options on doing solar integration into city-owned buildings and the Edmonton Convention Centre is an iconic building in the city’s river valley and the skyline and provides an awesome opportunity,” said city program manager Brad Watson.

Edmonton is Canada’s second sunniest city, receiving 2,345 hours of sunshine a year and as many as 325 days per year with sunshine. This riches of sun and the building’s sloped roof made it a perfect fit for solar energy, and Watson said the city will continue to look at solar technology options for other city buildings.

“Edmonton does get a significant amount of sun in North America so we definitely do look at it where it’s feasible in some of our other projects,” he said.

When the solar panels are powered on, Watson said there will be a little bit of a different feel inside the building with patterns on the floor created by blocking of the sunshine, but the amount of natural light inside the convention centre will be increased by about two per cent.

duscook@postmedia.com

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