Green Energy: Summerside Sunbank Project

FEATURES

• Largest Solar farm in Atlantic Canada, built over 80 acres.

• Meeting 25% of City of Summerside’s electric needs. 

• Decreasing Summerside’s dependency on imported electricity from 58% to 38%.

• Helping protect Summerside Electric from volatile energy prices.

• Integrating 30,000 MWh of solar energy.

• Forming Team PEI, a group of local companies to assist with project.

• Reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 21,000 tonnes per year.

• Assisting Summerside in meeting 62 percent of its electricity needs through renewable energy.

• Assisting with the Province of PEI’s GHG emission reduction targets.

AKA Energy Systems’ Summerside Sunbank Project helps the City of Summerside pave its way to a greener future with the development and installation of solar photovoltaic panels, a Smart Microgrid, and a Battery Energy Storage System. Built over 80 acres of land in the City of Summerside, this project will supplement 25% of the City’s electrical needs and reduce 21,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year.

The Sunbank project in Summerside decreases the City’s dependency on imported electricity, generates economic growth, and assists the city with increasing renewable energy. The project seeks to reuse existing land for renewable energy, stabilize energy prices, and integrate 30,000 MWh of solar energy into the utility grid. The project is assisting Summerside in meeting 62 percent of its electricity needs through renewable energy with solar and wind energy.

How It Works

The project consists of 46,000+ bi-directional Photovoltaic panels, producing solar power from both sides of the panels, generating 26 MW a/c. These panels send solar energy to the Smart Microgrid, which is an energy storage and distribution solution, providing a response to changes in loads, generated power, and the needs of the city. The Smart Microgrid can store the energy in its batteries for future use or transfer it to the grid, depending on the needs of the system. The Battery Energy Storage System has a capacity of 10 MW/30 MWh.

AKA Energy Systems’ Summerside Sunbank project works towards the advancement of renewable energy in Summerside, PEI’s Path to Net-Zero, and Canada’s sustainable and economic development goals.