Shames Mountain
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Project Stats
- 2,500 kWh of clean electricity annually
- Saves 1,300 L/year of diesel fuel
-Reduces operational emissions by 4 tonnes/year
- Saves $2,000/year+ in fuel costs
The Shames Mountain ski hill is located 15 minutes west of Terrace along highway 16, up a 13 km forestry road. The hill is unique in that is is community owned and operated under a co-operative format, serving three communities in the area; Terrace, Prince Rupert, and Kitimat. Due to the remote nature of the hill, it relies on diesel generators for power.
This project culminated in the installation of a 3.2 kW solar array and battery bank at the community-owned Shames Mountain Ski Hill in Terrace BC that will power critical systems like wifi, and communications, along with the caretaker apartment and various shop tasks without diesel during the offseason. This will reduce the diesel consumption at the hill which will not only save costs but also greenhouse gas emissions. These cost savings will be passed directly to community benefit as they will allow the Hill to invest in other areas to stay open.
We started this project in August 2022 when we engaged Student Energy and Shames Mountain with the idea. From there we participated in the course work and worked in parallel with 6 other teams from around the world who were also developing solar projects in their communities. This involved weekly meetings with our Student Energy liaison, as well as monthly calls with the other teams to catch up on their progress. The final installation is complete as of June 15, 2023 and we are grateful for all of the community support that made the project possible. Donations of cash, equipment, labor, and time throughout the project from a variety of contributors allowed us to turn the small initial budget into what has become our largest solar installation so far.
We have many local stakeholders helping with this project. This includes donations from Student Energy, The Terrace Community Foundation, Sirgo, The District of Kitimat, and McElhanney, as well as donated labour for the installation from Hartman Electric, equipment from Westpoint rentals, Local Rental Solutions, and transportation from Steelhead Trucking.