It’s time Calgary put its sunny skies to work, according to a University of Calgary engineering student.
Aasima Gadiwan, 19, says her research has found Calgary homes have huge solar panel potential and could provide the city with a big chunk of its annual power demands.
“Calgary is one of the sunniest cities in Canada so it would be a shame not to tap into our potential,” she said.
According to Gadiwan’s research, if Calgary’s residential rooftops were outfitted with solar photovoltaic (PV) panels, they could provide 23 per cent of the city’s yearly power demand — all by capturing the abundant sun rays of southern Alberta.
This past summer Gadiwan participated in the U of C’s PURE (Program for Undergraduate Research Experience) Awards initiative, which provides up to $6,000 for 16 weeks of academic investigation under some of the university’s top researchers.
She was one of three students later recognized at PURE awards celebration night for her work.
Gadiwan said her project aimed primarily to calculate the total available rooftop area in Calgary for PV installations.
“In terms of results the total available rooftop area in Calgary per capita is around 49 square meters and that is in the both residential and industrial context,” she said.
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