OWEN SOUND, Ont. - Installing solar panels on the roof of an Owen Sound community centre will not only provide green energy but will also raise about $320,000 for city coffers.
The roof of the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre will be fitted for about 1,300 solar panels starting in the spring.
City council is signing a lease agreement with a company called Solar Sunbelt General Partnership.
The company will install the panels and has promised the city a rental fee of $16,000 per year over the next 20 years.
Environmental Superintendent Chris Hughes says that price is guaranteed regardless of changes to the provincial Green Energy Act or the Feed-In Tariff program.
Hughes says if this project is successful, it could open the door to similar arrangements for other city-owned properties.
