Balzac Solar Assessments for Large Commercial and Distribution Buildings

Balzac is a hamlet in Rocky View County on the west side of Highway 2, at the Highway 566 intersection, about 24 km north of downtown Calgary and 12 km south of Airdrie. It sits directly west of CrossIron Mills, the largest single-level mall in Alberta. The business park around it added a horse-racing track and casino in 2015 and has attracted large distribution centres, including a Walmart fresh-food hub and an Amazon facility.

Those are the kind of buildings where solar and lighting questions are biggest: large, flat roofs, long operating hours and steady loads through the day. Warehouses and distribution buildings are among the better fits for solar because the load is steady and the roof is large.

Not every building here fits, though. Sites with refrigeration compressors or large motors that start and stop create short power spikes that drive demand charges, which solar does little to reduce. That is why we read the actual bill and rate class before talking about a system.