The Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC) has struck down a proposed solar panel farm south of Calgary after citing concerns for wildlife..The 150-megawatt Foothills Solar project would have been the largest of its kind in southern Alberta, located near High River. If approved, it would have seen the installation of almost half a million solar panels on 300 acres of private farmland in Foothills County close to Frank Lank..The project was first proposed in 2021 by Vancouver-based renewable company which has built wind and solar projects across the country, including an offshore wind farm in Nova Scotia.. Frank LakeFrank Lake .A formal application went in front of the AUC last year and was opposed by the Alberta Wilderness Association, the Canadian Wildlife Service, Calgary Field Naturalists Society and Canadian Parks and Wildlife Society. A petition against the project gathered more than 2,500 names..“While AWA supports the development of responsible renewable energy development, we advocate for these projects to occur in already developed areas, and we are concerned that the siting of this project will threaten the bird populations and biodiversity of Frank Lake,” the group said in formal submissions to the AUC..Under provincial guidelines, solar installations can’t be situated within 1 kilometre of named waterbodies such as Frank Lake, which is an important waterfowl habitat for ducks, geese, and trumpeter swans. It is also know for owls and peregrine falcons, according to BirdLife International a UK-based conservation group which has worked with the Alberta government to establish conservation areas in the province and indeed, the world..Despite the fact the majority of the project area was outside recommended setbacks, the AUC said “the potential for the project to result in high bird mortalities, and the impacts of the project on the Frank Lake IBA (Important Bird and Biodiversity Area) and the social and environmental values that it represents are unacceptable.”.Although the AUC agreed solar panels reduce greenhouse gas emissions birds are attracted to their shiny surfaces. Researchers have hypothesized a “lake effect” that confuses waterfowl in particular with the waterbodies they use to takeoff and land. .A study by The Wildlife Society found higher incidents of bird mortality at solar facilities in California and the Southwestern states. In 2011, more than 4,000 birds were found dead and injured after they crash landed at a Walmart parking lot in Utah following a particularly heavy rainfall, and mistook it for a lake.. Proposed Foothills Solar project .Other species nest under the panels, especially in winter, due to the radiant heat they generate..A spokesman from Elemental Energy said the company would continue to explore opportunities for renewable energy in Alberta. .“Elemental Energy is in the business of building renewable energy projects that benefit our environment, our communities, our partners, and our future generations,” Dan Eaton, director of project development, wrote to Global News..“While we are disappointed in the decision, we are continuing to work with our project partners Cold Lake First Nations and other stakeholders to review the AUC decision and identify opportunities to move the Foothills Solar Project forward.”
