The County of St Paul has purchased two solar-powered FTR golf carts that will be added to the County’s Lac Bellevue and Stoney Lake campgrounds when they open on May 18.
Thanks to the high-end solar panels on each of the carts the batteries will remain charged all day long when parked outdoors. Each cart has a 105 amp-hour lithium-ion battery which fully charges in five hours
“Purchasing these two units aids the County of St. Paul in achieving our goals in Green House Gas emission reduction targets and long-term sustainability”, says Ron Dechaine, Regional Municipal Energy Manager. “The County of St Paul is excited to be on the cutting edge of technology and innovation. We are looking forward to adopting further energy efficient solutions in the future.”
The carts each cost $12,900 for a total of $25,800. The County of St. Paul will receive a rebate of $7,740 total from Municipal Climate Change Action Centre, a collaborative initiative between the Government of Alberta, Alberta Municipalities, and the Rural Municipalities of Alberta.
The two carts are in addition to electric lawnmowers that were purchased in 2022 through the Municipal Climate Change Action Centre (MCCAC), Electric Vehicles for Municipalities Program which are expected to save approximately $1,800 in fuel costs annually.
Mid-2021 saw the county and regional governments appoint a Municipal Energy Manager with the goal to reduce energy costs to the municipal governments and to increase energy efficiencies.