RDP celebrates Earth Day in the Alternative Energy Lab
Recently, Red Deer Polytechnic (RDP) hosted a successful Earth Day Open House in the Alternative Energy Lab (AEL), welcoming community members and stakeholders to explore the Polytechnic’s sustainability initiatives.
The AEL, which is a component of RDP’s Energy Innovation Centre (EIC), serves as a research, teaching and data hub to increase knowledge about alternative energy technologies.
The Earth Day event demonstrated RDP’s commitment to environmental responsibility and its role in advancing renewable energy solutions.
Red Deer Polytechnic’s commitment to this avenue of applied research is evidenced by the nearly 4,200 solar panels installed on main campus. The panels, along with a combined heat and power unit, generate 60 per cent of the Polytechnic’s power. A lab scale geothermal unit is operational in the Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre for research and demonstration purposes. Red Deer Polytechnic also hosts a battery storage system and has plans to install two heat pumps soon.
In addition to providing a glimpse into the Polytechnic’s sustainability efforts, the Earth Day event showcased the efforts of some of RDP’s partners and featured:
Tours of the AEL: Attendees had the opportunity to witness the AEL's advanced technology, which is designed to simulate real-world renewable energy applications.
Presentations on RDP's Decarbonization Goals: Guests learned about RDP's plans for reducing its environmental footprint.
Industry Presentations: Representatives from FortisAlberta, CBI Solar, ReThink Red Deer, and The City of Red Deer shared their insights on residential energy efficiency and local sustainability initiatives.
An Interactive Workshop: CBI Solar presented a workshop on residential solar panel installations, allowing attendees to explore renewable energy options for their homes.
The EIC helps to contribute to the Polytechnic’s Green Campus Master Plan of becoming a Net Zero Energy campus within a decade.
