At Olds College of Agriculture & Technology, innovation and sustainability are on full display.
The Technology Access Centre for Livestock Production (TACLP) building on campus features 44 solar panels, which help reduce energy costs.
“It directly offsets power that the campus needs,” said Chris Ouellette, Research Technical Lead, Olds College. “We’ve had days where the system has put out 44 kilowatt-hours. To put that in perspective, that’s an output that would be equivalent to a couple of homes that you’d be able to support.”
The solar panels were installed more than 10 years ago on the TACLP building. You can track how much energy Olds College is saving through an online platform.
“It helps people understand how solar energy works,” said Ouellette. “Obviously, you have peak solar production in the middle of the day. It’s a good educational tool to help people understand where and when solar energy is being produced in real-time.”
Meanwhile, TACLP uses its resources — which include a 1,000-head capacity feedlot, commercial cow/calf herd, Purebred Red Angus herd, sheep flock, and broadacre native and tame pasture — to demonstrate and optimize technologies with potential to improve animal health and welfare, increase production efficiency and enhance environmental sustainability.
The Smart Farm is working towards providing producers with real-life applied research to help them make informed decisions about implementing technology in their own operations.