Banff Community Pavilion Moves Toward Net Zero With New Solar Power Upgrade

BANFF - A year after opening as one of the town’s most energy efficient public buildings, the Okâch – Îyethkabi Oûgitûbi pavilion has taken a major step toward net zero operations with a new $60,000 rooftop solar project funded in part by the Municipal Climate Change Action Centre (MCCAC).

Completed in 2023, the pavilion serves as a year round community hub in Sundance Park, offering accessible washrooms, showers, indoor gathering space and event staging for local nonprofits, recreation groups and Banff residents. Surrounded by sports fields, ball diamonds, the skate park, the pump track and the off leash dog area, it has quickly become a central meeting place for everything from running races to Halloween events.

Now, the low profile building is lined with 18 kilowatts of solar panels expected to generate roughly 19,000 kilowatt hours of electricity annually. Town officials say the system will cut more than eight tonnes of carbon dioxide each year and push the pavilion closer to operating without reliance on fossil fuels.

“We are proud to provide these world class amenities while moving towards our goal to cut greenhouse gas emissions in a community that serves Canada’s first national park,” Mayor Corrie DiManno said in a statement. She noted that the MCCAC’s $12,600 contribution supported the town’s shift away from natural gas and allowed the facility to rely solely on electric heating and cooling through a heat pump.

The building is the first constructed under Banff’s Municipal Sustainable Building Policy and was designed to achieve Passive House Low Energy Building Certification. Town staff describe it as a demonstration of how cold climate communities can adapt commercially available technology to reduce municipal emissions.

The project is one piece of Banff’s broader climate mandate, which aims to cut emissions from municipal operations by 50% by 2050 and achieve an 80% reduction across the community. The town’s Climate Action Plan identifies Banff as a significant emitter due largely to visitor travel. In 2016, the baseline year referenced in the plan, the community produced 425,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions. Per capita emissions were more than double the national average.

By pairing a widely used public space with a highly efficient design, officials say they hope the pavilion can function as both a local amenity and a visible example of how small mountain towns can respond to warming temperatures, shrinking glaciers and increased wildfire risk. With more than four million visitors annually, Banff has long argued that municipal leadership in climate adaptation can help influence climate action beyond its borders.