Tsleil-Waututh Nation builds solar energy project for its North Vancouver administrative building

The Tsleil-Waututh First Nation in North Vancouver has started building a solar energy project for their administrative building. 

The project is scheduled to be completed in two months, and it will be one of the largest solar energy projects on Vancouver's North Shore.

"It's green energy," said Chief Leah George-Wilson.  "It's in line with [the] Tsleil-Waututh Nation's values of environmental stewardship and economic sustainability."

It's not their first solar project. A project installed at a daycare centre on the reserve in 2014 produces 40 kW (kilowatts), enough for 90 per cent of the daycare's needs.

This project, however, is larger. 

"It's 134 kW," said George-Wilson. "This is just the start. We'd really like our people to consider other forms of energy in lots of things that we do."

The solar project at the newly constructed administrative building cost about $600,000 in materials and will save $29,800 per year in power bills. 

The Tsleil-Waututh First Nation has been a vocal opponent of the Trans Mountain pipeline. It was a party to the lawsuit, recently struck down by the Supreme Court, challenging the federal government's decision on the pipeline project.