Solar panel array installed on roof of Telus Spark

Crews have finished installing 291 electricity-generating solar panels on the roof at the Telus Spark science centre in northeast Calgary.

The $260,000-project was jointly funded by the city, which covered about 70 per cent of the cost, with the province footing the rest of the bill. The project was installed by Enmax.

"The installation is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 113 tonnes annually, the equivalent of taking 24 vehicles off the road," the utility company said in a tweet.

The rooftop panels will produce about 128 megawatt-hours of electricity per year — roughly five per cent of the building's consumption — for up to 25 years, Telus Spark says.

Friday's event celebrating the completion of the project also marked International Science Center and Science Museum Day.

"What better place to be able to show off what solar technology can do for us at an institution level but also in your own home," said Telus Spark CEO Jennifer Martin.

Katy Black, director of Calgary Neighbourhoods with the City of Calgary, said the solar power generated at Telus Spark will help the city meet its goal — set out in 2009 under the Imagine Calgary blueprint for sustainability — of getting 30 per cent of the city's energy from low-impact renewable resources.

"This building is at the crossroads of science and social awareness, helping us expose minds, young and old, to the way science and technology fit our everyday lives," she said. 

Watch a time-lapse of the installation below:

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