As SaskPower continues to consider a proposal from MackSun to develop a solar farm in Moose Jaw, the local Sask Polytechnic campus is watching the process closely.  From the start, the technical school has wanted to partner with the local developer to create a training program for alternative energy.

As the MackSun conditional land sale agreement came up for discussion at a recent city council meeting, Sask Polytechnic Dean Jamie Hilts took the opportunity to talk about what they want to see happen, whether MackSun gets the contract for a solar farm or not.  They believe Saskatchewan is lagging behind the rest of the world when it comes to training, research and generation facilities.

That's why they plan to push forward with a new program at the Moose Jaw campus. "In the rest of the country, in North America, around the world and specifically European countries, alternative energy and education is certainly at the forefront."

Hilts believes there's a chance here to get ahead of the curve and create a state of the art program that could draw students from around the world. Not to mention the increased demand for technicians that will be created as SaskPower has established their goal of reducing their green house gas emissions by focusing on alternative energy.

"Our projects are not going to be intrusive to the community, hopefully they will be aesthetically pleasing but more importantly it's what they house within them," said Hilts. "An alternative energy lab that will be able to provide for education and training specific to solar, to wind, to geothermal, biomass and hydrokinetic sources of energy."

Battery technology is also a key component with Hilts explaining that it's one thing to store energy in places like B.C. or the sunny states down south but Saskatchewan is tough on equipment going to +40 to -40 degrees.