From Calgary to Vancouver Island: How Solar Energy Supports Conservation
Powering Conservation With the Sun
Conservation does not end in the field. It extends to how we power our communities.
Recently, the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo completed a rooftop solar installation on the Safari Lodge and Kitamba Café as part of its sustainability journey.
The 200-panel system will prevent approximately 993 tonnes of CO₂ emissions over the next 30 years. That reduction is equivalent to planting 43,710 trees.
For a conservation organization, reducing emissions is not symbolic. It is operational alignment. Climate action supports the same ecosystems they work to protect.
The installation was delivered by SkyFire Energy, Hakai’s parent company. While our teams work in different regions, we operate under the same employee ownership and uphold the same standards for technical excellence and environmental stewardship.
That shared foundation matters.
Reversing the Red for a Vancouver Island Species
High in the alpine meadows of Vancouver Island lives a species found nowhere else on Earth.
The Vancouver Island marmot once declined to fewer than 30 individuals in the wild. Through decades of coordinated conservation work, that number has grown to approximately 427 marmots across 35 active colonies as of 2025.
The recent Species Pledge announced ahead of Reverse the Red Day reinforces a continued commitment to long-term recovery.
But recovery is not yet complete.
Alpine ecosystems are sensitive. Temperature shifts, snowpack variability, and vegetation changes all affect survival rates. Climate stability plays a role in protecting the progress that has already been made.
Why This Matters on Vancouver Island
For us, this story is not abstract.
Hakai Energy Solutions is based on Vancouver Island. The marmot’s habitat is part of the same landscape we live and work in.
Our first project in 2010 supported research infrastructure in the Hakai Lúxvbálís Conservancy, one of the largest marine protected areas on the BC coast. Since then, our focus has remained consistent. Build clean energy systems that reduce emissions and strengthen environmental resilience.
When SkyFire powers conservation infrastructure in Alberta, and when we install solar across Vancouver Island, the objective is aligned.
- Lower carbon emissions support climate stability
- Climate stability protects fragile ecosystems
- Healthy ecosystems make species recovery possible
From rooftops in Calgary to alpine meadows on Vancouver Island, renewable energy plays a practical role in protecting what makes our region unique.
Climate action is not separate from conservation.
It supports it.