Project Name:
Applied Energy Research Programs
ARI Team:
Overview:
ARI has been at the forefront of renewable energy research in the Northwest Territories, conducting numerous wind and solar resource assessments over the last two decades.
ARI has worked with multiple partners, including the Government of Canada and the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) to perform wind and solar resource assessment monitoring campaigns for communities across the NWT. These campaigns produce data that is analysed to provide communities with assessments of their local wind and solar resources in order to make informed decisions concerning the feasibility of renewable energy investments.
Objectives:
ARI’s Applied Energy Research Programs have the following objectives:
- Build capacity within the NWT for the measurement and analysis of wind and solar data.
- Provide decision makers with the latest wind and solar data from their communities.
- Conduct wind and solar resource assessments for communities to inform renewable energy investments.
Locations:
Wind and solar resource assessments have been performed for many communities across the NWT. If you are interested in any of the reports from communities visited in the past, please see the links at the bottom of this page.
Methods:
Historically ARI used meteorological towers with anemometers for measuring wind speeds and wind vanes for measuring wind directions, installed at different heights to get an understanding of how wind changes with height.
Developments in wind lidar (light detection and ranging) technology, which uses laser beams to measure wind speed and direction by detecting atmospheric particles, mean that similar measurements obtained from a meteorological tower can now be collected using wind lidars. These units have the advantages of being much smaller and simpler to transport, as well as requiring less ground disturbance to install compared to meteorological towers.
ARI has also been pioneering the use of solar resource assessment monitoring equipment, testing and demonstrating the effectiveness of deploying solar sensors in the NWT's extreme environments. Solar sensors measure the power of the sun as it hits a horizontal surface inside the sensor. They can also be placed upside down to measure the amount of solar radiation that reflects off the ground, which is very important for understanding how well bifacial solar photovoltaic (PV) panels might perform in a certain area. For northern climates, where snow in the winter, and dust in the summer can impact the performance of a solar installation, it is also possible to measure the soiling factor on PV panels. This provides an idea of how snow covered, or dirty a certain solar installation may be, which can then be used to predict maintenance needs in the future.
Monitoring Campaign Planning:
ARI works with community stakeholders that are interested in renewable energy to provide wind and solar resource assessments for their communities. Please reach out to the contact provided above if you are interesting in pursuing renewable energy for your community. After initial stakeholder engagements and at the request of the community, sites for wind and solar resource monitoring are identified with the community and then wind and solar resource monitoring equipment installed. During the monitoring campaign, the equipment requires regular maintenance that is commonly performed by local community members.
Schedule:
Wind and solar resource monitoring campaigns are typically two years or longer in duration. Over this time, researchers get an understanding of the changes in the wind and solar energy that happen daily and from season to season, as well as whether there are changes from year to year that need to be taken into account.
The resulting wind and solar data are analysed and incorporated into assessments of the feasibility of wind and solar energy investments. Results, recommendations and technical support are then provided to the communities to inform decisions concerning wind and solar energy investments.
Current Deployments:
With financial support from the Government of Canada and the GNWT, ARI has acquired four ZX 300 Wind Lidar units for precise wind data collection, and three solar resource assessment (SRA) Systems to monitor solar resources. These systems are actively being used in four resource assessment monitoring campaigns across the NWT. The campaigns are collaborative efforts with community and industry partners, aimed at monitoring and characterizing the wind and solar resources of the communities involved.
- Inuvik Solar Resource Assessment: Partnering with the Government of Canada's Inuvik Satellite Station Facility, this campaign validates solar array efficiencies using SRA System data.
- Fort McPherson and Tsiigehtchic Wind Resource Assessment: In collaboration with NTPC, ZX 300 Wind Lidars collect wind data from sites at the local power plants.
- Wekweètì Wind and Solar Resource Assessment: A joint initiative with the Tłı̨chǫ Community Government and ATCO, combining ZX 300 Wind Lidar and SRA System data collection.
- Paulatuk Wind and Solar Resource Assessment: Teaming up with the Hamlet of Paulatuk, the local Energy Working Group and ATCO, this campaign gathers comprehensive wind and solar data.
SRA System at Inuvik Satellite Station Facility (top left), ZX 300 Wind Lidars in Fort McPherson (top right) and Wekweètì (bottom left), and SRA System in Paulatuk (bottom right)
This information will ultimately allow for the estimation of wind turbine and solar PV panel annual energy output, influencing design choices for wind and solar installations. The gathered data will be shared with the communities to support future wind and solar energy investments. Additionally, ARI will disseminate the findings to the public through detailed reports like those for previous campaigns below.
REPORTS:
Regional
Wind Energy Monitoring in Six Communities in the NWT
State of the Art and Economic Viability of Wind Power Development in Arctic Communities
Inuvialuit Region Wind Energy Pre-feasibility Study
Colville Lake
Colville Lake Wind Energy Pre-feasibility Study
Deline
Deline Wind & Solar Energy Pre‐feasibility Analysis Summary
Deline Wind & Solar Energy Pre‐feasibility Analysis
Fort Providence
Fort Providence Solar and Wind Summary
Fort Providence Solar and Wind Monitoring Analysis
Fort Liard
Fort Liard Wind Site Potential
Inuvik
Inuvik Wind Monitoring Update 2016
Inuvik Wind Summary Report: 2015
Inuvik Wind Energy Pre-Feasibility Analysis: 2015
Inuvik Wind Energy Assessment at Storm Hills (2014)
Inuvik Wind Energy Pre‐Feasibility Analysis Summary
Inuvik Wind Energy Pre‐Feasibility Analysis
Jean Marie River
Jean Marie River Solar and Wind Summary
Jean Marie River Solar and Wind Monitoring Update
Jean Marie River Wind & Solar Energy Pre‐feasibility Analysis Summary
Jean Marie River Wind & Solar Energy Pre‐feasibility Analysis
Lutselk'e
Lutselk'e Wind Energy Pre-feasibility Analysis Summary
Lutselk'e Wind Energy Pre-feasibility Analysis
Norman Wells
Norman Wells Wind Energy Pre-feasibility Analysis Summary
Norman Wells Wind Energy Pre-feasibility Study
Paulatuk
2009 Wind Energy Summary Report - Paulatuk
Paulatuk Wind Energy Pre-Feasibility Study
Sachs Harbour
2009 Wind Energy Summary Report - Sachs Harbour
Sachs Harbour Wind Energy Pre-Feasibility Study
Thor Lake
Progress Report for Thor Lake Wind Monitoring – November, 2010
Progress Report for Thor Lake Wind Monitoring – March, 2010
Wind Study for Thor Lake Area - 2009
Trout Lake
Trout Lake Wind & Solar Energy Pre‐feasibility Analysis Summary
Trout Lake Wind & Solar Energy Pre‐feasibility Analysis
Tuktoyaktuk
2009 Wind Energy Summary Report - Tuktoyaktuk
Wind Monitoring Update for Tuktoyaktuk - Winter 2009
Technical Aspects of a Wind Project for Tuktoyaktuk
Ulukhaktok
2009 Wind Energy Summary Report - Ulukhaktok
Ulukhaktok Wind Energy Pre-Feasibility Study
Wekweeti
Wekweeti Wind Energy Pre‐Feasibility Analysis Summary
Wekweeti Wind Energy Pre‐Feasibility Analysis
Whati
Whati Wind & Solar Energy Pre‐feasibility Analysis Summary
Whati Wind & Solar Energy Pre‐feasibility Analysis
Yellowknife
Yellowknife Area Wind Potential
Snare Wind Monitoring Update 2016
Potential Wind Farm Locations for the Yellowknife Area
Yellowknife Wind Energy Pre-feasibility Study
Keywords
Wind, Solar Irradiance, Meteorological Tower, Wind Lidar, Solar Monitoring, Wind Resource Assessment, Solar Resource Assessment, Wind Energy, Solar Energy, Renewable Energy
Updated May 2025