Energy

The purpose of this project is to investigate the use of locally diverted waste cardboard to produce fuel pellets in Inuvik, NT. The remote location of Inuvik means that residents and businesses rely heavily on fossil fuels transported up the Dempster highway by truck.

In order to assess the feasibility of using solar energy in communities across the NWT, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (ENR) and the Aurora Research Institute (ARI) have been conducting solar energy studies in the NWT for nearly ten years. Solar energy modeling programs have been established in several locations in order to provide communities with a clear picture of their local solar resources.

The south-facing wall of the third floor of the Western Arctic Research Centre (WARC) is covered with a solar wall. During April 2013, WARC and ARI partnered with both Environment and Natural Resources and the Arctic Energy Alliance to install monitoring equipment and software that allows us to monitor the energy produced by the WARC solar wall.

Solar energy is a renewable resource that’s used in many parts of the world to provide affordable and clean energy. Whether the sun is a feasible source of energy in northern Canada, however, is still being explored. For example, sunlight in the north is highly impacted by the season, so although solar energy might be abundant during the summer months there is little (if any) solar energy potential during the darker winter months. On the other hand, heating and electricity bills are very high in northern Canada because traditional, non-renewable fossil fuels (such as diesel or natural gas) must be transported very long distances. Therefore, high utility prices may make solar energy a cost-effective way to offset energy use in the north during some months of the year

In order to assess the feasibility of using wind energy in communities across the NWT, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (ENR) and the Aurora Research Institute (ARI) have been conducting wind energy studies in the NWT for nearly ten years. Wind monitoring programs have been established in several locations in order to provide communities with a clear picture of their local wind resources.