N.B. At The Forefront Of Creating Energy Solutions For The Future
Cheryl Ratchford is the Director of Communications and Marketing with QUEST. Eddie Oldfield is QUEST’s Senior Lead of Projects & Advisory Services.
The world of energy today is continually shifting and innovating.
Driven by global demand for energy, a desire for efficient and low-emission energy options and rapidly advancing technologies, companies are responding to change and to consumer demand.
Covid-19 may slow this shift in the short term, but it will not stop progress. The momentum behind the change in the energy sector already underway will push us through this challenging time and will inspire greater emphasis on domestic energy sources.
Around the world, investors are seeking clean-energy opportunities with quicker returns. This translates into opportunities for the development of energy resources like wind, solar, biomass and renewable natural gas, along with advances in technologies like energy storage, combined heat and power, smart and efficient buildings, and more.
New Brunswickers may not be aware, but the Province of New Brunswick is at the forefront of energy innovation and has an opportunity to be forward-thinking about the utility of the future.
For example, N.B. set a minimum target of 40 percent of electricity from renewables by 2020 and has a climate change action plan with clean energy and GHG emissions reduction targets. NB Power is now over the 40 percent target with 44 percent of electricity coming from renewable sources and hit 80% non-emitting in 2019.
The province also identified Smart Grid as a significant growth opportunity as part of the 2017 N.B. Economic Growth Plan. As a result, the provincial utility has been forward-thinking, forging collaborations with industry and post-secondary partners to advance smart grid research and technology, rolling out infrastructure for electric vehicle charging, and has created an Energy Smart Plan for NB, with three pillars: Smart Grid, Smart Habits and Smart Solutions.
In order to make sure we are making the right investments and bringing the right solutions to New Brunswickers, NB Power needs to do ongoing research as new technology evolves. This need for innovation has led the utility to partner with NS Power and Siemens on a $92-million, four year, federally funded research initiative called Smart Grid Atlantic, with three Smart Energy Community projects to take place in N.B.
One of those projects, the Shediac Smart Energy Community Project has three main initiatives – a residential smart energy study to test new smart energy technologies in 500 homes, the conversion of two commercial buildings to net zero, and a 1.8 MW community solar farm with utility battery storage capacity. The Shediac project is also serving as the foundation for the development of a new Energy Systems Platform being developed by Siemens’ Global Smart Grid R&D facility in Fredericton.
What we are seeing from Saint John Energy, at the municipal utility level is also impressive. Saint John Energy, is embarking on an array of innovations from a world-first on energy storage to a large-scale wind farm that will power about 15 percent of the city and to pioneering advances in an intelligent grid.
The local energy company partnered with Natural Forces to bring a $60-million wind farm project to the city to save it up to $5-million a year in energy purchasing costs and it engaged with Tesla to install the world’s first utility-scale Megapack battery that will help balance energy demand and curb greenhouse gas emissions.
It is also introducing smart home bundles to bring intelligent and energy-efficient products to customers and is working with researchers on a project that would allow customers to rent panels in a community solar array and receive credits for the energy they produce.
These projects are centerpieces of an ambitious agenda for growth for the nimble local energy company, an agenda that promises to propel innovation, provide sustainable revenues for its city and grow job opportunities. And now we see Liberty Utilities, which took over natural gas operations in N.B. in 2019, eyeing the development of hydrogen as an energy source and seeking potential collaborators. These are companies that are demonstrating a commitment to developing energy solutions for the future right here in N.B.
We are also seeing locally-led plans and projects where Smart Energy Communities are seamlessly integrating local energy sources – both conventional and renewable – to efficiently, cleanly, and affordably meet local energy needs.
In N.B., there are more than 50 communities implementing community energy and emissions reduction plans, including measures to improve efficiency in buildings and vehicle fleets and harnessing local renewable or waste-to-energy opportunities. This has the potential to create local economic development opportunities and reduce energy costs, while reducing GHG emissions.
The province, municipalities and their utilities have an instrumental role to play in the advancement of Smart Energy Communities. We need to continue to test new business models and technologies, improve energy distribution systems, and ensure that government policy and regulations not only keep pace with this rapid change but supports Smart Energy Communities.
While significant progress is being made in N.B., there are still opportunities for improvement, particularly as it relates to establishing policies that enable Smart Energy Communities, advance the utility of the future, and foster made-in-New Brunswick solutions.
Huddle publishes commentaries from groups and individuals on important business issues facing the Maritimes. These commentaries do not necessarily reflect the opinion of Huddle. To submit a commentary for consideration, contact editor Mark Leger: [email protected].