Brighter days ahead
Summerside now frequently powered completely by its own renewable energy sources
SUMMERSIDE, P.E.I. – On an exceptionally sunny May afternoon, Sam Arsenault pulled out his phone and brought up an app.
He smiled at the data.
At that moment, and likely for the next several hours if the sun held out, the City of Summerside was and would be powered entirely by its own local renewable energy sources.
It is a milestone that was hit for the first time on April 10, between the hours of 10:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. That sixhour period was the first time the city’s newly operational 21.6-megawatt Sunbank solar farm, and its 12-megawatt
wind farm, together provided all the power needed by Summerside Electric’s customers for an extended period.
The city’s power use during that window fluctuated between 15.6 megawatts and 18.7 megawatts.
It’s a significant achievement for the community, said Arsenault, who recently took on the new position of Sunbank’s production supervisor.
“I think it’s a huge step in the right direction,” he said.
“We hear so much about
wanting to be green and wanting to reduce our carbon footprint, and wanting to be more local with our sources of energy ... (so) to have several hours of the day where only local renewable energy is being used, I think is really encouraging for the future.
“I can’t imagine where we’re going to be 10 years from now, 20 years from now – because ten years ago no one thought we’d be here.”
Though April 10 was the first day there was an extended period of 100 per cent local power for the city, there have been several others since, and they are expected to become more frequent as spring turns to summer.
“With solar adding to the portfolio of over 40 per cent wind and 22 per cent solar will see Summerside Electric customers seeing times with 100 per cent renewable energy more often throughout the year,” noted Greg Gaudet, director of municipal services for the city, under which management of Summerside Electric falls.
Arsenault added, “I'm sure we're at the point where there is at least several days per week where we are running on our own power for anywhere between six, seven, or eight hours out of the 24-hour day. Obviously, our ultimate goal is to get to 100 per cent and to be 24 hours (per day), but this is a fantastic step forward and a big move from where we were pre-Sunbank.”
Together, the wind and solar farms are expected to produce about 62 per cent of the city's energy needs over the year.
The city has said that is the equivalent of 226 days out of the year where those two assets will supply all the power needed by the community.
Summerside Electric also buys electricity from N.B. Power to make up for the difference and has some local diesel-electric generation capacity.
PLANNING AHEAD
Another new asset for the city, the Sunbank's lithiumion batteries, are also nearly ready to be brought online.
The 10-megawatt batteries are expected to be operational before the end of June.
The batteries will allow the city to store excess power generated by its assets. That energy can then be used when it makes the most sense, such as during peak use hours when Summerside Electric might otherwise have to use more expensive power purchased from N.B. Power.
“Solar and wind both certainly depend on the weather and it's never sunny or windy all of the time – so you try to fill in those gaps. I think the batteries are going to provide us an opportunity to stretch that renewable energy over a greater number of hours in the day,” said Arsenault.
The city is also exploring the possibility of investing in green hydrogen.
Mayor Dan Kutcher recently revealed the municipality is in the early stages of pursuing such a project, which would include the purchase of an electrolyzer to convert energy into hydrogen and a 33-megawatt hydrogen generator.
“We know there are big hurdles on this and there are no guarantees. But we also know that we have a reputation for being able to get big things like this done and a track record of doing it,” said Kutcher.
“We've met with the province, we're working with them on a MOU (memorandum of understanding) indicating their support for the concept so we can go to Ottawa, sit down with our federal partners – whose interest is high.”