Clean energy case study: A conversation about powering Indigenous and remote communities

Source: Peter Bright · STANTEC · | March 30, 2021

Energy experts discuss Canada’s first fully integrated solar energy-storage system in a remote First Nations community

The EHouse, otherwise known as the microgrid control center, at Kiashke Zaaging Anishinaabek ― Gull Bay First Nation, is producing clean energy for the remote community.

Indigenous communities in outlying areas left off main electric grids across Canada have for years been searching for reliable and clean energy resources as an alternative to diesel power.

As I’ve written before, that reliance on diesel runs contrary to the cultural beliefs of the community and connection to the land. It can be challenging to find reliable energy resources that are also from clean renewable power.

I’ve been fortunate enough to be part of a solution for this challenge. It’s possible to use natural weather resources like the sun and wind—along with battery storage—to produce clean energy for remote communities. 

For the remote First Nation community in Gull Bay, Ontario, also known as Kiashke Zaaging Anishinaabek (KZA), a solar energy-storage microgrid system offered the perfect solution.

Here’s some background on Gull Bay, which is an Ojibway Nation located on the western shores of Lake Nipigon. It is roughly a 200-kilometre drive north from the closest urban city of Thunder Bay, Ontario. Gull Bay has about 1,375 residents.

For years, Gull Bay relied on diesel as its only energy source. But since 2019, Gull Bay is home to Canada's first fully integrated solar energy-storage system based in a remote First Nations community.