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Indigenous Energy Partnerships Emphasize Cultural Values

October 17, 2022

Sitansisk (St. Mary’s First Nation) rests off the shores of the Wolastoq (Saint. John River), much of it within the city limits of the provincial capital, Fredericton, New Brunswick. To the members of this community, the Wolastoqey (Pronunciation: wool-las-two-gway) people, climate change poses an existential threat to their culture and way of life. Warming waters, shoreline development, and mismanagement of resource exploration projects have already led to loss of salmon stocks, hunting grounds,…

Still Setting the PACE

May 30, 2022

Calling Julian Boyle the godfather of PACE in Canada wouldn’t be an overstatement – but it might be selling him short. PACE (Property Assessed Clean Energy) is a program model that allows municipalities to finance energy improvements on private property at no cost to themselves. With 42% of Nova Scotia’s GHG emissions coming from our buildings, and 18% nationwide, PACE is perhaps one of the most important tools our communities have in the…

A New Dawn: EOS Eco-Energy is Leading the Renewable Renaissance in New Brunswick

May 17, 2022

Green roof Sackville town hall by EOS team When you’re trying to change the world, it makes sense to name yourself after the herald of new beginnings. EOS is the Goddess of the Dawn. She throws open the gates of heaven and releases the sun to usher in the new day. EOS Eco-Energy Incorporated is a non-profit organization whose mission is to reduce the carbon footprint of New Brunswick’s Tantramar region and assist…

The Hybrid Cape Islander

March 22, 2022

New Construction and Retrofit Business Brings Electric Motors to Maritime Boats The Alutasi, a traditional Cape Islander boat powered primarily with lithium-ion batteries approved by Transport Canada's Marine Technology Review Board. First of its kind in Canada. Over the past decade, Canadians have become familiar with electrified bikes; cars; passenger trucks; dump trucks; transport trucks; city buses; and even a few lightweight aircraft, their spinning propellers powered by lithium-ion batteries. But who ever…

Creating Smart Energy Communities in Atlantic Canada

March 10, 2022

BY GUEST AUTHORS NB POWER AND NOVA SCOTIA POWER There are more opportunities than ever for communities to plan for and manage their energy, reduce emissions and keep energy dollars local, and in the process, enhance local economic development and resilience to extreme weather events. QUEST Canada refers to these communities as Smart Energy Communities. Read on to learn how two utilities and QUEST Canada Supporters are helping to build Smart Energy Communities…

Dodging the Peak: Saint John Energy Employs Smart Grid to Cut Carbon and Incorporate Renewables

February 14, 2022

Saint John Energy smart grid architect Andrew Galluchon, left, and engineering manager Andrew Ahearn with The Tesla 1.25-megawatt Battery Storage. The battery helps the company manage peak energy demand. Picture Saint John in the throes of autumn. Temperatures are cool but predictable, the city’s electrical grid smoothly supplies its 36,000 customers, and all is right with the world. Because 80 per cent of New Brunswick’s electricity is drawn from non-emitting sources (chiefly nuclear)…

Pedal Assist to the People

November 25, 2021

Swing a leg over the future at your local library. Angela Reynold, Community Engagement Coordinator for the Annapolis Valley Regional Library While it may look like the quintessential small-town book depository, the Wolfville Memorial library lends out more than (just) books. Since 2017, anyone with a library card has been able to borrow a bicycle for the day to run errands or tour the roads and trails of the Annapolis Valley. The original…

Community Centre Cuts Energy Use in Half

September 27, 2021

The AYR Motor Centre in Woodstock, New Brunswick, is this Town’s single largest consumer of electricity. In fact, since opening its doors on March 17, 1995, the facility’s average draw has exceeded 3.3 million kilowatt hours annually, making it one of the hungriest buildings in Carleton county. It’s not hard to see why. At 131,175 square feet it houses a five-lane swimming pool, hockey arena, indoor running track, fitness centre, three basketball courts,…

Quispamsis Pursues Efficiency Wherever It Can Be Found

September 27, 2021

Over the Christmas Holidays, when most Maritimers are battling the cold and dark with hot chocolate and festive sweaters, we’ve come to expect our fair share of gifts, everything from the latest gaming console to corny coffee mugs. What you don’t expect is a hyper-efficient LED lightbulb thrust into your hands by an elected representative or member of municipal staff, as though it were candy or holiday cheer. But such is life in…

The Making of a Megawatt

March 4, 2021

In the five years since its inception, the Antigonish Community Energy Co-op has fostered a megawatt of rooftop solar capacity across northern Nova Scotia, a feat they achieved primarily through buying in bulk. It began with a pair of community meetings, in the fall of 2014 and again the following spring, at which a hundred or so people from Antigonish took a long, hard look at Nova Scotia’s energy mix. Recognizing the dominance…