Rooftop Solar Photovoltaic Project for the Aurora Research Institute in Inuvik NWT

Purpose

The purchase and installation of 25 kilowatts of solar photovoltaic panels on the Aurora Research Institute’s (ARI) Western Arctic Research Centre (WARC) is part of a larger research initiative by the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) to assess the feasibility of using solar energy in communities across the Northwest Territories to meet the power demands of NWT communities. The goal is to reduce reliance on non-renewable fossil fuels, such as diesel or natural gas that have to be transported very long distances and raise the costs of energy in northern communities.

Proposed benefits

Solar energy is a renewable resource that is 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 moths. On the other hand, heating and electricity bills are very high in northern Canada because traditional non-renewable fossil fuel (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. The proposed benefit of the solar array is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Inuvik by 17 tonnes per year and reduce monthly power bills for the building during the summer months.

Project Details

This is an ongoing project monitoring solar energy in the Western Artic. Five solar panels were installed on WARC in 2011 when the new facility first opened with a further five in 2013. In the autumn of 2017, a total of 97 solar photovoltaic panels with a rated capacity of 265 watts each were installed. Two 10 kilowatt central inverters were installed along with an energy monitoring system that can be accessed online. These solar panels produce energy by converting sunlight into direct current (DC) electricity. This is then passed through a micro-inverter that converts the DC electricity into alternating current (AC) electricity, which can be fed directly into the building’s power supply. This offsets the electricity pulled from utility lines into the building; if the solar panels produce more electricity than is consumed, the excess can be pulled into the utility lines and used elsewhere in the community.

Funding

The total cost for this project was $200 000. As part of a larger GNWT initiative funding came from multiple sources including two GNWT departments; the Department of Infrastructure divisions of Energy (INF Energy) and Capital Asset Retrofit Fund (ING CARF) and the Department of Education, Culture and Employment. Further funding was received ($100,000) through the federal Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund (PSI-SIF) for this installation.