This project will focus on the issues related to making new renewable electricity technologies (RETs) in remote communities in Nunavut a reality to decrease the territory's dependency on diesel.
Nunavut is Canada's newest territory, with a population is 32,000 distributed in 25 communities across the North, ranging from 150 to 7,000 inhabitants, in a land mass 1/5 the size of Canada or 2.1 million square miles above the tree line. 85% of its residents are Inuit. All communities are only accessible by sea for a very short season, or by air. The climate is inclement, and winters are long and severe.
In Canada, we are aware of the large number of communities across the world that struggle with self-sufficiency, sustainability, employment and energy concerns, yet we overlook the vast number of Northern communities in Canada which must deal with these same challenges. It is essential that we work internally to strengthen our country and support all of its citizens so they are able to tap into all the renewable technologies and resources available.
In Nunavut, diesel is by far the most consumed fuel source, and most often used to produce electricity. However, there are a number of environmental, social and economical problems associated with diesel use. This fuel source is an emission-intensive and polluting energy source, causing detrimental health and environmental impacts. Additionally, diesel use causes economic stress on communities for several reasons including the high cost of transportation and the fact that two-thirds of the energy from the fuel is lost as heat or exhaust, instead of being transformed directly into electricity. Consequently, many of these communities suffer from economic, environmental and social impacts because of their dependency on diesel energy generation.
The first stage of the project will be to assess and evaluate the current federal and territorial policies, and programs such as the "ecoENERGY for Aboriginal and Northern Communities Program", which focus on renewable energy funding in northern remote Aboriginal communities. As part of this stage of the project, interviews with key informants in the federal and territorial governments will take place to get a better understanding of the current thinking on this issue and the challenges and opportunities. Overall, the aim of this assessment is to determine the degree of success of relevant policies and programs, and whether and what, if any, changes should be made to promote the replacement of diesel energy generation with renewable energy in remote communities in Nunavut.
Appropriate technologies must be responsive to environmental, cultural, economic, and educational resource constraints of any localized community. Accordingly, a second stage of the project will be to interview territorial residents to assess the impact of current policies and programs and the acceptability of territory residents to replace diesel for renewable energy sources in their communities.
The final stage of the project will be to analyze the findings, develop a policy framework and recommend some actions that will allow remote communities in Nunavut to increase their uptake of renewable energy generation initiatives.