01/30/2025
Makes a great case for solar and batteries:
Discussing energy investment Power mix helped during recent cold snap: Summerside Electric
The Guardian (Charlottetown)28 Jan 2025 COLIN MACLEAN
Summerside Electric is crediting its unique mix of energy resources for avoiding having to ask customers to conserve electricity during the recent cold snap.
Greg Gaudet, Summerside’s director of municipal services which includes Summerside Electric, said the city’s solar, wind and battery storage capacity helped it manage the extra strain on its system during the recent below-average temperatures and avoid activating local backup diesel generators.
“This demonstrates the value of having a diverse and sustainable energy portfolio to support both our community and the wider region,” said Gaudet.
Gaudet added that Summerside’s use of local renewables and battery storage helped alleviate pressure on the broader electrical grid, reducing overall demand on Maritime Electric and NB Power lines by approximately 19 per cent.
Maritime Electric, the only other electric utility operating in P.E.I., started advising its customers to help conserve power at peak load times during the cold snap as extra pressure was expected to be put on the system.
FUTURE INVESTMENT
Summerside Electric started prioritizing renewable energy nearly 20 years ago and now operates the 21.6-megawatt Sunbank solar farm, a 12-megawatt wind farm and 10 megawatts of battery storage.
It has also invested in technology like AI and electric vehicles to complement its generation capacity. What power it can’t produce locally it buys from outside sources like N.B. Power.
“Our ability to maintain reliable service during challenging weather conditions speaks volumes about the foresight and innovation driving Summerside’s energy strategy,” said Mayor Dan Kutcher.
“We must continue to invest intelligently in our existing assets and new technologies to ensure we can meet the evolving electrical needs of our community and provide greater energy security in the years ahead.”
PUBLIC MEETING
The city has scheduled a public meeting on Feb. 5, 6-8 p.m. at Credit Union Place to discuss some of those upcoming investments.
Finding a replacement for Summerside’s fleet of backup diesel generators has been a topic of research and discussion for several years now.
But the matter is quickly coming
to a head and city staff recently advised council that the generators, the oldest of which was built in the 1950s, are rapidly approaching the end of their operational life.
Council approved more than $240,000 in unbudgeted spending in October to conduct unexpected repairs to some of the generators and keep them operational going into the cold winter months.
The city also hired Dunsky Energy and Climate to prepare a report which will provide options for how best to replace the generators.
Kutcher himself has indicated the city is strongly eyeing hydrogen fuel technology as its next major energy investment.
The idea would be to use excess energy produced by the city’s renewable infrastructure to generate what’s known as green hydrogen fuel.
He said the city has already costed out a project which would include the purchase and installation of a hydrogen electrolyzer and a 33-megawatt hydrogen-powered generator.
An electrolyzer uses electricity to split water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen can then be stored and burned for fuel as needed. When hydrogen is burned it produces pure water as a byproduct and releases no carbon dioxide.
Call:
Darcie Lanthier
Cell: 902-314-1304
Sales Manager
Renewable Lifestyles Ltd.
107 Industrial Crescent
Summerside, PE C1N 5N6
Renewable Lifestyles is the source for all of your renewable energy product and installation needs in Prince Edward Island.
