Op-Ed: Renewable Energy in the Northwest Territories? It Is Happening

On Thursday March 5th, 2009, Yellowknife, NT, hosted the first ever Arctic Energy Action Awards - an award ceremony promoting clean and efficient energy use. Without question, the awards were a success; thanks in large to keynote speaker Andrew Robinson.

No matter where you live in the world, discussing energy and the environment can be a depressing subject. The Canadian north is no exception. Yet on Thursday March 5th, 2009, the city of Yellowknife was host to the annual Arctic Energy Alliance (AEA) Arctic Energy Action Awards; a ceremony aimed at promoting, encouraging, and rewarding renewable, efficient, and carbon neutral practices. And to make a long story short, the awards were a resounding success. Though the presentation of four trophies to leaders of sustainable energy practice in the Canadian north was listed as the main event of the evening, the award ceremony was preceded by three speeches which truly stole the show. Delivered by Gary Bohnet, president of the AEA, J. Michael Miltenburger, NWT minister of the environment, and – most notably – Andrew Robinson, executive director at the AEA, the gathered public was offered insight into the problems at hand, the many solutions available, and the actions currently being taken by the government of the Northwest Territories with the help of the AEA. When Mr. Miltenburger spoke, he highlighted the worldwide problems surrounding energy efficiency and energy independence, as well as the vital role that renewable power must play if we, as a species, are to meet the challenges of the 21st century. Miltenberger also explicated a few simple steps those working at the legislative assembly of the Northwest Territories were taking to do there part in the fight for energy efficiency. Active immediately, bottled water or soda vending machines will not be found on site. As well, the assembly aims to use 80% less paper annually by promoting digital records. With regard to the city on whole, a new levy taxing plastic bags will take effect shortly; it is estimated that this initiative will reduce the amount of plastic bags used in the north by 8 million per year. Miltenberger also pointed out that in the challenge “to save energy and be friendly to the planet”, the north will have to change its energy system from a dirty, inefficient one, into a clean, efficient system - with or without the support of the federal government. “The government of NWT is moving on its own and will not wait for federal aid or for other provinces in the south to take the lead.” Enter Andrew Robinson. Wasting little time on formalities, Mr. Robinson effectively illustrated why promoting sustainable energy practices is so important and why the Arctic Energy Alliance will play a pivotal role in the future of the north:

“Energy costs (in the Northwest Territories) are probably the (highest) in Canada. (…) We are paying more to power our toasters than anyone (…) That’s not good. What’s more, If you look on a map designed to show the highest annual temperature change since records have been kept, the highest temperature changes in the entire world are in the Mackenzie valley, that’s also not good. Greenhouse gas emissions in the north are among the highest per capita in the world; due mainly to our heating costs. And experts say we have around ten years to do something about climate change before it will be out of our control. How does that feel? Depressing -- But that’s not the message we’re putting out tonight. We’ve been talking a lot about housing, and guess what? If you took a house that was built here today to Vancouver, you’d win an award for efficient design… What we’re doing up here is the way of the future. We do have knowledge here and whether our builders truly know it or not, we’re leading the world. They did a survey of the number of the people who walk to work in Yellowknife, our number is among the highest in Canada.”

Robinson also pointed out that, with help from Arctic Energy Alliance, the Northwest Territories is leading Canada – and likely the world – with the advancement of wood-pellet burners, a highly efficient heating system, and is investing in several micro-hydro projects in order to power the many ‘off-the-grid’ communities in the north which at present are reliant on one of the most inefficient power sources known to man, diesel fuel generators.

“Putting the two together, how do you feel?” The audience gave way to applause. “Good, and you should feel that way, our vision is that the Northwest Territories is going to become a leader in renewable energy design. (…) A world where we don’t have to worry about climate change or rising energy costs is what we’re working towards.”

Although the Arctic Energy Alliance was created just nine months ago, the fruits of their labour are visible and renewable energy is the talk of the town. Known for it’s abandoned mine’s, the city of Yellowknife, in partnership with the AEA, is doing preliminary studies to see if geothermal power is a viable option moving forward – the logic being that much of the digging has already been done and geothermal heat should be strong considering that the Yellowknife was once an hotbed for volcanic activity. And finally, the AEA is testing to see if wind or solar photovoltaic power can play a role in the future of northern energy. And boy oh boy, the Northwest Territories needs clean, reliable, and fairly priced energy asap. Citing official statistics, Master of Ceremonies Jamie Bastedo noted that nearly 20% (18.2%, to be exact) of all residents left the Northwest Territories in the twelve-month period between July of 2007 and July of 2008; soaring energy costs being one of the main culprits causing the exodus. In addition, the weekly (unscheduled) blackouts and brownouts have left many northerns at wits end, contemplating whether or not to bear with the north. But just as Thursday evening’s awards – which recognized Aurora College (for its winterization program), Northern Property Real Estate (for energy efficiency upgrades in many of their buildings), the City of Yellowknife (for its Community Energy Plan, and Kaad Mukhtaar (the first taxi driver north of 60 to drive a hybrid vehicle) – were meant to cast a positive light on the future of energy in the north, so too is this article. Be certain, Yellowknife is an extremely rare city; it is not everyday that one finds a community notably (and nobly) dedicated to renewable energy and energy efficiency – though we should all hope that changes soon. And so long as the city of Yellowknife, with the help of the AEA and it’s dedicated workers, continues to make forward progress in the struggle to create an economically friendly clean energy system, we just might see – sooner rather than later – more communities across the globe and in Canada following suit. For more information on the Arctic Energy Alliance and the Arctic Energy Action Awards please visit aea.nt.ca

Thanks for reading. GRMM