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LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON
With the summer sun beating down, energy production is in full swing at the solar panel installation in Fort Simpson.

In its first five months of operation, the solar installation at the Fort Simpson airport has been functioning as expected if not better, according to the Northwest Territories Power Corporation. - Roxanna Thompson/NNSL photo

The Northwest Territories Power Corporation activated the installation at the Fort Simpson airport on Feb. 23.

Since then, the installation, the largest in the territory with 258 panels, has been functioning as expected if not better, said Myra Berrub, the manager of energy services with the corporation.

"It's been excellent," she said.

The corporation was expecting the energy produced by the installation to displace the equivalent of 15,000 litres of diesel consumed at the Fort Simpson diesel generation plant.

As of July 23, 11,000 litres of diesel fuel have been saved, more than two-thirds of the goal.

Since it was brought online the solar panels have produced 40.8 megawatt hours. That is enough to power approximately three football stadiums for a day.

"That is a lot of power," said Berrub.

On a sunny day at any given point in time, the panels are producing 45 to 60 kWh into the electricity grid. The installation is matching what it was expected to produce.

"We are right on target," she said.

The corporation has a website where it can track in real time the energy that is being produced. The corporation plans to put that information on its public website soon.

"We are interested in sharing this with people," Berrub said.

The installation was built as a demonstration project to investigate how the technology would work in the North.

It was funded with $700,000 from the territorial government's energy priorities framework.

Although the sun is a free source of energy, the cost of the solar project – over its 25- to 30-year lifespan – is nearly twice the cost of the diesel it offsets. This calculation doesn't factor in any increases in the price of diesel.

The cost is higher because this is new technology, said Berrub. From the start of the project, however, the corporation was aware that the installation wouldn't produce cheaper energy.

The project is a learning experience, she said. Berrub pointed out that because the territorial government funded the project, the corporation's customers in the thermal zone aren't directly bearing the cost of the installation.

Over the course of its lifespan, the corporation will be examining the operation and maintenance costs associated with the installation and the energy it is producing to ensure it is matching its expected output.

The corporation is also tracking how much fuel the installation is displacing and the resulting reduction in carbon emissions. Berrub said the opportunity for similar projects in the territory will be investigated .

The territorial government is currently working on a solar strategy, said Berrub. The corporation is waiting to see if there will be funding for future solar projects.

The Fort Simpson solar power project was recognized as a bold step by the government. In May, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists gave the corporation and the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment an award for environment excellence for using solar power, reducing carbon emissions and providing electricity to Fort Simpson.

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