Supporting Nunavik’s Energy Transition
Tarquti Energy Corporation (‘Tarquti’) has an ambitious vision for Nunavik’s energy transition and is fully committed to deploying environmentally-friendly energy technologies in a number of the region’s villages. Nergica is acting as a research partner and is offering its technical support in the build-out of wind and solar projects across Nunavik, which will ultimately allow these remote communities to reduce their diesel consumption.
In the course of these Indigenous governance projects, Nergica has helped commission meteorological masts, notably in Kuujjuaq (photo on right, credit Makivik Corporation), in addition to deploying a lidar running on an independent electrical power system.
As is the case anywhere, community engagement and the training of the local workforce are crucial for the success of renewables in Nunavik. In this context, Nergica is supporting Tarquti in building its capacities with the goal of ensuring the long-term vitality of renewable energy projects.
Nergica, Tarquti and Hydro-Québec are working on an extensive research project that aims to develop an approach to improve the integration of renewables through optimized solutions for the specific needs of Nunavik communities. Funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), this major three-year project aims to develop tools that take into account the inherent social, technical, economic and climate constraints in Nunavik communities that complicate the assessment and economic viability of renewable energy projects.
Ongoing projects
- Collaborative research project aiming to enhance renewables integration in off-grid networks in Nunavik, a collaboration between Hydro-Québec, Tarquti and Nergica and funded by NSERC (2022-2025).
- Stay tuned for further announcements in the weeks to come!
Challenges
- Commercial technological solutions are not always properly adapted for cold climate conditions, i.e. extremely low temperatures, blizzards, icing accretion on infrastructure and access issues for winter maintenance.
- The reality of remote communities places our team in a logic of innovation in order to overcome logistical challenges related to transportation, construction, installation, access to material and equipment, and labour shortages.
A few statistics
- 14 Nunavik communities could potentially undertake their energy transition together with Tarquti and the technical support offered by Nergica
- 5 meteorological masts and one lidar already operating in Nunavik
- Three-pronged, three-year research project in collaboration with Hydro-Québec
Highlights
- Five meteorological masts and one lidar commissioned
- Ongoing research project for enhanced integration of renewables in Nunavik
