Demand management – Renewable energy and energy storage

The City of Edmundston would like to carry out a study on the feasibility of installing solar panels on the roof of the Jean-Daigle Centre, and installing an energy storage system will enable the municipality to determine whether such a project would be beneficial for the citizens of Edmundston. The Jean-Daigle Centre is located at the centre of the Édupôle hub, a strategic location near the high school, the University of Moncton – Edmundston campus, the New Brunswick Community College, as well as the Edmundston Multisport Pavilion. The goal of the project is to reduce the municipality’s environmental impacts and to decrease the energy costs paid to NB Power. The proposed project is aligned with the sustainable development objectives and plan of the City of Edmundston, which promote green energy sources. The project is divided into two parts: first, a solar panel system will be installed on the roof of the Jean-Daigle Centre, and second, an energy storage/battery system will be installed. The study will rely on an in-depth analysis to determine the solar capacity ratio and energy storage capacity. The project’s expected environmental, economic and social benefits include: decreasing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through the use of solar panels and an energy storage system, and decreasing the operational costs of municipal buildings, the energy costs paid to NB Power through the production of solar power, and the energy demand costs paid to NB Power through the use of the energy storage system to decrease peak demand; enabling NB Power to use the energy stored in the batteries to better manage total energy demand in the province of New Brunswick; raising the awareness of the citizens of Edmundston about the benefit of renewable energy and energy management; informing the public of total savings for the municipality and GHG emission reductions through the use of lighted signs that will display the results in the lobby of the Jean-Daigle Centre and through the municipality’s website. Innovative aspects • This project is a major first step that will help the municipality to make the shift to a low-carbon economy. • This project could help to transform electrical distribution and production systems into more reliable and innovative systems. • The use of renewable energy sources through storage technology is an innovative aspect for the City of Edmundston. • NB Power will be able to tap into the energy storage system to meet peak demand. Replicability The benefits of a project involving the installation of solar panels and an energy storage system could be replicated in a wide range of municipalities in New Brunswick and the rest of Canada, with the solar potential being relatively similar from one province to the next. The project would also address two replicability characteristics, i.e., through clear results-based benefits that help to solve common issues shared by many municipalities (meeting peak demand), and through clear market factors that encourage other municipalities to adopt the solution (ability to avoid the costs associated with the construction/renovation of new power plants). (Project description from original funding application)