The northern Ontario community of Sault Ste. Marie has designed and built its remarkably successful economic strategy based on fostering power generation projects. In the process, it has positioned itself as “the Alternative Energy Capital of North America” and become something of a local hero in the Canadian energy business.
“Becoming a champion of energy projects has served the community well,” says Don Mitchell, President of the Sault Ste. Marie Economic Development Corporation (SSMEDC). “The power projects generate a lot of direct investment and jobs, make us more attractive as a location for business, plus it also gives the community more control over its environmental footprint.”
The region of Sault Ste. Marie now boasts major wind energy projects, several hydro-electric stations, large solar generating sites, cogeneration, and a waste-to-energy initiative. By some counts, the area produces something like three times more power than it consumes, becoming a significant energy exporter, and an important part of the support system for Northern Ontario’s power grid. The strategy looks set to grow further, with a number of additional proposals under consideration.
At the core of this local success story is a supportive city council and proactive groups like the SSMEDC and Sault Ste. Marie Innovation Centre (SSMIC). These organizations have helped stimulate a wide variety of cutting-edge green businesses, from solar panel manufacturing to a tire recycling facility.
When the feed-in-tariff (FIT) program for renewable energy became available, community groups wanted to find ways to leverage local resources to provide a more long-lasting boost to regional economic development. Building local capacity in the area is also very helpful in developing community understanding and support for the resulting projects.
In early 2012, community energy stakeholders within the Destiny Sault Ste. Marie Energy Committee decided to develop a strategy to continue the momentum in the energy sector and achieve further success. This strategy became a Smart Energy Strategy for the community, positioning it as a destination for investment and growth in energy projects beyond just power generation to include emerging areas such as smart grid and bio-energy. The strategy was adopted and includes the following elements:
1. Accelerated Activity in Conservation, Energy Efficiency, and Heat Recovery.
2. Alternative Energy and Development of an Intelligent Regional Grid (Smart Microgrid).
3. Creation of a Community Investico and ensuring retention of investment throughout the region.
4. Community Branding and Outreach.
Part of the development of the community’s green sector involves stimulating involvement from young people and ensuring that training in the emerging new technology fields is available to students in the area. Sault College, for instance, has offered programs related to renewable energy technology for several years now. In another example, the SSMIC used its GIS (geographic information system) to assemble data from 50,000 city maps into a single electronic system for urban planning decisions, which is integrated with community efforts at local energy planning.
With funding support, SSMIC has hired a team of energy specialists focused on implementing the strategy. The community recently issued an RFP for bio-mass solutions and selected Battelle, the world’s largest research organization as the winning proponent. This November, the community will host the “Energy Opportunities Conference: Making Things Happen,” which will feature global leaders in the energy sector discussing new technologies and provide an opportunity for Sault Ste. Marie to showcase its impressive energy projects and share best practices with other communities.
“Moving forward, we are excited at the potential for further growth in our energy sector,” said Tom Vair, Executive Director, SSMIC. “We are working with a number of promising energy technology companies and believe we can build on our unique energy foundation to create new opportunities for growth.”
The region’s power projects in operation or under development include the following:
Wind Power
Sault Ste. Marie is home to the Prince Wind Farm, one of the largest wind energy farms in Canada. The site’s 126 turbines can produce 189 megawatts of renewable energy, enough to power about 60,000 homes. Meanwhile, the Batchewana First Nation, in partnership with BluEarth Renewables, is developing the Bow Lake Wind Farm. The 36-turbine project is currently under construction.
Hydroelectric
There are five hydroelectric stations in the Sault Ste. Marie area that generate a total of 203 megawatts of renewable energy. The nearby Wawa area generates an additional 196 megawatts.
Solar Energy
Sault Ste. Marie is home to a $300-million solar farms project. Producing 60 megawatts of clean energy, the sites generate enough electricity to power about 21,000 homes. The city is also home to Heliene Canada, which operates a photovoltaic solar panel manufacturing facility.
Cogeneration
Essar Steel Algoma, one of Sault Ste. Marie’s largest employers, began a cogeneration power project that utilizes excess gas from the steelmaking process. The $135-million initiative produces 70 megawatts of electricity and reduces the company’s reliance on the power grid by an average of 50%.
Waste-to-Energy
The Elementa Group is developing a waste-to-energy project that will convert municipal garbage into clean energy using a patented “Steam Reformation” process. The technology vaporizes solid waste into a synthetic gas, similar to natural gas, which can be used for power generation.
Reverse Polymerization
Using “Reverse Polymerization” technology, Ellsin Environmental is operating a pilot tire recycling plant that breaks down old tires into their original parts: steel, oil and carbon black. Separated, each component is valuable and can be reused for a variety of purposes, including power generation.
Natural Gas
Brookfield Power operates a 110-megawatt cogeneration plant in Sault Ste. Marie. The facility consists of two 40-megawatt natural gas turbines and one 30-megawatt steam turbine.
Clearly, Sault Ste. Marie is enthusiastic about energy development and various community groups are encouraging further responsible development of green technology projects. Energy development is seen as contributing to the overall well-being of the region.
If the programs in Sault Ste. Marie continue as well as they seem to have started off, it may well succeed in its lofty goal of being a perpetual generator of knowledge and prosperity for the community. And at the same time, it may serve as a model for other regions that are considering hosting power projects.
For more information, see the following websites: