Thunder Bay, Ontario: Marten Falls First Nation and Aecon Group Inc. announced the signing March 14 of a Memorandum of Understanding, to explore a renewable energy pilot project to reduce dependence on diesel fuel consumption in Marten Falls, a remote community located southeast of Ontario’s Ring of Fire region.
The pilot project aims to install an innovative solar power generation system built on a self-support, surface mount foundation including battery storage, an energy management system and an electrical interface connection to the existing HORCI substation. The design is tailored for remote northern climates and has the capability to produce significantly more energy than standard fixed mount solar panels by maximizing solar irradiance.
As part of the planning process, and in an effort to maximize the utilization of existing machinery available in the community, the parties will explore and develop training programs for the Marten Falls members to repair and operate heavy equipment and machinery. This would be a stepping stone towards future training and capacity development initiatives that could include training community members for construction and operations jobs if the project proceeds to development.
“For Marten Falls, this is a positive development that will help reduce dependence on expensive, non-renewable energy and provide economic benefits to the community in a sustainable fashion,” said Chief Bruce Achneepineskum, Marten Falls First Nation. “The community currently relies on diesel and other supplies that are flown in at great expense. We need innovative solutions like this for socio-economic development.”