Exploring the potential for solar energy for Saint John
Photo: Saint John Energy Project Engineer Will McGivney, left, with Glen Fillmore, Executive Director of Strategic Growth and Transformation. In this blog piece, Will shares why Saint John Energy is looking for developers for a solar farm in the city.
Why we’re looking for experienced solar developers to help us build a cleaner energy future
By Will McGivney, June 13, 2024
Saint John Energy is embarking on an exciting new chapter in its journey towards a sustainable future with our call for developers interested in building a utility-scale solar farm in the city.
It’s a part of our quest to explore a cleaner energy supply for Saint John and to unearth opportunities through Zero30, our ambitious initiative to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2030.
Our announcement today seeking experienced solar energy suppliers to build, own, and operate a solar farm and supply the power to us follows on the success of the Burchill wind farm in the city.
At 42 megawatts, Burchill produces enough clean, renewable electricity to supply up to 15 per cent of the city’s current energy needs – electricity that we buy from its owners Natural Forces and Neqotkuk to sustainably power our customers’ homes and businesses.
Important model
Burchill has not only proven the viability of wind energy in the city but also demonstrated that the model is a winner too: Saint John Energy can leave the construction and the operation to those with a proven track record while we’re able to bring the benefits to our customers by buying the energy from these renewable energy developments.
So can we replicate that success with solar energy? We’re about to find out.
So can we replicate that success with solar energy? We’re about to find out.
The invitation to solar developers to submit proposals for a site of up to five megawatts of power will help us understand what interest is out there and whether it will be economical for us – and, by extension, our customers.
It is also an important piece in our Zero30 efforts. Through Zero30, we’re building a roadmap to carbon neutrality in our operations by 2030 and to assist our customers to reach that goal too should they wish.
There are three pillars to Zero30: building an even cleaner energy supply for Saint John, innovating for our customers, and preparing for a future with an escalating demand for electricity.
Certainly, should we proceed with a solar farm, that will help with developing a cleaner supply. We’re also looking to the Zero30 initiative to help identify the optimal mix of energy sources and carbon offsets that we will need to power the future of Saint John in a sustainable way.
Saint John Energy’s recent announcement that Deloitte will be providing global insights for Zero30 noted that Deloitte will be helping us determine that optimal mix, as well as helping us find ways that customers could reach net zero, and exploring the impact on the Saint John Energy grid into the future as customers turn increasingly to electricity.
Overwhelming support
Customers are certainly enthusiastic about the potential for renewable energy for our future – in a recent survey, 94 per cent have said they are in favour of Saint John Energy pursuing renewables. This overwhelming support underscores the community's commitment to sustainability and their trust in Saint John Energy to lead the way.
Burchill is proving that renewable energy is not only good for the environment but makes great business sense.
And customers are often asking us about the potential for solar – at open houses, at home shows, and on our social media accounts. We even have solar panels outside the Saint John Energy building on Simms Street, though they are used to collect data on the potential for community solar developments – work that continues.
We’ve not yet explored utility-scale solar in this way before. So this first for Saint John Energy will be an important test on the feasibility of adopting solar into our energy mix.
Burchill is proving that renewable energy is not only good for the environment but makes great business sense. Through a 25-year power purchase agreement with its owners, Saint John Energy has locked in a stable, fixed price for the energy it generates.
Exciting and rewarding
Even in its early days, that stable, fixed price is putting downward pressure on rate increases we see from our wholesaler supplier, NB Power. While our energy costs increased by 9.8 per cent on April 1, we were able to pass through a lower increase for residents of 9.27 per cent while general service rates increased by 6.90 per cent. We expect the Burchill benefit to only grow.
Costs for solar generation have been on the decline, but we want to be certain that there is a strong business case in it.
The expressions of interest in solar will help us evaluate if there is a similar benefit in pulling energy from the sun. Costs for solar generation have been on the decline, but we want to be certain that there is a strong business case in it.
As a project engineer at Saint John Energy, I had the opportunity to play an instrumental role in the work that we had to do to connect Burchill to our grid. It was exciting and rewarding work spanning three years, and I shared the pride that was felt across the company as the wind farm came to life and when it began pulsing energy to our customers.
It feels very much like a win-win: a victory for the environment and for our customers too.
Solar could be that win-win too. I can’t wait to find out.
Will McGivney is a project engineer with Saint John Energy.
