The winds of change blow through Nunavut

KIRSTEN MURPHY

Windmills may replace the expensive and environmentally damning process of providing diesel-fuelled electricity to Nunavut’s 25 communities, says Ed Picco, the minister responsible for the Nunavut Power Corporation (NPC).

The Government of Nunavut spent more than $120 million — 18 per cent of its operating budget — on shipping, storing and burning fossil fuel for electricity this year.

Depending on world oil prices, the amount could soar another $20 million by 2006, according to the March 2002 GN report Ikuma II: Meeting Nunavut’s Energy Needs.

Diesel is expensive and, when burned, linked to the production of greenhouse gases, which contribute to global warming.

Finding a cost-effective, environmentally sustainable energy source for the Arctic is an immediate priority, Picco said.

“We’re trying to find out how much interest is out there,” he said.

A call for expressions of interest closed on Aug. 26. Axel Have, NPC’s vice-president of operations and engineering, is sorting through applications this month.

The successful consultant, expected to be selected before Christmas, will determine which Nunavut communities could use wind energy.

“Just because a place is windy, doesn’t mean it’s a sustained wind that could produce electrical energy at a cost-effective rate,” Picco said. “That’s what we want to find out.”

How wind power works

A windmill is made up of blades perched on top of a steel tower some 30 metres off the ground. Wind causes the blades to turn, and a generator converts the motion into mechanical power.

The energy is stored in a transmission grid. When the wind dies down or when there is an increased demand for electricity, the stored energy is used.

In southern Alberta, Ontario and Saskatchewan, the turbines are grouped in “wind farms.”

California and Denmark have used wind power for years.

A successful system for Nunavut must withstand months of whipping winds and blowing snow.

Wind energy is not new in Nunavut. About 12 years ago, the federal government and Northwest Territories Power Corporation (NTPC) set up single windmill generators in Repulse Bay, Cambridge Bay, Arviat, Baker Lake, Hall Beach and Igloolik.

But the pilot project didn’t last.

“It was successful because power was generated, but it failed because design flaws meant the towers could not stand up to the rigors of the North,” Picco said.

Today, Rankin Inlet and Kugluktuk host single operating wind towers monitored by NPC.

Peter Scott, director of the GN’s Ikuma II working group, said 65 of the 1,400 kilowatts required to keep people plugged into their computers and coffee makers each day is generated in Rankin Inlet.

Burning diesel makes up the shortfall. He calls the amount of energy produced small but significant.

Not every Nunavut community can tap into wind energy. Iqaluit and Pond Inlet lack consistent wind conditions, Scott said. In those cases, solar and water power are being considered.

Indeed, Scott suspects Nunavut will adopt hybrid systems combining wind and oil.

What’s good for the pocketbook is good for the environment

Finding alternatives to burning diesel is becoming more important as Canadian parliament discusses ratifying the Kyoto Protocol — an international agreement aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions worldwide.

“The Kyoto Protocol brings attention to the Arctic and its delicate environment if we’re to continue pouring diesel and cranking it out,” Scott said.

Wind power has many benefits. The turbines depend on wind, not coal or oil, making Mother Nature’s breeze a cheap fuel source.

The Toronto Renewable Energy Co-operative calls wind power “Canada’s fastest growing source of electricity.”

In addition, wind power produces clean, renewable energy without a significant environmental impact.

However, in the long run, Scott said, wind could cost as much as diesel when start-up and operating costs are factored in.

And long lines of wind turbines require large stretches of land, a prerequisite that may disturb wildlife and land use.

Wind farms cannot be built near airports because turbines can disrupt radio signals. Furthermore, the Energy Educators of Ontario (EEO) say noise created by 20 to 40 churning wind turbines can be annoying.

Down the road, replacing Nunavut’s diesel power plants with wind, or other non-combustible alternatives, has several hurdles to clear.

The EEO predicts money and public input will have as much pull (or push) as Mother Nature.

“[Wind energy in Canada] depends on the costs of wind power,” an EEO news release says, “and the value society places on reducing atmospheric pollution.”