Natural Resources Canada
98/33
May 4, 1998

CHEAPER, CLEANER ENERGY FOR REMOTE COMMUNITIES

MONTRÉAL—Remote Canadian communities will soon benefit from increased access to cleaner and less expensive energy. The Minister of Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), Ralph Goodale, today launched the $2.4-million, three-year Renewable Energy for Remote Communities (RERC) Program at the Renewable Energy Technologies in Cold Climates Conference in Montréal.

"Renewable energy has a vital role to play in helping Canada to meet our international climate change commitments," Minister Goodale told delegates. "This new program is designed to remove some of the barriers to the wider use of renewable energy technologies in Canada's remote communities."

Canada has more than 300 remote communities which are defined as not being connected to the main electrical grid or natural gas networks. Consequently, many of them depend on oil or diesel fuel for electrical generation. The high cost of transporting these fuels results in energy costs up to 10 times greater than those in urban centres.

Under the RERC Program, which is part of NRCan's Renewable Energy Strategy, the federal government will work in partnership with utilities, the renewable energy industry and northern Canadians, including Aboriginal communities, to develop project implementation tools and to support information transfer of renewable energy technologies that will facilitate the selection and implementation of renewable energy projects. The program was designed following two years of consultations with these stakeholders.

"The RERC Program provides a platform to coordinate the activities of the various governments and utilities working to address the barriers and opportunities associated with increasing renewable energy's contribution in remote communities," explained Minister Goodale. "For example, we are already working with Indian and Northern Affairs Canada and the Assembly of First Nations to develop strategies for increasing renewable energy deployment in Aboriginal communities."

High-efficiency wood heating appliances, solar energy systems for ventilation air heating, and small hydro and wind systems for electrical generation are sufficiently developed and reliable to meet part of the electrical generation and heating needs of many remote communities — with few or none of the greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change. However, communities and individuals often overlook these possibilities when they plan their energy needs. They would be more likely to consider renewable energy technologies if they had more information about and greater confidence in them. They could also benefit from increased technical knowledge about renewable energy and from possessing the tools to effectively assess their projects with renewable energy solutions in mind.

Minister Goodale also announced the launch of the first major RERC initiative. RETScreen™ '98, a computerized renewable energy technologies project assessment tool developed by NRCan, will help decision makers identify and evaluate the most viable opportunities for renewable energy projects relatively quickly and at low cost.

Minister Goodale concluded his remarks by formally opening the Renewable Energy Technologies in Cold Climates Conference 1998 at which 350 delegates from 20 countries have gathered to examine the potential of renewable energy technologies in countries where inclement weather affects reliable energy delivery. The conference runs until May 6 at the Radisson Hôtel des Gouverneurs in Montréal.

For more information contact:
John Embury
Press Secretary
Natural Resources Canada
(613) 996-2007