First Nations Communities continue to pave the way for a better planet and sustainability  through several research and implementation initiatives related to solar energy and other natural resources. Read about some of these here and find out about key initiatives that are underway:

Deer Lake First Nation Solar Initiative (courtesy of CBC)

Algonquins of Pikwakanagan First Nation Solar Project

Serpent River First Nation’s Environmental Review Panel  (courtesy of Northern Ontario Business News)

Lands and Resources Department of the Union of Ontario Indians

Read about Ishkonigan Consulting and Phil Fontaine

April 25, 2014

Approximately 600 Kilometers northwest of Thunder Bay, the Deer Lake First Nations Community is breaking new ground with an innovative solar energy project with JAZZ Solar. Providing 150 KiloWatts of Energy via 624 panels arranged in 4 arrays, the system will allow the community to take its school off-grid and free up energy to power 5 new homes that had been boarded up for years due to a lack of energy.

Chief Royle Meekis said the project has economic and social benefits for the community. Geordi ​Kakepetum, head of NCC Development, says the Deer Lake solar array is the first of what he hopes will be a series of projects to reduce northern First Nations’ dependence on diesel. (source: CBC)

“This project is just the start of something big for the community of Deer Lake,” said Jazz Solar Solutions Founder and CEO Ketan Bhalla. “But you’re really also part of making history because what’s going to transpire here with solar, with batteries, and everything else planned with Canadian Solar and NCC, is really the model of energy for about three billion people with bad electricity or no electricity on this planet we live in. So I feel very honoured to be part of history that’s starting here in Deer Lake.”

Read the full CBC article and view the ribbon cutting celebration here

Read the Northern Sun News article about the Deer Lake project here

CANDO N-SIDE NEWS, DECEMBER 2012

Ontario offers Solar Energy programs with priority for the First Nations communities. Benefits include 20 years of First Nations communities. Benefits include 20 years of guaranteed income by a legal contract with the Ontario Power Authority (OPA). The contract stipulates that any energy generated would be purchased by the local electricity utility company, such as Hydro One under the mandate of Ontario’s Green Energy Act. Contract pays a premium as a part of the microFIT feed-in-tariff program. It is a lucrative offer that every First Nations community should not miss.

To read more click the link below

Cando N-Side News, Page 14, December 2012

ANISHINABEK NEWS JULY-AUGUST 2012

PIKWÀKANAGÀN – When the Ontario Power Authority (OPA) unrolled the microFIT (Feed-in-Tariff) program back in 2010, it caught the attention of the First Nation Chief and Council of the Algonquins of Pikwàkanagàn.

Click the link below to read more…

Anishinabek News July 2012 Pg13

JAZZ Solar will be hosting Solar Educational Seminars at 7pm on select days in a  month. To RSVP for dates, please send us an email at rsvp@jazzsolar.com.

Our seminar promises to be interesting and informative. It is a chance to hear the experts speak and to see the technology up close. Refreshments will be provided. All are welcome. Please let your friends know and bring them along.

EMC News – Recently, city council approved an agreement with Energy Ottawa Limited, a subsidiary of Hydro Ottawa, to install rooftop solar energy arrays on up to 20 of the city’s largest rooftops over the next three years.

The energy produced through the project will be fed back into the provincial power grid through Hydro Ottawa’s distribution system. When fully implemented, it is expected that the amount of solar electrical energy produced will be enough to power more than 300 homes.

The rooftop solar arrays will help to reduce greenhouse gases and provide a new revenue stream for the city, estimated to be up to $5 million over 20 years, from rooftop leases as well as potentially enhanced dividends from Hydro Ottawa over the 20-year term of the project.

The decision reinforces the city’s strategic objectives for environmental sustainability by increasing the supply of local renewable energy and solar energy generation capacity, and is another important step as the city positions itself as a green energy leader.

As part of a pilot project last year, one set of solar panels exists on the rooftop of City Hall at 110 Laurier Ave. and another on top of the Transit Services Integrated Control Centre at 875 Belfast Rd.

Once formed, the alliance intends to develop patents and figure out global rights for applications of graphite, which is commonly used in steelmaking, solar panel manufacturing and lithium-ion batteries.

Focus stocks rose to $1.19 each on the Toronto Stock Exchange, up four cents.

“For the layperson, while diamonds are a coveted jewellery allotrope of carbon, graphene is very much the game-changing allotrope of carbon achieving recent accolades such as the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics,” stated Gordon Chiu, who was appointed to be the venture’s managing director and chief scientist.

“As a combination, it is potentially more applicable than copper because when graphene is mixed into plastics, the resultant material turns into a conductor of electricity while being more heat resistant and mechanically robust.”

The venture will be based in New York City. Beyond stating that detail, Focus did not disclose any financial details or when the agreement is expected to close.

According to Focus, the junior mining firm has one of the world’s highest concentrations of natural graphite at its property in Lac Knife, Que.