New utility-scale solar farm in Manitoba aims to spark interest in green energy among First Nations

This story is part of a CBC News series titled In our backyardwhich discusses the effects of climate change in Canada, from extreme weather events to its impact on our economy.

The Fisher River Cree Nation will soon be home to Manitoba’s largest solar farm — a one-megawatt facility that will be connected to the province’s power grid — and its backers hope the project will pique the interest of other First Nations.

“This particular project is focused on generating revenue for the community,” says David Crate, Fisher River CEO.

“The long-term planning is to… try to get as much of our community powered by solar energy as possible, and perhaps other green energy initiatives as well.”

The Fisher River Solar Farm, about 200 kilometres north of Winnipeg, has nearly 3,000 panels. Manitoba Hydro calls it the province’s “first utility-scale solar project,” and it spans seven acres and was built entirely by Indigenous workers.

The solar array is the result of a partnership with W Dusk Energy Group Inc., an Indigenous-owned company that specializes in solar, wind and renewable energy systems. The company helped design and manage the project.

According to Crate, the solar farm got the green light after finalizing an agreement with Manitoba Hydro several years ago under which Fisher River would sell power generated by the plant to the Crown corporation’s grid.

Renewable energy is something W Dusk Energy owner David Isaac says more First Nations should be working on.

“The future is ahead of us,” Isaac says. “I think we all have to accept that together.”

Isaac, or Mi’kmaw, has been working with First Nations for 20 years. His company helps First Nations with every project from start to finish, and he believes that solutions like the solar farm are consistent with First Nations values ​​and philosophies.

“The community of the future will be like the indigenous community in the sense that hyperlocal energy will be generated (by) decentralized utilities from a harmonious energy source, not from mining,” Isaac says.

He added that the Fisher River solar farm could serve as a model for other First Nations looking to get involved in green energy.

For Crate, working with new renewable energy technology makes both economic and environmental sense for every First Nation.

“I hope that in the near future, across the country… there will be a lot of green energy initiatives. It could be wind, solar, geothermal — the technology is constantly changing,” Crate says.

Employment and education

To finance the nearly $2.4 million project, the Fisher River community used its own funds, as well as a $1 million grant from Western Economic Diversification Canada and a $750,000 loan from RBC.

Crate says the project would not have been profitable 10 years ago because the costs of installing this type of solar were higher back then.

The first community, whose 2,000 members live in the community and another 2,000 outside the reserve, expects to repay the loan within 10 years and make a profit of PLN 75,000-85,000. dollars per year.

In addition to providing a source of income, the solar project has helped community residents develop specialized skills.

Candice Sinclair has worked in the Fisher River construction industry for 10 years and is one of 11 people who completed a week-long training program to learn how to install panels on the solar farm, then worked on the installation project itself for six weeks.

“It was the best paying job I ever had,” Sinclair says.

Once the farm is fully operational, it will not require full-time employment, but it will require regular maintenance and will need to be checked for dust and cleared of snow during the winter months.

The training the team received prepares them for potential development work as well as renewable energy projects in other communities.

Future growth

The solar farm is not the first green energy project the community has undertaken, but it is the largest single installation. Over the years, Fisher River has also trained 15 certified local workers to install geothermal heating in more than 300 homes in the community to make them more energy efficient.

Lorne Cochrane, chair of the Fisher River Economic Development Task Force, said that since installing geothermal heating in homes, monthly electricity costs have increased from an average of $300 to $150.

Cochrane says one of the challenges to Fisher River’s economic development is its location. A recent study found that as much as 70 percent of the reserve’s land is unusable due to high water levels and flooding.

Despite these limitations, he says, with the work that has been done in the energy space, Fisher River has the potential to produce energy locally and the potential to eventually run its own utility company, developing even greater expertise in renewable energy technologies.

“That’s our ultimate goal: looking at future expansion,” Cochrane says.

Sinclair says it believes the solar panels and renewable technology skills being developed at Fisher River will benefit the First Nation in the long term.

She added that her son and nephew asked her how it would benefit them and what impact it would have on the future of the community. “I said I have no idea at this point… there are people (who) have different opinions about the solar farm, some say we shouldn’t have installed it and others say it will benefit us, so it could go both ways . But I like it.”

The Fisher River solar farm is expected to be fully operational in early July.