U of M sea ice lab turns to solar power

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This article was published 22/01/2025 (262 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A new solar panel designed to power experiments involving sea ice will help the University of Manitoba save cold cash.

The $30,000 solar panel will reduce the hydro bill, plus excess power generated by it can be put on Manitoba Hydro’s grid.

Debbie Armstrong, an instructor in the environment and geography department, who is a technician at the ultra-clean trace elements laboratory, wrote the proposal to acquire the panel.

She said it will pay for itself in 12 years.

“It’s the first solar panel installation on the campus that not only powers the research station, but, if we’re not using it all, the electricity not used goes to the grid.”

She said they expect the solar panel to replace about 27 per cent of the electricity used by all of the monitors and machines which are connected to the university’s Sea-Ice Experimental Research Facility. The facility has a 460,000-litre pool filled with a mix of water and brine to create the same concentration as ocean water.

“We do many experiments there,” said Armstrong. That includes investigating how much light penetrates the ice. “You can do the experiments here without going to Churchill.”

She said the outdoor pool thaws when it’s warmer, so the experiments come to a halt and the scientific equipment is turned off.

“It’s those months when all of the power being generated will go to Manitoba Hydro’s grid,” said Armstrong.

“Our summers are so fantastic — they start in May and go to October. Maybe in a year I will have a better projection on how much power is generated and goes to the grid. It all depends on how many sunny days we have.”

Hydro spokesman Riley McDonald said there are more than 1,700 solar installations across the province.

“These installations include residential, small commercial, and agricultural customers and represent about 40 megawatts of installed capacity,” said McDonald. “About 28 gigawatt-hours of energy from these installations goes into the grid annually.”

McDonald said, to put it into context, the utility’s total generation capacity is 6,121 megawatts; all of its hydro projects generated 29,000 gigawatt-hours in 2023-24.

Armstrong said money for the panel came from the university’s $6.8-million strategic initiatives fund. The fund, which was created by money leftover from the 2023-24 operating budget, pays for short-term projects.

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca