Renewable Energy Technologies
Currently the majority of our energy is obtained using non-renewable resources such as Oil, Gas, Coal and Nuclear energies. In other words, currently our energy comes from sources that get depleted during use and that will not grow back. Attempts are currently being made worldwide to replace the production of energy from non-renewable sources with energy from renewable sources, i.e., sources that are not depleted as a result of using them.

In addition to concerns about running out of non-renewable energy sources, the main driving force for switching to renewable energy is global warming. Using non-renewable energy sources upsets the temperature balance on Earth, partly by directly adding heat from non-renewable sources to the earth’s atmosphere and partly by polluting the atmosphere with greenhouse gases which lead to additional warming from sunlight. In contrast to this, renewable energy sources make use of the solar energy that strikes the earth naturally, whether directly as in solar energy, or indirectly as in wind energy.

Major sources of renewable energy are: solar, wind, hydro and geothermal. Each of these has different advantages and disadvantages and may be more or less suitable for certain environments. The research at the Aurora Research Institute has so far extended to solar and wind energy.

Wind energy
Wind energy is directly harvested using wind turbines. These range from a few kW to a MW in size. Different designs have been tested and a three-blade horizontal-axis setup currently seems to be favored by most manufacturers.

There are many commercial and experimental wind projects throughout Canada and a few in the Canadian north. A pre-feasibility study on the use of wind energy in the Beaufort Sea region was performed at the Aurora Research Institute in 2003. A wind-monitoring project is also being planned for the Hamlets of Holman and Sachs Harbour. The Canadian Wind Energy Association has a wind vision for Canada, which is 10,000 MW of wind power by 2010.

Solar Energy
The energy from sunlight can be harvested in two main ways. In solar-thermal energy the heat radiated by the sun can be used directly for heating, e.g. of water. Alternatively, photovoltaic (PV) arrays allow the direct conversion of light to electrical energy. Use of photovoltaics in cold climates is well established. However, use of solar power requires a storage solution to cope with the unavailability of energy at night. This is particularly important for locations north of the arctic circle where night will last for multiple days in winter and where there is almost no sun for extended periods of time.

The Aurora Research Institute and the Nunavut Research Institute have conducted a study on the use of solar energy in an arctic environment which shows that PV can be operated successfully in the arctic environment. However, special technological adaptations are required to ascertain reliable operation in a low-maintenance low-temperature environment.