Newsletter
CUP Solar A Great Year of testing and success
The City of Summerside and Samsung Renewable Energy Inc. partnered in 2016 to construct a renewable energy demonstration project under its Living Lab Program to test renewable energy systems and battery integration. Situated at Summerside’s Recreation Centre, Credit Union Place, the “smart storage” system as it has been coined, consists of blending solar power with traditional power sources connected to a battery to provide a cost‐effective way of storing, dispatching and managing energy for large scale user. The project’s primary mandate is to demonstrate how utilities can integrate storage solutions that are modular, impactful, responsive, and green while including three beneficiaries, the Utility Grid operator, the Customer, and the Environment in a win-win-win partnership. Storing energy is not new for small applications, but is still in its infancy when ramped up to an industrial/utility-scale. The innovation of the Samsung—Summerside partnership steps in to overcome the challenge.
The 1,400 ground-mounted panels and 144 carport panels and an 890 kWh battery system allow the operators of the Credit Union Place to shift and manage the building’s energy use from on-peak to off-peak.
Commissioned in late November of 2017, the system has performed beyond our expectations:
The 1,400 ground-mounted panels and 144 carport panels and an 890 kWh battery system allow the operators of the Credit Union Place to shift and manage the building’s energy use from on-peak to off-peak.
Commissioned in late November of 2017, the system has performed beyond our expectations:
- — The Solar Component has saved CUP over 513,000 kWh’s of Energy purchases which equate to over $58,000 in energy purchase savings
- — The Battery has saved CUP over 130,000 kWh’s of Energy purchases which equate to over $3,000 in energy purchase savings
- — The system has enabled CUP to manage its peak demand requirements for energy needs and has saved over $30,000 in-demand energy charges for the facility
- — In all, the CUP Smart System has saved over $80,000 in Energy Costs which has been invested directly back into the community
So what does this all mean?
We have reduced Summerside’s overall GHG emissions by over 154,000 kg of C02emissions by offsetting traditional energy usage or the equivalent of driving a full-size pickup truck over 500,000 kilometres in 1 year!
Summerside is furthering the way Utilities, Communities and Customers engage, deliver, consume and develop cities by creating a renewable energy installation that puts the Environment, Economic and Social goals at the forefront of its mandate. In 2019, we will be looking to continue our Renewable Energy initiatives building on the success of our phase one project and greening of Summerside in a number of new and exciting areas including energy generation, vehicle electrification and smart grid technologies and sourcing partners to assist on our Innovation Agenda.
Summerside is furthering the way Utilities, Communities and Customers engage, deliver, consume and develop cities by creating a renewable energy installation that puts the Environment, Economic and Social goals at the forefront of its mandate. In 2019, we will be looking to continue our Renewable Energy initiatives building on the success of our phase one project and greening of Summerside in a number of new and exciting areas including energy generation, vehicle electrification and smart grid technologies and sourcing partners to assist on our Innovation Agenda.
Open for Business
City of Summerside welcomed UK delegation to explore PEI as a viable business location
Economic development officials from the City of Summerside recently hosted a successful foreign investment mission of six United Kingdom companies. The inbound visit was supported by the federal and provincial governments with a common goal—to explain the competitive advantages of conducting business in Canada and Prince Edward Island, in particular.
The six participating companies represented a cross-section of industries: Connective Touch, a Biometrics company; Industrial Phycology, a wastewater treatment enterprise; Open Play, a recreational software company; Surple, an energy management IT specialist; Hello Lamp Post, an IT public engagement company; and Cottam and Brookes, an aerospace enterprise.
In mid-November, the delegate companies participated in a 4-day tour of Summerside and across PEI where they engaged with over 50 local business and academic institutions to forge relationships and explore business expansion in Summerside to support North American growth plans.
The City worked with Fraser International, a business matchmaker, to select participants based on in-market discussions and screening over the course of a five-month period to identify UK-based companies looking for a location in North American where they could base operations to service growing market ambitions. Officials from the City of Summerside initially met the Fraser group during a spring outbound mission to the UK in 2015; the forged relationship would eventually help create this PEI visit.
The Government of Canada, through the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, contributed $28,000 to the City of Summerside to support the planning and execution of the inward investment mission. The Government of Prince Edward Island, through Innovation PEI, supported the project with a $12,000 contribution.
The City of Summerside is already reporting successful outcomes—two companies are exploring joint venture opportunities; another company is looking to start its global expansion by hiring staff to launch a North American presence in Summerside, and the other mission companies have expressed serious interest in exploring expansion efforts this year.
The six participating companies represented a cross-section of industries: Connective Touch, a Biometrics company; Industrial Phycology, a wastewater treatment enterprise; Open Play, a recreational software company; Surple, an energy management IT specialist; Hello Lamp Post, an IT public engagement company; and Cottam and Brookes, an aerospace enterprise.
In mid-November, the delegate companies participated in a 4-day tour of Summerside and across PEI where they engaged with over 50 local business and academic institutions to forge relationships and explore business expansion in Summerside to support North American growth plans.
The City worked with Fraser International, a business matchmaker, to select participants based on in-market discussions and screening over the course of a five-month period to identify UK-based companies looking for a location in North American where they could base operations to service growing market ambitions. Officials from the City of Summerside initially met the Fraser group during a spring outbound mission to the UK in 2015; the forged relationship would eventually help create this PEI visit.
The Government of Canada, through the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, contributed $28,000 to the City of Summerside to support the planning and execution of the inward investment mission. The Government of Prince Edward Island, through Innovation PEI, supported the project with a $12,000 contribution.
The City of Summerside is already reporting successful outcomes—two companies are exploring joint venture opportunities; another company is looking to start its global expansion by hiring staff to launch a North American presence in Summerside, and the other mission companies have expressed serious interest in exploring expansion efforts this year.
Quotes
“Trade and Investment is key to economic growth in Atlantic Canada and with so much to offer it is important to engage in activities like this inbound investment mission to share the business possibilities that exist in Canada’s smallest province. The City of Summerside continues to strategically champion economic development opportunities—the benefits are measurable and on track to be profitable.”
– Bobby Morrissey, Member of Parliament for Egmont, on behalf of the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
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“It is vital that all levels of Government work together to show businesses and entrepreneurs that there is tremendous potential for success in Prince Edward Island. Our strong economy and hard-working people combined with the wide variety of supports available to help businesses expand and succeed make our province an ideal location to expand or to start a new enterprise.”
— The Honourable Chris Palmer, Minister of Economic Development and Tourism
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“Creating meaningful relations between Summerside and International Companies looking to expand in North America are the building blocks of any successful Economic Growth Strategy. Given the sound business fundamentals, established networks, and track record of Summerside with its existing infrastructure and programs such as the Living Lab has accelerated the interest of Summerside in our niche sectors.”
– Brian McFeely, Chair of Economic Development, City of Summerside
If interested in learning more about investment opportunities, economic development support or opportunities for growth, please call our Economic Development Professionals.
We would love to chat.
Alternatively, you can email us at mike@summerside.ca.
It could be the most profitable email you have ever sent.
Michael Thususka
Director of Economic Development City of Summerside
275 Fitzroy Street, Summerside PE C1N 1H9
M: 902.432.0103, E: mike@summerside.ca
LET’S BUILD THE FUTURE TOGETHER!
We would love to chat.
Alternatively, you can email us at mike@summerside.ca.
It could be the most profitable email you have ever sent.
Michael Thususka
Director of Economic Development City of Summerside
275 Fitzroy Street, Summerside PE C1N 1H9
M: 902.432.0103, E: mike@summerside.ca
LET’S BUILD THE FUTURE TOGETHER!