Renewable Energy

Fossil fuel sources are limited: there is only a limited amount in the ground. What remains will be increasingly difficult to access. Renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind, and hydro, will always be available.

The power of the sun can be used to produce heat (solar thermal energy) or electricity (solar photovoltaic energy). Prices for photovoltaic (PV) panels have dropped significantly in recent years and are an good option for off_grid installations. Silicon based photovoltaic panels, that are the majority of panels used today, are long lasting, quiet and require little maintenance.

Wind turbines convert the movement of air into electricity. Wind is the second most important source of electricity in Quebec (after hydroelectricity). At higher elevations, the wind blows faster and more consistently, so large wind turbines produce electricity at a much lower price per kWh than small ones.

The two main wind farms in Quebec that involve First Nations are

• The Mi'gmac's Mesgi'g Ugju's'n wind farm.
• The Apuiat wind farm of the Innu Nation (planned).

Hydroelectricity is very important in Quebec: 97% of the grid's electricity comes from hydroelectric dams. However, the construction of hydroelectric dams had, and still has, a significant impact on the territory.

Hydroelectricity uses the flow of water to produce electricity. This flow can come from tides in the ocean or from rivers. There are two categories of hydroelectric plants for rivers.

The damming of rivers results in the flooding of a vast territory, and creates huge reservoirs. As much as the impact of hydroelectric dams is severe, they allow to produce affordable and relatively clean electricity at any time of the year. This is not the case with most other forms of renewable energy.

A less impactful alternative, which is often used for small hydroelectric generating stations, is run-of-river hydro, where rivers are redirected into turbines, often where there are rapids or falls. The community of Mashteuiatsh is involved in the realization of the Val-Jalbert hydroelectric project on the Ouiatchouan River as well as the Onzième Chute on the Mistassini River.

This type of power station uses a large part of the river's energy, but it is not able to store it, like the large dams.

Tidal turbines, propellers placed directly in the river, have the least impact on the ecosystem. However, they use only a fraction of the energy of a river. This is why this technology is not widely used. One example is in Igiugig, Alaska.

The oldest form of renewable energy use: When plants grow, they absorb energy from the sun and convert it into chemical energy, in the form of organic matter. For example, the organic matter of a tree, including wood, can be burned in simple wood stoves. One can also use pellet stoves or large heating plants, fueled by wood chips, such as the one that heats all of Oujé-Bougoumou.

Biomass can be used in cogeneration plants, which are used to produce electricity along with usable heat. There is a cogeneration plant in Chapais, which uses the waste heat to heat greenhouses.

There are commonly two different things considered geothermal energy:

If we drill deep enough into the earth, temperatures rise to hundreds of degrees C. We can use this heat to produce steam and electricity, but the holes often have to be thousands of metres deep and are expensive to drill. Quebec is not ideally situated to exploit deep geothermal energy.

A simpler way to use the earth's heat is shallow geothermal energy. Since the ground from a depth of a few meters is of a constant temperature throughout the year, it can be used as a heat source for heat pumps. In winter, the ground is warmer than the air, so ground source heat pumps work more efficiently.

• Hydro-Québec's page on renewable energy