Solar project melting away energy costs for Sydney cold storage facility
Eskasoni Cold Logistics stores frozen, cold and dry goods, which can include anything from satellite dishes to blueberries, but the bulk of its storage is frozen fish products.
Thanks to the recent addition of more than 1,300 ground-mounted solar panels through a government-funded solar energy initiative, up to 40 per cent of the facility's energy use is offset by solar power. The project was celebrated with a ceremonial ribbon cutting on June 23.
"The fact that we're just using natural sunlight to drive power is a good thing," said co-owner Jim Gillis.
Gillis and his brother Allan purchased the facility in 2017 in partnership with the Eskasoni First Nation. Steve Parsons, the CEO of Eskasoni's corporate division and the lead on the community's renewable energy efforts, says the project resulted from another partnership between Eskasoni and Natural Forces Solar, an independent renewable energy power producer in Halifax.
That partnership qualified the storage facility for the solar panel installation under the province's Green Choice Program, which aims to help large-scale electricity customers transition to clean energy.
According to Eskasoni's corporate division, the 583-kilowatt solar system was the result of a $1.85-million investment, with $1.1 million from Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada, $570,000 from Eskasoni, $128,000 from the province and $72,000 from Efficiency Nova Scotia.
Parsons said the facility can store up to 2.3 million kilograms of frozen fish products, which requires a constant temperature of about –23 C. The facility also provides live lobster storage and can hold up to 113,000 kilograms at once. The lobsters require a constant filtered water flow at about 3 C to remain dormant.
Parsons said the cost to run those systems adds up, so the solar energy project will make a big difference on the monthly bill.
"Based on the estimates and our typical, average sun patterns, we should be able to save 35 to 40 per cent on an ongoing, consistent basis," he said.
That represents about $8,000 a month, Parsons said, noting the project has created jobs in the community as well, with 10 band members trained as certified installers of solar ground-mount systems.
Gillis, who is also general manager of Live Stor Sydney, which operates out of the facility, said the solar system was only brought online a few months ago, but it's already making a difference on the power bill and the building's efficiency.
The facility still relies on Nova Scotia Power for at least 60 per cent of its energy consumption, but Parsons said he hopes there will be more clean energy opportunities for the facility in the future.
Gillis is also excited about what lies ahead.
"I know it's new, the solar panel systems are starting to crop up. I see them a lot on houses now," he said. "So I think it's the future and no time like now to jump on."
MORE TOP STORIES
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Bloomberg
8 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
Royal Gold to Buy Royalty Peer Sandstorm for $3.5 Billion
Royal Gold Inc. agreed to buy Sandstorm Gold Ltd. in an all-stock deal valuing the mining royalty company at about $3.5 billion, building a bigger position in the industry as precious metals surge. Both Royal Gold and Sandstorm are focused on gold royalty streams, which involve financing new projects in return for ongoing payments from mines once they are built. Royal Gold's all-share offer is a 17% premium to Sandstorm's July 3 closing price, the companies said on Monday.
Yahoo
14 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Why Brookfield Renewable Rallied More Than 11% in June
The overall market rallied sharply last month as tariff fears faded. Brookfield Renewable is benefiting from surging power demand. The company anticipates rapid growth over the next decade. 10 stocks we like better than Brookfield Renewable › Shares of Brookfield Renewable (NYSE: BEPC) surged 11.5% in June, according to data provided by S&P Global Market Intelligence. There was no specific catalyst powering the renewable energy dividend stock last month. Instead, it jumped due to the overall rally in the stock market and its strong growth potential. The S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) rallied sharply last month, rising 5% as fears of a tariff-driven recession started to fade. After plunging in April, stocks have recovered over the past couple of months as the U.S. paused many of its tariffs while closing in on trade deals with several key partners. That eased the pressure on the economy and stock prices last month. The rally in the market helped lift shares of Brookfield Renewable. The renewable energy company is also riding the wave of surging electricity demand. Catalysts like artificial intelligence (AI) data centers, the onshoring of manufacturing, and the electrification of everything are driving robust demand for power around the world. The International Energy Agency expects global electricity demand from data centers to more than double by 2030 to around 945 terawatt-hours. That's slightly more than the entire electricity consumption of Japan. The robust demand for power, especially from clean energy sources like renewables, is benefiting Brookfield Renewable. It's signing long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs) with companies to support its massive and growing backlog of development projects. For example, the company secured contracts to deliver an incremental 4.5 gigawatt-hours of power per year to customers during the first quarter. These PPAs support the company's plans to scale its development capabilities to 10 GW per year by 2027, up from 8 GW this year. Brookfield also continues to accelerate its growth by making acquisitions. It completed its acquisition of Neoen earlier this year. The deal adds 8 GW of operating or under construction wind, solar, and storage assets. In addition, Neoen has 20 GW of projects in its advanced-stage pipeline across Australia, France, and the Nordics. The company also agreed to buy National Grid Renewables, a leading U.S. onshore renewable power operator and developer. That transaction will add 3.9 GW of operating or under construction assets, a 1-GW construction-ready portfolio, and over 30 GW of solar and energy storage development projects. Brookfield Renewable expects rising power prices, development projects, and acquisitions to drive more than 10% annual growth in its funds from operations (FFO) per share over the next decade. That's rapid growth for a company that also offers a high-yielding dividend (still over 4% after last month's surge). That combination of growth and income still makes it look like a great long-term investment, even after last month's rally. Before you buy stock in Brookfield Renewable, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Brookfield Renewable wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $699,558!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $976,677!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 1,060% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 180% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join . See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of July 7, 2025 Matt DiLallo has positions in Brookfield Renewable. The Motley Fool recommends Brookfield Renewable and National Grid Plc. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Why Brookfield Renewable Rallied More Than 11% in June was originally published by The Motley Fool
Yahoo
14 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Underwater turbine spinning for 6 years off Scotland's coast is a breakthrough for tidal energy
Submerged in about 40 meters (44 yards) of water off Scotland's coast, a turbine has been spinning for more than six years to harness the power of ocean tides for electricity — a durability mark that demonstrates the technology's commercial viability. Keeping a large, or grid-scale, turbine in place in the harsh sea environment that long is a record that helps pave the way for bigger tidal energy farms and makes it far more appealing to investors, according to the trade association Ocean Energy Europe. Tidal energy projects would be prohibitively expensive if the turbines had to be taken out of the water for maintenance every couple of years. Tidal energy technologies are still in the early days of their commercial development, but their potential for generating clean energy is big. According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, marine energy, a term researchers use to refer to power generated from tides, currents, waves or temperature changes, is the world's largest untapped renewable energy resource. The MeyGen tidal energy project off the coast of Scotland has four turbines producing 1.5 megawatts each, enough electricity collectively to power up to 7,000 homes annually. On Thursday, the Swedish company SKF announced that its bearings and seals on one of the turbines had passed the 6 1/2-year mark without needing unplanned or disruptive maintenance. It has been working closely with the industry for a decade on design and testing. Achieving six years in the water with constant operations is a 'very significant milestone' that bodes well for the future of tidal energy, said Rémi Gruet, CEO of Ocean Energy Europe. Scotland and the United Kingdom are global leaders in tidal energy. The MeyGen site, operated by SAE Renewables, has been sending electricity to the grid for about eight years. There are very few tidal energy projects generating electricity continuously. Most have been tests and demonstrations, said Andrea Copping, an expert in marine renewable energy development. Copping said there are still large hurdles to overcome before tidal energy can be adopted more widely, such as dealing with regulatory issues, potential environmental effects and conflicts with other ocean users. Still, the Scotland project seems to have addressed the question of whether the turbines can last in seawater, added Copping, a distinguished faculty fellow in the School of Marine and Environmental Affairs at the University of Washington. 'I think they have checked the boxes,' she said. 'Because skeptics, and that includes investors of course and governments, said, 'How on Earth are you going to operate these things especially for any length of time in this very tough environment?' And that's what I think they proved.' It's very hard to take what is essentially a wind turbine normally found on land and put it under water, said Fraser Johnson, operations and maintenance manager at MeyGen. The record-setting turbine should keep going for at least another year before it needs to come out of the water for maintenance, he added. The four turbines are in the Inner Sound of the Pentland Firth, a narrow channel between the Scottish mainland and Stroma Island known for strong tidal currents. Tidal energy systems need strong currents to make electricity efficiently. MeyGen plans to add 20 turbines in 2030 to produce more electricity, after needed upgrades to the electricity grid are finished. The site could eventually hold as many as 130 turbines that are more powerful than those at the site today. The MeyGen site is in the open water, while another type of tidal project involves creating a dam-like structure called a barrage across tidal waters. With four turbines, MeyGen is considered the largest tidal energy project of its kind worldwide, said Johnson. 'It's a title we wish we didn't have. We want more, we want others,' he said. 'Unfortunately others are having difficulty achieving what MeyGen has achieved. But working with SKF moving forward, we'll push the industry forward.' ___ The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at