Latest news with #UniversityOfRegina
CTV News
27-05-2025
- Science
- CTV News
University of Regina unveils renewable energy microgrid
WATCH: A new microgrid that relies on renewable energy is up and running at the University of Regina. Damian Smith reports. Green is the colour, not just for the Saskatchewan Roughriders, but also for the University of Regina – as the organization has unveiled a new microgrid system which relies on renewable energy. The U of R's greenhouse gas technology centre is host to a power generator capable of producing several hundred megawatts. It's part of the university's research efforts on microgrids – a small-scale power grid that can produce electricity for a localized area. 'Microgrids provide a lot of benefits, including advanced stability, lower costs, and new usability of, of generation,' explained Irfan Al Anbagi, an associate professor in the faculty of engineering and applied science. 'The control system is the brain of the micro. So everything is located in one area.' The researchers say it's the first of its kind in Saskatchewan – and the university has partnered with small to medium sized businesses to put the grid to use. Those with electric vehicles can also make use of the microgrid through free chargers just outside the facility. Off campus, microgrids can help make renewable energy easier to access – especially in areas where connecting to a regular power grid is much more difficult. 'This can be beneficial to locations where you have difficulty supplying over. and you can utilize renewable generation as well,' Al-Anbagi added. For now, the microgrid is powered by solar. However, in the longer term, the team hopes their efforts can help renewable energy power the entire U of R campus. '[This] allows, like a sandbox environment for small and medium sized enterprises to use, as well as larger utilities like SaskPower, to test out or model,' Gregory Mack, the director of research partnerships and innovation explained. 'It's very useful and they can work with professors and students on campus.' Based on the lifespan of the solar cells and the lithium-ion batteries – the microgrid is expected to keep on producing energy with its current set-up for approximately 20 years.
CBC
27-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
University of Regina unveils province's 1st microgrid lab for clean energy research
The University of Regina has opened the doors to a new lab that aims to help reshape how energy is produced and used across Saskatchewan. The Microgrid Living Lab, a first-of-its-kind facility in the province, was launched as a hub for clean energy research, development and education in Saskatchewan. "About six per cent of generated power is lost in transmission. So in microgrids, we don't have that," said Irfan Al-Anbagi, an associate professor in electronic systems engineering and the lab's director. The lab functions off the main power grid. It's capable of generating, storing and distributing its own electricity, according to the university. "Everything is located in one area: generation, storage and control, and loads," Al-Anbagi said. "So less power dissipation, less power burned out in transmission. And this can be beneficial to locations where you have difficulty supplying power and you can utilize renewable generation as well in these locations." The lab draws power from renewable sources including solar panels, wind and hydro power. It emulates how microgrids could perform in real-world conditions, with the hope of identify more sustainable and flexible models for powering homes, businesses and remote communities in the province, the university says. Al-Anbagi said. "Supplying electricity to these locations can be expensive and hard and sometimes impossible." Multiple functions Al-Anbagi expects the microgrid to play a major role in teaching, experimental setups and research. "Currently I have two students, my colleague has two students. So in the future, we want to increase that number," Al-Anbagi said. He hopes students will use the micogrid as a hands-on tool. "The students appreciate the concept when they come and see it, compared to when they look at it in pictures, and they can also do some lab experiments." Al-Anbagi has also reached out to small- and medium-sized enterprises in the city that may be interested in using the lab for their own development and testing. "If an organization or company develops solar panels and they want to integrate the power into the control system, do real-time monitoring, real-time connectivity, they're welcome to use this system," Al-Anbagi said. The lab currently generates 10 kilowatts of solar power, enough to power a residential building or multiple homes. When the energy isn't being used for teaching or research, it's stored in "islanded mode," meaning it's kept separate from the university's main power grid. "We don't want to disrupt the main power supply of the university," Al-Anbagi said. "I think it's safer to disconnect the microgrid from the main university supply to do our own experiments." That energy is sometimes then sent into the university system to help power lights, air conditioning and other infrastructure. Powering Saskatchewan The biggest potential for the lab lies not in its present use, but in how it could shape the future of energy in Saskatchewan, according to Al-Anbagi. The province's unique energy challenges, from isolated northern communities to growing urban centers, make it a prime testing ground for microgrid solutions, he said. "It's not a lot of power, but I think it adds up," Al-Anbagi said. While microgrids aren't entirely new to Western Canada, this marks the first fully functional one of its kind in Saskatchewan.
CBC
23-05-2025
- CBC
Co-owners of Regina vehicle dealership charged with money laundering
An investigation into money laundering in Regina, which began after a drug bust that saw two members of the University of Regina Rams football team arrested and charged, has led to charges against the co-owners of a local vehicle dealership, police say. Aggrey Kwesi Buaben Fynn, 42, and Stephanie Dawn Fynn, 38, both of Regina, were arrested on Thursday and are jointly charged with fraud over $5,000 and laundering proceeds of crime. In February, a drug trafficking investigation led to police searches in Regina, Alameda, and Frobisher, Sask., and resulted in the seizure of 7.5 kilograms of fentanyl and over $150,000 in cash. Guns, ammunition, vehicles, and other drugs were also seized. Five people were arrested, including Rams football players Tarick Polius and Michael Jourdan, both of Toronto. The players were charged with commission of an offence for a criminal organization and trafficking in a controlled substance (fentanyl), among other charges. The University of Regina confirmed Polius and Jourdan were student athletes enrolled at the university before they were suspended. During the four-month investigation that led to those arrests, Regina police say they uncovered information suggesting that a local man was involved in laundering money for a drug trafficking operation. Police searches were carried out at the man's home and "businesses involved in vehicle sales and rentals," which police say are co-owned by a woman. Police declined to name the businesses. They allege the searches uncovered evidence of additional, unrelated money laundering and fraud totalling millions of dollars. The accused made their first court appearances on the charges in Regina Friday morning.
CTV News
08-05-2025
- Health
- CTV News
New online course offered in Sask. designed to help new and expecting parents through challenging times
WATCH: The province is teaming up with the University of Regina to offer a new online therapy course to help new parents. Jacob Carr explains.
CTV News
08-05-2025
- Health
- CTV News
Online therapy course offered to new parents
Regina Watch WATCH: The province is teaming up with the University of Regina to offer a new online therapy course to help new parents. Jacob Carr explains.
