Manitoba has historically turned
to hydro-electric power to meet
its energy needs, but…

  … they’re damaging.

Hydro dams have had enormous
negative impacts on
Indigenous communities.

… it’s risky. Manitoba’s electricity grid is
already vulnerable to drought, especially
as climate change gets worse.

 … they’re expensive.

Building hydro dams is slow and
expensive compared to many other
options readily available.

We did the math.

Manitoba can save money and make a
climate transition to keep future generations safe.

Here are the five actions that will provide enough
low-carbon electricity to transition
Manitoba’s transportation and buildings off of fossil fuels.

Return exported electricity to Manitoba

Manitobans have been told for decades that we have “surplus hydroelectric  energy”, but in truth we don’t. That myth can only continue if we ignore climate reality. 

Manitoba Hydro exports hydroelectric energy at an average of 0.8 cents less per KWH than they sell it here in Manitoba, adding up to a difference of millions per year. 

Keeping that energy here in Manitoba to replace fossil fuel use is one of the easiest and most cost-efficient climate actions we can take.

Make buildings more energy efficient and convert them to geothermal heat pumps for heating/cooling

One of the most cost-effective ways to “create” new electrical capacity…

…is to save energy and make our buildings more energy efficient.

When we make buildings more energy efficient, we also make it much cheaper and easier to convert them to a low-carbon heating and cooling system like a geothermal heat pump.

We need to do this to every single building in Manitoba. 

It will be a huge undertaking,
requiring a new crown corporation
to administer it all and creating lots of jobs.

Building retrofits that reduce energy needs in a building can be either

“light” or “deep”

Deep retrofits require more upfront investment and deliver substantial energy savings

ONE MILLION

residential retrofits have occurred so far in Canada, but almost all have been “light” retrofits.

This “light” level of retrofit will not maximize potential savings
for Manitobans nor will it significantly reduce energy consumption.

Deep retrofits will reduce a building’s
total energy consumption by

60%, 80%

or even more, even to the point of becoming a

“net zero energy building”.

(A building that produces at least
as much energy as it uses.)

The trick is, you won’t have to do it alone.

Property Assessed Clean Energy Financing

PACE

will make it so every home and commercial building can
benefit from deep retrofits without bearing the extra costs
associated with the upgrades. 

Build more commercial-scale wind farms

Since the most sustainable
energy is local energy…

…wind farms have potential to
create jobs and revenue for
municipalities across the province.

Adding a significant amount of
wind energy will diversify Manitoba’s
grid and reduce the risks from
climate change, all while providing
the electricity we need to get off
fossil fuels.

Build more solar energy capacity

Winnipeg is Canada’s 3rd sunniest city according to worldatlas.com.

Solar technology has improved immensely in recent
years, and the cost of installing solar energy has
dropped dramatically.

Despite this, solar energy in Manitoba makes up a
tiny portion of our overall electricity generation.

less than

2%

More solar energy capacity will help
replace fossil fuel use and protect
Manitobans’ energy grid from the
impacts of drought.

Including rooftop solar panels in deep-energy retrofits can
save money for homeowners and businesses while providing
stability in places where energy is not always reliable.

This extra stability will get more important
as we face more extreme weather events.

Large-scale solar energy projects exist
elsewhere in Canada, and have existed
for decades around the world.

We can do it too!

Increase energy storage by returning exported capacity, using electric vehicles and by constructing new commercial-scale battery-based energy storage facilities

The three major opportunities in
Manitoba to increase energy storage are…

…and commercial-scale
battery-based facilities.

…and commercial-scale
battery-based facilities.

Batteries are needed to provide the power required for peak demand.

If we are getting more of our energy from intermittent sources
like wind and solar, we need batteries to be able to store
that energy and supply the power when we need it.

Energy storage can…

…make our grid more stable…

…make our grid more stable…

…and make us more
resilient to climate disasters.

…and make us more
resilient to climate disasters.

IN CONCLUSION

…communities and individuals everywhere have been building solutions to get the job done.

We have the solutions.

Now we just need the
political will to enact them. 

You can help us create
that political will here.