Yukon gets top marks in clean energy report

[Oscar]

Yukon gets top marks in clean energy report

[ https://www.yukon-news.com/news/yukon-g ... gy-report/ ]

July 25, 2019

A new report from the Pembina Institute has given the Yukon top marks when it comes to transitioning remote Indigenous communities away from diesel energy.

The report from the climate change policy think tank titled, “Power shift in remote communities: a cross-Canada scan of clean energy policies,” measured provincial and territorial governments’ directional policies, utility policies and community engagement work to determine their progress in transitioning from diesel.

Yukon’s report card got near-perfect marks, with only “incentives and/or financing for clean energy and energy efficiency” receiving a yellow-circle score, indicating “some policy in place.”

In terms of policies, the report praised the government’s ability to meet its 2012 goal of reducing diesel emissions by 20 per cent by 2020. It also highlighted their Good Energy Yukon and Community Green Energy Initiatives programs, which both fund and provide incentives for clean energy projects.

The Yukon government’s collaborations with self-governing First Nation were lauded for their opportunities for First Nations to lead their own clean energy projects, including the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation’s solar project in Old Crow and the Kluane First Nation’s planned wind energy project in Burwash Landing.

Dave Lovekin, co-author of the report and the director of the Pembina’s renewable and remote communities program, noted the size of the territory’s hydroelectric energy grid means there are only four remote Yukon communities reliant on diesel at the moment — in contrast, there are 25 in Nunavut.

Nonetheless, he points to the government’s efforts as the main reason for their score.

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