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By Brendan Miller

Medicine Hat to join energy innovation challenge

Jul 20, 2023 | 11:12 AM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – The City of Medicine Hat is getting ready to participate in a challenge that looks to solve problems in the energy sector.

Up to six local individuals or teams will be selected to participate in the Next Generation Energy Challenge.

The challenge is a three-year project designed to support Alberta’s energy transition put on by Decentralized Energy Canada.

“We will go to a competitive process employing Decentralized Energy Canada is a very extensive network of innovators and businesses and subject matter experts. They have over 10,000 members in their organization,” says Grayson Mauch, director of utility distribution systems with the city.

The six successful applicants will design small-scale projects that demonstrate enhanced consumer choice, reliable energy infrastructure and prioritize clean environmental standards.

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The project will cost the city $850,000. Decentralized Energy Canada will provide the remainder of additional funding of $1.55 million from grants and industry contributions.

“What we are trying to do is drive innovation towards a greener economy and what we are trying to do locally, quite frankly, is look for good ideas that could drive some capital outlay. The one thing I like is for $850,000 capital outlay we actually use that towards the assets,” says Coun. Darren Hirsch.

“If we have a project that we deem of value, say it’s worth $3 million. The first $850,000 of our money in terms of this initiative gets used in the asset itself. So it’s not spent money, it’s certainly going to have a lot of value,” adds Hirsch.

At the end of the challenge the city will retain ownership of any assets that may include intellectual properties, studies, computer simulations and physical assets.

“It’s an ability for us to put in seed money but provide additional value to the community by engaging all these experts and leveraging our funding to solicit significantly more funding to find solutions to these challenges,” says Mauch.

Mauch says the city will also be recognized at national forums as an innovator in the energy transition field.

“It gives these new innovators an opportunity to refine their products, refine their concepts before they go to a national, international or global scale for some of these projects,” says Mauch.

“So it’s an opportunity for these innovators to truly work on commercializing their ideas, their innovative ideas for something that could be applied across Canada or even internationally,” adds Mauch.

The challenge is set to begin this September. Selected participants will be given one year to complete their projects.