Challenges

About Summerside

Summerside is widely recognized as a leader and early adopter of green technologies. Our unique municipally-owned infrastructure, combined with a business environment that encourages innovation, distinguishes us from other communities in Canada.

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Challenge One

Net Zero Charging
the Future—Light Duty Vehicles

Net Zero Charging
Challenge Two

Fuel Cells from Renewables—Fleet

Fuel Cells from Renewables
Challenge Three

Thermal Storage—
City of Summerside

Thermal Storage

Net Zero Charging
the Future—
Light Duty Vehicles

Challenge Synopsis:

The City of Summerside located on Prince Edward Island is seeking innovative ideas that support the City’s pursuit to serve its residents, visitors, tourists and commuters with convenient charging systems for electric vehicles. The City owns and operates a municipal electric utility and generates the majority of its energy from renewable sources — solar and wind.

The Province of Prince Edward Island has announced that by 2035, 100 percent of light-duty vehicle sales in the Province will be zero-emission vehicles. It is reasonable to forecast that the majority of the light vehicle ownership in the Province will be electric over the next 10–15 years.

The City is interested in supporting, partnering, investing, and supplying renewable power to novel charging solutions/systems for electric vehicles including power networks, using vehicle-to-grid, battery storage, com­munity charging technologies, wireless charging, autonomous drive technology and over-the-air connectivity.

The Summerside Xchange Accelerator administrates the Challenge Program on behalf of the City of Summ­erside. We help innovation companies increase their chance of commercialization success.

Context:

The City of Summerside is located in the Province of Prince Edward Island, on the east coast of Canada. Summerside is a small but innovative city with a significant level of open enabling infrastructure in which companies thrive. It is ideal for testing and development of scalable and exportable technology.

The City, in addition to owning and operating a municipal electrical utility, has invested in the following infrastructure over the past 16 years on its path to net-zero:

  • 0.6 MW Solar and Battery Behind the Meter Demonstration Peak Shaving — First in World.
  • 12 MW Wind Farm — 4 Vestas v90/3000 turbines — 21% of the City’s power generation requirements.
  • 21 MW Solar Farm with 10 MW Power Transfer Battery — 21% of the City’s power generation requirements.
  • AI Smart Grid — partner with the private sector in the development of the First in North America end-to-end AI power grid.
  • 40% of the City coverage with bi-directional residential fibre — smart device testing platform including innovative thermo storage for residential customers.
  • First in Atlantic Region in 2010 to invest in electric vehicles for municipal fleet.
  • First in the region in 2006 to invest in a Level 4 Tertiary Waste Treatment Facility providing 5,000 tonnes of biofertilizers for local use.

The City over the past two decades has partnered with a large number of innovative companies in developing, validating and testing new innovative technologies — to see additional case studies please visit the website in many cases becoming the “first or only” partner with technology lead businesses seeking to expand into the North American marketplace.

The City of Summerside is located in the Province of Prince Edward Island (PEI), Canada and is aligned with the Provincial Net Zero Plan 2040 — for more information please see www.princeedwardisland.ca/en/publication/2040-net-zero-framework

Charging Station
In 2019, it was estimated that more than 40% of the GHG emissions in PEI are derived from transportation. The Province has recently announced plans for 100% of light-duty vehicle sales Province-wide to be zero-emission by 2035, with the goal to reduce GHG emissions from transportation by 25–30% by 2030 and 55–65% by 2040. It is reasonable to forecast that the majority of the light vehicle ownership in the Province will be electric over the next 10–15 years.

To support the current and significate future charging demands of our residents, visitors, tourists and commuters with electric vehicles, the City is interested in novel charging technologies and systems.

The City is interested in investing time and resources to support the deployment of clean technology, including advancements in electrification, autonomous vehicles and artificial intelligence technologies with respect to advanced charging systems for its residents, visitors, tourists and commuters. Solutions may include other partners in the community that provide additional convenience to the end customer as well as new innovative business models. Technology solutions may include the following — examples only:
  • power networks
  • vehicle-to-grid
  • battery storage
  • community charging technologies
  • wireless charging
  • autonomous drive technology
  • over-the-air connectivity

Do you have an innovative business idea?

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Response Criteria:

  • The City is seeking high-impact solutions that will help City residents, visitors, tourists and commuters with new charging systems for their vehicles.
  • The City of Summerside is targeting companies with solutions that land between TRL 6–9 on the technology readiness scale, although it will consider low TRL solutions on a demonstration basis if they are especially innovative.
  • Where applicable, proponents should explain how their solutions meet safety and regulatory standards and provide a description of successful deployments if applicable.
  • The City of Summerside, as the owner of renewable energy generation via wind and solar, is interested in becoming a commercial partner in charging solutions.
  • If applicable, proponents should explain coverage (i.e., how many installations will the solution need), impact (i.e., how does the solution help Summerside/PEI achieve its net-zero targets), reliability (i.e., how well will the solution perform in real-world environments).

The Opportunity:

  • If chosen, conduct a proof-of-concept project of the solution with the City of Summerside.
  • The City of Summerside is interested in becoming a wholesale supplier/partner/investor/ customer post a successful proof of concept.
  • Apply for membership in the Summerside Xchange acceleration program. See more detail at Summerside Xchange
  • Validate your product claims in a real-world customer environment…meet new customers and access new markets.

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Response Criteria:

  • The City is seeking low-cost, high-impact solutions that will help the city to achieve a zero-emissions fleet using alternative fuel sources.
  • The City of Summerside is targeting companies with solutions that land between TRL 6-9 of the technology readiness scale (TRL although it will consider low TRL solutions on a demonstration basis if they are especially novel.
  • Where applicable, proponents should explain how their solutions meet safety and regulatory standards and provide a description of successful deployments.
  • Provide CAPEX and OPEX details for the solution. The City of Summerside prefers an investment payback/cost recovery within fewer than five years. However, it will consider five- to eight-year paybacks with additional due diligence.
  • If applicable, proponents should explain coverage (i.e., how many installations will the solution need), impact (i.e., how does the solution help Summerside achieve its net zero targets), reliability (i.e., how well will the solution perform in real-world environments).
  • In the most demanding applications, system reliability and robustness are required under dynamic and harsh operating conditions. Realistic operating conditions include starting and stopping, freezing and thawing, impurities in the fuel and air, and humidity and dynamic load cycles that result in stresses on the chemical and mechanical stability of the fuel cell system materials and components.

The Opportunity:

  • If chosen, conduct a proof-of-concept project of the solution with the City of Summerside.
  • The City of Summerside is interested in becoming a commercial customer for all or portion of its fleet (some 90+ vehicles in total), post a successful proof of concept.
  • Apply for membership into the Summerside Xchange acceleration program. See more detail at Summerside Xchange
  • Validate your product claims in real world customer environment…meet new customers and access new markets.

FILL OUT THE FORM TO DOWNLOAD THE CHALLENGE:

SUBMIT
SUBMIT YOUR SOLUTION

Response Criteria:

  • The City is seeking low-cost, high-impact solutions that will help the City and its citizens to benefit from renewable energy production and an advanced fibre network providing for a reduction in costs, and oil consumption and provides utility efficiency.
  • The City of Summerside is targeting companies with solutions that land between TRL 6-9 or higher on the technology readiness scale (TRL), although it will consider low TRL solutions on a demonstration basis if they are especially novel.
  • Where applicable, proponents should explain how their solutions meet safety and regulatory standards including importation regulations and provide a description of successful deployments.
  • Provide CAPEX and OPEX details for the solution. The City of Summerside prefers an investment payback/cost recovery within fewer than five years.
  • If applicable, proponents should explain coverage (i.e., how many installations will the solution need to validate upon), impact (i.e., how does the solution help Summerside achieve its net-zero targets and technology challenges mentioned previously), reliability (i.e., how well will the solution perform in real-world environments).
  • Ideally, storage minimums for control would be to have the ability to maintain services to customers while being off the electrical need for a minimum of 4-hour windows twice per day.

The Opportunity:

  • If chosen, conduct a proof-of-concept project of the solution with the City of Summerside.
  • The City of Summerside is interested in becoming a commercial customer for all or portion of its fleet (some 90+ vehicles in total), post a successful proof of concept.
  • Apply for membership into the Summerside Xchange acceleration program. See more detail at Summerside Xchange
  • Validate your product claims in real world customer environment…meet new customers and access new markets.

FILL OUT THE FORM TO DOWNLOAD THE CHALLENGE:

SUBMIT
SUBMIT YOUR SOLUTION

About The City of Summerside:

Summerside is widely recognized as a leader and early adopter of green technologies. Our unique municipally-owned infrastructure, combined with a business environment that encourages innovation, distinguishes us from other communities in Canada.

A commitment to sustainable development and technologies is a driving force in the policies of the City of Sum­merside. Our businesses and residents expect it. Sustainability makes both fiscal and environmental sense. It is a pillar of our approach to renewable initiatives and economic development in our community.

The City of Summerside is looking ahead to more innovation in the clean technology sector by building on the infrastructure already developed. Across North America, communities look to Summerside as a best practice model for leveraging sustainable net-zero development as an integral part of an economic development strategy.

The City of Summerside is located in the Province of Prince Edward Island, Canada and is aligned with the Pro­vincial Net Zero Plan 2040—for more information please visit the website.

Have further questions?

Reach out to the Summerside Xchange
team at ALLAN@summersidexchange.com
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