From Net Zero Vision to Hydrogen Horizons

Part 1: A City That Chose to Lead — Not Wait

Summerside, Prince Edward Island, transformed itself into a clean energy leader by boldly taking control of its energy future. With a municipally owned utility and a community committed to innovation, the city drastically cut emissions and invested millions in renewable technology. Its landmark solar project not only powers the city but also boosts resilience during crises. Now, Summerside is exploring green hydrogen as the next step to decarbonize and innovate further. This story is about how determination and local action can create a powerful blueprint for clean energy leadership—no matter the city’s size.

In Summerside, Prince Edward Island, we’ve never waited around for someone else to solve our problems. We’re a city that believes action speaks louder than plans. That belief — equal parts pragmatic and bold — has driven our approach to energy, infrastructure, and innovation for over two decades.

Long before the words “net zero” became part of our daily policy vocabulary, we were asking ourselves hard questions about sustainability, energy independence, and the role our municipality could play in shaping a different future. We didn’t wait for a national strategy to arrive at our doorstep. Instead, we looked at what we controlled — our utility, our buildings, our people — and asked, “What can we build today that will matter tomorrow?”

At the heart of our early advantage was a municipally owned electric utility. That independence gave us a crucial tool: the ability to plan and execute energy initiatives that fit local needs, not just provincial or corporate ones. Coupled with a supportive council and a community ready to embrace bold thinking, we laid the foundation for a clean energy ecosystem that today reaches across every corner of our city.

Fast forward to the present, and the results are striking:

• GHG emissions in Summerside are 2.7 tonnes per capita, compared to 10 in PEI and 17.7 across Canada.
• Over $146 million in capital investment in clean technology projects over the past 20 years.
• More than 75 full-time jobs created directly within our clean tech sector.
• Over 62% of our electricity is generated within our city — through wind and solar — and deployed intelligently using grid-scale batteries, smart meters, and AI-powered energy balancing platforms.

Summerside has become a place where infrastructure is not just functional — it’s a symbol of identity. Clean technology isn’t an initiative here. It’s embedded in how we operate.

But let me be clear: the path wasn’t smooth. We’ve faced the full menu of barriers that any municipality might fear — siloed departments, regulatory constraints, capacity limits, shifting political priorities, and the inherent conservatism that can creep into public institutions. We’ve had to learn as we go, take calculated risks, admit when something didn’t work, and then iterate.

There were times when progress felt slow. When budgets were tight. When public confidence wavered. But each project, each partnership, and each pivot helped sharpen our understanding of what leadership actually looks like in a small Canadian city trying to do something big.

Part 2: The Sunbank Solar Project — Powering Progress with Resilience

One of the most transformative chapters in our clean energy story is the Sunbank Solar Project. Occupying 80 acres and housing over 65,000 solar panels, Sunbank generates 21 megawatts of solar power, supplying around 25% of Summerside’s total electricity demand.

But this is not just a solar farm. Integrated into the system is a 10 MW / 20 MWh battery energy storage facility, allowing us to smooth out variability in generation and deliver power when the city needs it most — not just when the sun is shining.

The project’s achievements are both environmental and economic:

• Reduced electricity imports from 58% to 38%, keeping $2 million annually circulating in our local economy.
• Cut over 8,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions per year — equivalent to removing 1,750 passenger vehicles from our roads.
• Supported over 210 full-time construction jobs and generated $10 million in local wages.

Sunbank also proved its value in moments of crisis. When Hurricane Fiona struck — and more recently, when an external transmission failure threatened our power supply — it wasn’t just about cost savings or emissions targets. Sunbank gave us resilience. Our community avoided what could have been a major cold-weather catastrophe because we had invested in our own local capacity to generate and store clean energy.

More than just meeting technical targets, Sunbank changed the way we think about energy in Summerside. It helped redefine what energy security means in a 21st-century city. And it laid the groundwork — literally and figuratively — for what comes next.

Part 3: Hydrogen – A Big Idea from a Small City

Building on the strength of our solar and wind assets, Summerside is now exploring what could become our next major innovation: green hydrogen.

The potential of hydrogen is significant — especially for a city like ours that already produces a large share of its electricity from clean, local sources. Hydrogen offers new possibilities for decarbonizing sectors that are difficult to electrify, such as heavy-duty transport, emergency backup generation, and certain industrial applications. It also offers a way to store and shift clean energy over longer periods, something no battery system currently matches.

But hydrogen is not plug-and-play. The technology is proven — but the ecosystem is young. And in a small city, that presents both opportunity and challenge.

For two years, we’ve been engaging with experts, convening stakeholders, and examining how a municipally anchored hydrogen project could work. We’re not chasing hype. We’re looking at real-world use cases — like powering our municipal fleet, backing up our energy system, and laying early infrastructure for broader transportation fuel switching.

The model we’re considering is simple in concept:

• A 1 MW electrolyzer, powered by our own renewable electricity, would generate hydrogen onsite.
• A hydrogen-compatible genset would allow us to test real applications within our utility.
• And the City would act as the first off-taker, providing early stability for private-sector investment.

We’ve had encouraging discussions with global hydrogen developers and supportive input from provincial and federal counterparts. But we also know that small-scale projects often struggle to unlock large-scale support. The numbers don’t always excite decision-makers. The risk tolerance is lower. The bureaucratic inertia is greater.

Even locally, we sometimes face hesitation — from staff, from partners, even from residents — who understandably ask whether a city our size should be the one to take this on. But that’s exactly why we must. Because if not us, then who?

Hydrogen may not yet be viable at scale for Summerside. But we believe in our track record. And we believe that with the right partners, the right support, and the same resolve we brought to wind and solar, we can once again punch above our weight.

Conclusion: Leading by Doing

Summerside didn’t become a clean energy leader by accident. We did it by acting. By learning. By failing and trying again. And by always keeping our eyes on the horizon.

What started as a belief — that small communities can lead big change — has become a blueprint for local energy transition. We’ve shown what’s possible when cities harness what they have, trust their people, and stay committed to progress.

And now, we’re inviting others to join us — to help take the next leap forward. Whether it’s solar, wind, storage, or hydrogen, the message from Summerside is simple:

Leadership is not about size. It’s about will.
We’re ready to lead again. Walk with us.