Why Edmonton Harnessing the energy of students in Edmonton and around the world

Two Edmonton students are offering a ray of light in the fight against climate change.

Ethan Buchanan and Jack Harding are working toward a carbon-neutral future—not just in their own city but around the world. They’re Alternative Energy Technology students at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, learning how to design systems for solar power, geothermal, bio-fuels, wind and hydro.

“The climate crisis is a definite emergency for the world and renewables will definitely help reduce the effects that climate change will have on the planet,” says Buchanan.

NAIT students Jack Harding and Ethan Buchanan standing in safety gear in front of the solar panels on a roof.

Jack Harding, left, and Ethan Buchanan designed an array of solar panels similar to these on the roof of a building at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology. Courtesy NAIT.

Solar guide

As part of their studies, the two students designed an array of rooftop solar panels for one of the buildings at NAIT. Once installed, the 12 kW system is expected to produce between 900 and 2,000 kilowatt hours each month. The average home in Edmonton uses 600 to 1,200 kilowatt hours per month, according to various utilities companies.

Buchanan and Harding also created a guide to rooftop solar installations—with details about designs, getting permits, financing, and working with contractors.

Students at nine other Western Canadian schools will soon use the duo’s template to lead their own rooftop solar installations. These projects are part of a program launched by Student Energy, a global youth organization founded in Edmonton. Prairies Economic Development Canada recently invested $500,000 in the program.

Going global

Ultimately, the goal is to reach students around the world. Student Energy has chapters in more than 40 countries, including Indonesia, Peru, Nigeria and The Netherlands. “The ideal candidates would be students who have an interest and a passion for clean energy, but they don’t have to have any particular expertise,” says Harding.

“As long as they’re motivated, we’ll have this guide that breaks down all the steps, helps them get all the relevant stakeholders on board, so they can execute their own clean-energy project on campus or another host site. Student Energy is making [this information] a lot more accessible.”

Stewart Cook, dean of NAIT’s School of Applied Sciences and Technology, says it’s important to empower students to make the switch to renewable energy. “All of us are getting older, so we need to work with the youth of the world to help move things forward,” he says. “They are the future.”

NAIT students Ethan Buchanan and Jack Harding standing outside the Centre For Sustainable Energy Technology.

NAIT students Ethan Buchanan, left, and Jack Harding outside the Centre For Sustainable Energy Technology.

Sean Collins and his friends launched Student Energy while attending the University of Alberta. They organized the group’s first international summit in 2009.

“We felt there was no forum for youth who were passionate about sustainable energy and working in the solutions space—like ‘How do we make the transition?’” says Collins. “We raised about half a million dollars and we had students from just over 20 countries come.”

Sean Collins with his wife and 2 kids stand by a bike with a trailer in Sir Winston Churchill Square

Sean Collins and his family in Sir Winston Churchill Square with Edmonton’s City Hall in the distance. Courtesy of Sean Collins.

Energizing solutions

His passion began in childhood. Collins lived in Fort McMurray, the heart of Alberta’s oil sands, from grade six to 12.

“I was always fixated by the environment,” he says.

“I did bake sales to save Amazon forest acres when I was a kid. I always loved the natural environment and thought it should be a pretty high priority.”

In Student Energy’s early days, Collins and his team produced educational videos on energy literacy, teaching the basics about everything from coal to hydrogen to nuclear power. Together, they’ve earned more than 11 million views on YouTube. Student Energy is now focused on building 10,000 clean-energy projects, including solar installations, around the world by 2030. The group is hoping to raise $150 million and train 50,000 youth workers as part of the initiative.

While Collins left Student Energy in 2022, his commitment to greener solutions remains steadfast. He’s the head of Remora Ventures, a venture fund that seeds companies devoted to climate-focused projects. He’s also the CEO of Varme Energy, a company that develops facilities that convert waste to energy.

“There’s not going to be one thing that kills the internal combustion engine vehicle,” says Collins. “It’s going to be a million little things.”