Category Archive News

A man who owns a solar energy company in Windsor has been installing generating systems all over the Canadian Arctic. And lately he’s been taking bicycles with him, and leaving them behind for people who live there. Tony Doucette talks to Klaus Dohring about his dual fascinations, the Arctic and bikes.

Students in Tuktoyaktuk are gearing up to assemble a new solar cooker donated by a green entrepreneur with a long history in the north.

In the solar energy business for 13 years, Klaus Dohring started getting involved in projects in the Arctic about eight years ago. Since then, he’s set up dozens of solar power systems and donated solar cookers to several communities, including in Paulatuk and now Mangilaluk School in Tuktoyaktuk.

“Finding an adhesive cold weather tape that can mount aluminum profiles in frigid sub-zero temperatures (-25C to -30C) without them falling down prior to fastening them permanently was a challenge,” says Dohring. That is until they found ECHOtape. “The extreme cold properties allow us to seal the aluminum profile against the metal façade at the point where the bolt penetrates the metal.”

This year has been very difficult for many of us because of the global pandemic. This is why we want to extend an extra special happy holidays and New Year 2021 to all of you and your loved ones! Stay safe and take care. Don’t forget to spend time with friends and family – even if it’s only virtual this year! 💻🎅🎄❄

Business owners are pivoting to sustainable practices amid environmental concerns. Consumers are interested in buying from environmentally friendly companies, with a Harvard Business Review survey finding 65 per cent of people want to buy from sustainable brands.

Klaus Dohring is the president of Green Sun Rising, a local solar panel provider at 1680 Kildare Rd. in Windsor. He said an obstacle to adopting sustainable practices is cost. 

Did you know that Green Sun Rising has recently been featured on the wiki page for Solar Cookers International (SCI)? We carry SK-14 solar cookers and use them as demonstrations during public events. We also offer them as donations to remote communities which we visit and attend conferences. Click on the link below to see our page in their wiki, and check our their website for information about solar cookers worldwide!

After years of hard work and waiting, the hamlet of Kugaaruk, Nunavut, has taken a tentative first step toward sustainable energy with regulatory approval of a solar array to power the community freezer.

Speaking to CBC, Ittimangnaq said the project was partly “to educate the community about renewable energy.”

Aside from the new 10-kilowatt array, the community is “100 per cent reliant on diesel,” he said. But transitioning away hasn’t been easy.

The Activity Report from the 2019 Kivalliq Energy Forum, held in Rankin Inlet in December 2019, is now available in both English and Inuktitut at www.kivalliqenergyforum.ca

The website includes photos from the event, and provides links to PDF versions of the presentations made available to us from the Energy Forum speakers. When you have a moment, take a look at the website and the Kivalliq Energy Activity Report.

Klaus was there as a presenter and exhibitor! See some images below from their website:

One of the largest global manufacturers of PV modules, Canadian Solar, has featured one of our earliest Diesel-reduction projects in remote communities for their newsletter. Click here to download the PDF or click the images below to enlarge.