FNG is committed to supporting our Indigenous brothers and sisters and their communities across the country, which certainly includes putting mother earth first! We are firm believers in the concept of 7 generations. As a First Nation organization, we understand that we are merely caretakers of this land for those that follow. When we engage a project we continually ask ourselves, “What will the impact of this project be to mother earth and those that follow for seven generations?”

At FNG we continually engage emerging technology with the goal of remaining technologically advanced in the best interest of the environment and our First Nation/Inuit partners. We include renewable energy resources for both ‘community-owned’ projects and other third-party-owned facilities, whose power-source can be shared by the entire community through a comprehensive pre-planning process. “Renewable energies” is an important concept worth consideration to every town and each FNG project. We work in partnership with local Indigenous communities and technology innovators to help the poorest and most marginalized communities by creating efficient and renewable energy communities and facility resources. This form of partnership allows us to assist in meeting the real needs of each community with innovative technologies. We then make this technology available to every First Nation and Inuit community that we work with across Canada, creating a cohesive relationship between community, environment and our 4seasons garden farming Co-op facilities.

The primary purpose of an FNG SHARED SOLAR POWERED FACILITY is to allow members of a community the opportunity to benefit from the use of solar power even if they cannot or prefer not to install solar panels for themselves. Partner communities benefit from the electricity surplus generated by the solar powered community garden farm facility, which can cost significantly less than the price they would ordinarily pay to their utility or fuel provider.

There are many reasons why a community would go solar, but improving the environment, cutting energy costs and taking control of their own communities’ future is the most common. Many are aware that solar is a crucial factor in regaining control of their population growth, a significant community efficiency upgrade and a significant factor in reducing energy costs and their carbon footprint altogether. Whether you’re a remote Indigenous community, a homeowner, business, or non-profit, electricity and diesel fuel costs can make up a significant portion of your monthly expenses. With a solar panel system, you’ll generate power for your system’s entire lifecycle. Even if you don’t produce 100 percent of the energy you consume, solar will reduce your utility, electrical, and or diesel fuel costs and you’ll still save a lot of money doing so.

Solar panels aren’t an expense – they’re one of the best ways to invest, defraying the outbound costs of a community, with returns rivalling those of more traditional investments such as stocks and bonds. Thanks to substantial electricity savings, the average Canadian pays off their solar panel system in seven to eight years and sees an ROI of 20 percent or more over the lifecycle of the system. One of the most apparent cut benefits of solar panels is the ability to hedge utility prices. Solar energy also delivers environmental benefits. Many homeowners, businesses, and non-profits go solar because they are focused on minimizing environmental issues like climate change and health problems related to carbon emissions. The electricity that solar panels produce is entirely emission-free. When you use renewable solar energy to meet your energy needs, you reduce the demand for electricity and or diesel fuel consumption from your utility. As a result, your utility plant emits less carbon when producing the power needed to meet demand. Depending on the resources that your service uses to provide energy — many are still reliant on fossil fuels like electricity, diesel fuel, and coal—the impact of your decision to go solar significantly favours mother earth and our environment.

Most locations in Canada get enough sunlight to produce sufficient electricity from solar panels. The most important factors to consider when you evaluate your solar panel options are the rates you pay for electricity and or diesel fuel and the rebates and incentives available to you. Our FNG solar-powered community garden farming facilities with the right planning can generate enough power to meet your community utility needs.