Amlamgog (Fort Folly First Nation) Microgrid Innovation Challenge
Amlamgog First Nation sought scalable, renewable energy technologies to enhance community energy resilience, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and contribute to economic self-determination.
Challenge Launch: March 2025
Advancing Energy Independence for Amlamgog First Nation
Amlamgog sought innovative energy solutions that integrate distributed generation and energy storage to reduce reliance on the provincial grid, lower costs, and support long-term sustainability.
Amlamgog First Nation invited innovators to propose scalable, renewable energy technologies that enhance community energy resilience, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and contribute to economic self-determination.
Challenge Statement
The Amlamgog Community Microgrid Challenge sought innovative solutions to achieve electricity independence through cost-effective, renewable distributed energy generation or generation and storage solutions.
The goal was to integrate a scalable microgrid solution that reduces greenhouse gas emissions and advances the community's path to energy independence.
Challenge Opportunity
This Challenge presented a unique opportunity for innovators to collaborate with Amlamgog First Nation to identify energy generation solutions that support the community’s transformative energy and sustainability initiatives.
The winner has the opportunity to:
- Present their proposed solution to the Amlamgog Chief, Council, Band Administration, Elders, Youth and interested community members.
- Showcase the solution at the 2025 Atlantic Indigenous-Led Energy Symposium
- Partner with Amlamgog to establish the Indigenous Distributed Energy Demonstration Project.
Challenge Background
Amlamgog is committed to progressive energy leadership, having already installed solar panels on all commercial buildings and developed a Community Energy Plan in 2024 to assess electricity consumption and identify opportunities for energy initiatives that have environmental, social, and economic benefits for the community.
Amlamgog First Nation is focused on securing its energy future through sustainable, community-driven initiatives. The Community Energy Plan confirmed that:
- The community’s total electrical consumption for 2023 was approximately 666,500 kWh/year.
- Amlamgog’s per capita electricity consumption is approximately 50% lower than the New Brunswick average (9,118 kWh/Person/Year vs. 17,600 kWh/Person/year).
The successful energy solution:
- Integrates into a microgrid serving the community of Amlamgog, resulting in a net decrease in the community’s overall carbon footprint while supporting the net zero energy goal (approximately 666,500 kWh/year).
- Reduces total operating costs (excluding capital cost) compared to purchasing power from the New Brunswick Provincial grid (NB Power).
- Delivers environmental, social and economic benefits for the community, reducing dependency and reliance on the provincial power grid, and unlocking economic opportunities for reinvestment in social programming and capacity development.
Considerations & Barriers to Adoption
The Amlamgog Community Microgrid Challenge aimed to support Amlamgog in continuing to develop energy initiatives that identify viable solutions to address energy independence. Adopting distributed energy systems that lower the community’s carbon footprint and operating costs was a primary factor for a successful Challenge outcome.
Proposed solutions must have addressed key adoption challenges, including:
- Seamless integration into the existing distribution network or a local microgrid serving Amlamgog.
- Feedstock logistics, including source, long-term cost predictability, carbon emissions.
- Siting considerations, particularly proximity to residential areas (e.g., noise impacts).
- Operating costs that ensure cost savings compared with NB Power electricity rates. Models that result in a new revenue stream for the community (excess power sold back into the grid) could be a benefit.
Evaluation & Eligibility Criteria
Eligibility Criteria:
- Must be Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 6+
- Open to domestic and international technology solutions
- Compatible with Canadian electricity grid standards
- Designed for integration into a community microgrid.
Evaluation Criteria:
- Cost-effective
- Ease of integration into microgrid application with microgrid controller technology
- Feedstock availability and transportability
- Applicability to New Brunswick’s energy landscape
- Operational cost efficiency
- Maximized GHG reduction compared with NB Power grid
The Partner
Amlamgog (Fort Folly First Nation) is a Mi'kmaq community located in southeastern New Brunswick, Canada, and is leading the way in progressive energy leadership.
The community, established in 1840 and part of the larger Mi'kmaq Nation, has approximately 140 registered members, with 60 residents living on-reserve. It includes approximately 35 residences, six band-owned commercial buildings, and a newly constructed 5-unit elder’s residence.
Lighthouse Energy Wins Clean Energy Challenge
Foresight Canada and Amlamgog are proud to announce Lighthouse Energy as the winners of the Amlamgog Microgrid Innovation Challenge. Lighthouse Energy specializes in stabilizing electrical grids by harnessing unused renewable energy—reducing electricity costs, and making clean energy more accessible.
As the Challenge winner, Lighthouse Energy will have the opportunity to pitch their technology to the Fort Folly First Nation community and support the development of the Indigenous Distributed Energy Demonstration Project, which will help Fort Folly First Nation reduce grid dependency, lower costs and emissions, and build long-term sustainability. Lighthouse Energy will also showcase their innovation at the 2025 Atlantic Indigenous-Led Energy Symposium.
A clean, thriving Canadian economy starts with an inclusive future built on clean productivity. In New Brunswick, First Nations communities are leading the way with local energy planning, low-carbon buildings, and EV infrastructure. Partnering with innovators helps build on this progress and strengthen climate resilience.
Our vision for this project is to create an open sandbox for innovation and creativity—a place where the community and youth can freely express themselves and have deep ownership.
We want everyone to participate and benefit. This is our chance to create a better future, one that honors Mother Earth and evolves over the generations to come. This is our first gift to the protectors of this land, a seed that will help nourish and support a brighter tomorrow.
Challenge Updates
March 13, 2025: Applications open
April 2, 2025: Informational webinar (watch)
April 25, 2025: Applications close
June 10, 2025: Winner announced
Our Partners
The Amlamgog Microgrid Innovation Challenge is run in partnership with Amlamgog First Nation and the North Shore Mi’kmaq Tribal Council.
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