The Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM), the First Nations Power Authority and the School of Environment and Sustainability at the University of Saskatchewan have all come together to sign a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) aimed at exploring opportunities for research collaborations in renewable energy policies and processes.

Ray Orb, President of SARM, said those in rural communities are wanting to get into renewable energy.

“There is a lot of interest in this right now in wind and solar energy in the province of Saskatchewan”.

Orb pointed to the province’s goal of having 50 per cent renewable energy by 2030 and mentioned how SARM is keen on that mark.

The SARM president believes the U of S and the First Nation Power Authority already have some ideas in mind of what can be done in regards to having better solar and wind powered systems for rural communities.

Orb added they look forward to working together with their partners and the potential for new opportunities which could provide education for students and the community to study and address renewable energy in various areas including solar, wind and hydro.