A PhD student at the University of Northern British Columbia was part of a winning team at a recent international event in Vancouver related to global energy issues. Natural Resources and Environmental Studies student Geoff de Ruiter and his three teammates won the FortisBC Community Energy Challenge at the International Student Energy Summit for their proposed community energy system and took home the $4000 prize. The Challenge was judged by a panel made up of sustainable energy experts from FortisBC and former BC Premier Mike Harcourt. De Ruiter was also sponsored by FortisBC, one of the Summit’s founding sponsors. 

“It was extremely demanding work (I lost two nights of sleep out of four), but incredibly rewarding. The fact that the Challenge was scored by peers and industry professionals meant a lot to me,” said de Ruiter, who graduated from UNBC in 2008 and is returning this fall to work toward a PhD. “I would like to thank FortisBC for sponsoring me and the event. They were very gracious and gave every participating team a cash prize.”

 More than 300 delegates attended the Summit from 35 different countries. Contest applicants were separated into 6 teams and asked to outline the details of a district energy system, detail the cost feasibility of their idea, market their concept in a video uploaded to YouTube, and give a final presentation. De Ruiter’s group “Team Synergy” proposed using waste water from the community’s treatment plant as a central hub for energy and resources.

“I was impressed by the hard work, creativity and ability of each team to apply the different energy sources presented to them in a competitive environment. Students were encouraged to explore innovative ways to supply energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in a typical North American city, which the winning team did very well,” said Doug Stout, FortisBC Vice President, Energy Solutions and External Relations.

The International Student Energy Summit, a forum for post-secondary students to discuss global energy issues, was organized by a team of post-secondary students through the University of British Columbia’s Sustainability Initiative. This year’s summit was the second in a series of biennial conferences to take place in different cities around the world. FortisBC was a one of the event’s sponsors and awarded bursaries to five students from across the province to attend the Summit.

De Ruiter’s PhD work this fall will involve researching the potential for bioenergy and bio-carbon sequestration at the Prince George Waste Water Treatment Plant. He is also researching the feasibility of the University’s renewable energy opportunities with a specific focus on wind energy, a project made possible by UNBC’s Green Fund.