Dave Lovekin is the director of the Pembina Institute's renewables in remote communities program. In his years with the Institute — Canada’s leading energy think tank — he has managed numerous corporate, community and government projects focusing on research and analysis to advance energy efficiency and renewable energy solutions in Canada.
Dave has worked with stakeholders in small businesses, industry, indigenous communities, government and non-governmental organizations on projects related to shifting focus from non-renewable to renewable energy technologies (including solar PV, wind, biomass, biogas and biofuel technologies, geothermal and overall energy efficiency solutions). He has conducted numerous life cycle assessments for various energy technologies and is certified to conduct greenhouse gas accounting through the Greenhouse Management Institute.
He holds a master's degree in systems design engineering from the University of Waterloo and is currently on the WWF Arctic renewable energy expert committee and the advisory committee for NRCan developing standards for biomass fuels and equipment in Canada.
Contact Dave Lovekin
cell: 250-634-0846 • email: davel@pembina.org
Dave Lovekin's Recent Publications
Transforming the Utility Business Model Options to improve services and opportunities for clean energy in remote communities
Three clean energy options that could help replace diesel Hydrogen, small modular reactors and energy generated by the ocean are all under consideration in remote communities
In remote communities across Canada, low-carbon power sources such as hydrogen, nuclear, and energy generated by movement in the ocean are being studied more closely. Each of these clean energy technologies are options under consideration as remote Indigenous communities further their efforts to eliminate dependence on diesel power.
Recommendations to the Government of Nunavut to accelerate clean energy projects Improving policies to meet energy needs and climate goals
Nunavut is almost entirely dependent on diesel power for meeting its electricity and heating needs and has the highest diesel dependency of all territories and provinces. Policies that regulate the terms and conditions, as well as the rates paid to power producers, can be significantly improved so that producers are incentivized to develop clean energy projects that are sustainable, profitable, and contribute to reducing reliance on diesel power.
Why we need fair prices for Indigenous-led renewable energy Utilities and investors can support rates that account for the benefits of clean energy
Between 2015 and 2020, the number of renewable energy projects in remote communities across Canada nearly doubled. Yet, despite this growth in renewables, as much as 79 per cent of the electricity used in remote communities is still generated using diesel fuel. Fair and equitable prices for Indigenous-led clean energy allow projects to be sustainable and account for the social and environmental benefits of using less diesel and advancing Indigenous energy sovereignty.
