East Gwillimbury Canada and Smartflower

Nu NRG Group, our Canadian Strategic Partner is proud to announce a significant Municipal Project, first of its kind in Canada. Nu NRG, as part of an ongoing initiative with Green Earth Village (Near Zero Community) are proud to be a part of the unveiling of the Smartflower at the East Gwillimbury Civic Centre.

The Town of East Gwillimbury’s 2019 Strategic Plan outlines a commitment to protect and preserve the natural environment with help from Smartflower. Council and staff are continuously looking for innovative opportunities to support energy efficient new construction and facility retro-fits with renewable energy opportunities.

As part of this commitment, a Smartflower was installed last year to encourage environmental stewardship and help reduce the Town’s carbon footprint.

The Smartflower utilizes a grouping of solar panels to produce renewable energy. The system works on a rotating axis to ensure the panels are positioned in the optimal locations throughout the day. By incorporating this technology, the Smartflower is able to increase energy results by up to 40%.

The power of the Smartflower is channeled back into the hydro grid to be used to offset hydro consumption at the East Gwillimbury Ontario Civic Centre.

From Mayor Virginia Hackson:

“As outlined in the Town’s Strategic Plan, both Council and staff are committed to protecting and preserving the natural environment. As such, staff and Council are continuously looking for innovative opportunities to incorporate the use of sustainable and green technologies into our facilities and workplace. In 2017, the SmartFlower technology was brought to the attention of the Town and it was incorporated into a wider energy saving initiative at the Town’s Civic Centre location.”

“The project also included the addition of Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Parking Stations and outdoor LED lighting fixtures. The Town worked with Nu-NRG Group to assist with the SmartFLower, EV Charging Stations and outdoor LED lighting fixtures.”

“As part of the implementation of these programs, the Town is hoping to promote sustainable energy and green technology with the staff and public. The SmartFlower was positioned in a prominent location at the Civic Centre to provide visibility to all those who visit. The SmartFlower was situated next to our award-winning green courtyard, which was completed in 2017. The courtyard was built using a variety of sustainable and low impact design features and has signage incorporated throughout the space to provide educational opportunities.”

“This placement was strategic, as it is our hope that visitors will ask questions, and learn more about sustainable energy options. We are already receiving extremely positive feedback, and have had several vehicles using the EV charging stations already. Staff are currently working on a webpage that will answer frequently asked questions and provide residents with more information.”

“This is a great opportunity for the Town to showcase sustainable energy options to the public, and continue to follow through on our commitment to be a leader in the community, and encourage green energy choices.”

Thanks go out to these sponsors as well: Nu-NRG, urbantech, Signature communities, Green Earth Village, groundswell urban planners, Royalpark, Conxcorp, The Planning Partnership