Exploring Technical and Technological Solutions for Efficient Energy Management in Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) Spaces in the Northern Quebec Territory (TNQ)
The food systems of the Northern Quebec Territory (TNQ) currently do not meet the growing demand for healthy, ecological, and low‑carbon food. Food insecurity is particularly concerning: it affects First Nations at twice the rate, and Inuit populations at three times the rate of the non‑Indigenous population. This situation stems from political, economic, and social factors specific to the TNQ, exacerbated by geographic isolation, climate change impacts, and inadequate infrastructure.
In this context, controlled environment agriculture (CEA) spaces, such as greenhouses, tunnels, vertical farms, container farms, and “cold frames”, can play a central role in northern regional energy ecosystems. These installations contribute to essential services such as food and health, notably by promoting healthy lifestyles, supporting mental health, and enabling access to traditional edible species. They can also become places for learning, socialization, and intergenerational transmission of traditional knowledge.
However, although CEA has considerable potential in the TNQ, its presence remains limited in number, diversity, and total growing area. There are currently only 47 installations across the territory: 29 on the Côte‑Nord, 12 in Eeyou Istchee Baie‑James, and 6 in Nunavik.
The project aims to codevelop systems and practices adapted to the realities of northern Indigenous communities in order to significantly increase the number of installations and local food production. This involves selecting infrastructure, equipment, inputs, and developing training programs adapted to the climate and needs of TNQ populations.
The PhD candidate will focus on the energy efficiency component.
Required knowledge
The PhD student will aim to enhance an open‑source software platform called “Greenlight”. This Python‑based platform, developed by Wageningen University, is designed to create dynamic greenhouse models (Katzin et al., 2025). Currently, this platform does not include the CEA systems studied in the project, which will constitute one of the main objectives of the PhD. Once adapted, and using locally measured climate data, this tool will allow the evaluation — in the short, medium, and long term (including under climate change scenarios) — of the performance of various solutions identified by the communities, both in terms of geometry (traditional greenhouse or passive solar greenhouse — i.e., Chinese — integrated or not into a building, container farms, etc.) and energy systems (heating, cooling, energy storage systems, and/or lighting).
We are looking for a master’s degree or equivalent in energy engineering, mechanical engineering, agricultural engineering, process engineering, or a related field, with strong motivation for the field of energy systems.
The PhD student will join the Laboratory for Energy Technologies and Energy Efficiency at École de technologie Supérieure (ÉTS) under the supervision of Didier Haillot, Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. Co‑supervision will be provided by Martine Dorais, Full Professor at Université Laval and Director of the Research Chair in Organic Greenhouse Horticulture and Controlled Environment Agriculture (MAPAQ/NSERC).
Research stays at Université Laval and/or in the TNQ will be conducted. The developed models will be integrated into a generic open‑source platform currently under development and made available to the scientific community.