Lesley McGilp, March’s Director of Clean Energy Systems, has an aptitude for seeing such interconnectedness. McGilp joined March in February 2023 after working at the Saskatchewan Research Council (SRC) for nearly 14 years, most recently as vice-president of SRC’s Energy Division.

McGilp is excited about her new role with March. She enjoys working in all aspects of the energy mix, and sees great potential for nuclear energy in Western Canada.

“There’s no one-size-fits-all solution to decarbonizing our energy systems,” says McGilp, “so we’ll need multiple energy systems to achieve this—but I think nuclear is a leading opportunity for Saskatchewan and for March.”

Since 1999, March has worked with numerous clients in the heavy industrial sector, with experience in mining and minerals, utilities, agriculture, the manufacturing and fabrication industries, construction of buildings, and First Nations infrastructure.

McGilp believes the time has come to further diversify energy production in Saskatchewan, noting that there are inherent problems and challenges with well-established energy systems focused on fossil fuels. For example, waste containment is a real challenge with fossil-fuel systems, as “it literally goes up in smoke.”

“I think another aspect of that is the heavy dependence we have on fossil fuels. We’re so heavily reliant on that one type of energy and our environment just can’t handle the magnitude of the impacts,” she says. “In terms of building out new systems, it’s helpful to look at the evolution of the fossil fuel system and how we can try to address some of these challenges from the beginning.”

Using systems thinking means that March will examine key issues, such as waste production and waste management, in the early stages of energy projects.

Waste management isn’t the only area that can benefit from this approach. Many other aspects of energy production, such as supply chain management, can be considered through systems thinking. Solar panels may seem like a great clean-energy option at first glance; however, depending on how they are sourced and shipped, they may not be the best choice upon closer examination.

McGilp said systems thinking helps clients and companies ask important questions about their projects and project goals: “What are the environmental performances of your suppliers in terms of those raw materials you need? And then what will be done with them in the end? Are you creating another problem when you’re switching to one of these other options?” McGilp notes we need to acknowledge that all energy sources have impacts, but looking at these challenges as a system provides the best opportunity to mitigate the overall impacts of our energy choices. The complexity of systems thinking extends beyond environmental goals, too, as it also brings in economic and social considerations.

Ultimately, system thinking helps clients and companies understand and address project complexities. McGilp, who is trained as a mechanical engineer and holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree, says March houses multiple engineering disciplines under one roof. This opens the door to applying systems thinking across the disciplines, enabling March’s clients and projects to benefit from diverse engineering and design perspectives working together.

“March has a very relationship-focused business, so we work closely with our clients,” she said. “We often have repeat business and the more we get to know about our clients’ needs, the better we develop solutions for them with a systems approach.”

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