August 19, 2010

Aboriginal Community Energy Plans (

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ACEP

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) M

é

tis Nation of Ontario

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Annual General Assembly

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Presentation Agenda

• Definition of a Community Energy Plan • What a Community Energy Plan is/is not? • The Goals and Benefits of a CEP • Elements of a CEP • Outcomes, Decisions and Implementation Actions • Open Discussion • Elements of Success • Barriers to Completing the Plan • Other

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Community Energy Plan – Working Definition

Community Energy Planning is a process that seeks ways to explore, understand and address: • Potential for energy conservation and/or management • Opportunities for renewable energy generation • Support sustainability, community resiliency or self reliance • Enables environmental stewardship • Results in energy cost reductions • Supports economic development

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Context: What IS a Community Energy Plan?

A Process to: • Understand how energy is used within a community • Identify opportunities to conserve energy – What the community can do to better conserve energy • Identify renewable energy opportunities, big and small, understand the risks and rewards – Begin the discussion if a community wants to pursue a renewable energy project • Establish energy goals for the community – Planning objectives, policies and procedures • Establish community priorities and identify needed resources – Match to OPA and other programs (AREF, FIT, AGLP,) • Establish success measures – Achieving energy goals/targets and effectively communicating the achievements to the community

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Context: Community Energy Plan is NOT

• The answer to individual community members high energy bills • Individual has to take action/ownership • Will not provide everyone in the community with free energy • Generation projects don’t relieve this responsibility • A “stand alone” program • Be tied to community policies, practices, procedures • Conservation programs, FIT, micro-FIT, Adder, etc.

• Will not be the sole solution to “solving” housing issues (new/existing)

Aboriginal Community Energy Plan Concept

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Community Policies and Procedures

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Elements of an ACEP

Action Plan Recommendations Alternatives Energy Baseline Community Profile Visioning and Scoping

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Visioning and Scoping – Definition

• Vision captures the community’s philosophy on how energy should be used or developed • Scoping sets out the guiding principles for energy use and development, such as: • Stewardship/cultural • Customary activities • Economic development

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Visioning and Scoping – The Process

• Establish a Community Energy Planning committee • Community champion or respected individual • Others required – may depend on size of the community • Meet with leadership • Define a community energy plan • What it is and what it isn’t • Provide details of funding for ACEP and other related OPA programs • Define and gain support of the process • Community meeting (s) • Community workshops to explain process (as with the leadership) • Define the next steps (once the vision is established) • Develop the vision

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Community Profile

• General community overview: • Information that can impact energy usage and be used as an indicator • Total consumption of energy (by energy type) • Population, new home/building construction (past/future) • Regional context • Impact on energy consumption • Economic opportunities and challenges • Community perspective on energy • Cost of various forms of energy • Attitudes towards energy • Ability to control energy consumption • Past experiences with energy conservation • Traditional knowledge • Understanding how the land has been used • Graphical mapping of how the land has been used (option)

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Baselining

• Actual energy consumption data (including fossil fuels) • Energy utility data (gas, electric, oil, wood, etc.) • Household/community building energy savings • Housing/building stock age, heating type, condition, etc • Small generation (micro-Fit) opportunities • Micro-renewable energy opportunities • Linkages to economic development, education or other opportunities • Regional context • Impact on energy consumption • Economic opportunities and challenges • Community perspective on energy • Cost of various forms of energy • Attitudes towards energy • Ability to control energy consumption

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Alternatives: Conservation

• Benefits of reducing energy consumption • Community buildings/facilities – community savings • Link to other activities, such as water conservation and its impact on energy consumption • Residential – to the individual • Where to start • Community owned facilities, residential • Community resources • Available (people) • Resources required • Gap between what is available and what is required • Community policy and procedures • Housing polices • Payment of electricity bills • Co-ordination with other programs

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Alternatives: Micro-Generation

• Opportunities for small renewable • Options - What are they, how big, how do they work, how hard to install?

• Initial technical screen – i.e. is it feasible • Costs and benefits • Community Heating Systems • District energy (small biomass systems) • External wood heating systems • Other • Solar Thermal • Options • Link to small solar generation • Economic development opportunities/links • Land use development/links • Community policy and procedures • Time/resources required to undertake projects

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Alternatives: Renewable Generation

• Opportunities for larger renewable generation • Options • What are they, how big, how do they work, how hard to install, how much maintenance is required?

• Initial technical screen – i.e. is it feasible • Costs and benefits • On/off reserve opportunities • Economic development opportunities/links • Land use development/links • Community policy and procedures • Time/resources required to undertake projects

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Recommendations and Monitoring

• Presentation to the leadership/community of the recommendations • What was considered • Overall benefits • How to get started • What is required of the administration, community members • How is it going to be funded • Some form of recognized approval from the community • How is the plan going to be monitored • Community report card • Communication of results

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Action Plan

• Clear statement of the community’s vision, recommendation and how to get started • Description of the process and how it was approved • The report card • Communication plan • Resource plan • Community • OPA • External agencies • Partnerships

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Conservation Within the ACEP Concept

OPA Small Commercial conservation program • No cost to the community • Replacement of lighting (up to a fixed $ amount) • Comprehensive measures • Includes heating/cooling, insulation, other improvements • Requires financial investment

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Conservation Within the ACEP Concept

OPA Residential conservation program (No or Low Cost to the Community) • Low cost measures • CFLs, low flow showerheads, faucet aerators, pipe wrap, water heater blankets, block heater timers, power bars • Comprehensive measures • Insulation of walls, attics, basements, crawl spaces • Energy efficient lighting fixtures • Weathersealing (caulking, weatherstripping of doors and windows) • Appliance replacement • Replacement of older refrigerators and freezers, window air conditioners • Removal and proper disposal

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Micro-generation Within the ACEP Concept

• Small renewable energy projects – micro-FIT eligible • Roof top solar • Small wind turbines • Evaluate economic opportunities to group a number of small renewable projects • Economies of scale: purchasing, installation and maintenance • Business opportunity • Educational opportunities • Solar panels on a school, part of curriculum

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Feed-In Tariff Program Within the ACEP Concept

• Overall potential for larger renewable energy projects • Understand the various types of technologies • Wind, solar, biomass, water • Identify relative risks/rewards of various projects • Revenue potential • Capital requirements • Construction, Operating, maintenance costs • Relative risks to a successful project • Identify next steps • Link to Aboriginal Renewable Energy Fund

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Other Tools Within the ACEP Concept

How do the following impact an ACEP?

• Traditional knowledge • Land Use plans • Economic development plans • Housing growth

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Open Discussion

1. Elements of Success 2. Barriers to Completing the Plan 3. Other