Aboriginal Community Energy Plans (‘ACEP’)Métis Nation of Ontario – Annual General Assembly

August 19, 2010

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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)

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Aboriginal Community Energy Plan Concept

Community Policies and Procedures

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Elements of an ACEP

Alternatives

Energy Baseline

Community Profile

Visioning and Scoping

Recommendations

Action Plan

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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