Integrated Community Energy Solutions

Renée Lazarowich – Community Energy Technical Advisor

Office of Energy Efficiency, Natural Resources Canada

Rural Development Network

Renewable Energy Workshop

June 11, 2010

Overview

ƒ Integrated Community Energy Solutions (ICES)

ƒ Current and Recent Federal Activities
ƒ ICES in Small, Rural and Remote Communities –
results from Pembina study

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 Integrated Community Energy
Solutions (ICES)
ICES Integrated Design
integrate
energy
across
multiple
sectors

Integrated Integrated Heating, Cooling,

Transportation Systems Power Systems, Industrial
Waste Heat, Municipal Energy Efficient Housing, Community Form
Systems Buildings, Industry

Integrated Community Energy

Solutions

ƒ Represent an integrated and holistic approach to energy

supply and use in communities
ƒ Apply to all types of communities, ranging from
ƒ Rural and small remote towns to medium-sized municipalities
and large cities, as well as
ƒ New developments, existing neighbourhoods and even whole
regions
ƒ Are gaining support across Canada with a growing number
of examples
ƒ Have the potential to contribute significantly to national GHG
objectives

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Drake Landing Solar Community
(Okotoks, AB)

State of the Art District Renewable Energy

System with R-2000 Housing Block
-R-2000 homes, solar thermal, district energy
system with seasonal storage
- 52 homes
- 90%+ space heating from solar/storage system

Key ICES Players

ƒ Local governments
ƒ Zoning, policy, investment and leadership
ƒ Provincial and territorial governments
ƒ Municipal legislative framework, regulation of energy sector
ƒ The Government of Canada
ƒ Information, research, coordination and facilitation, financial support
ƒ Developers and other private enterprises
ƒ Implementation of ICES, development of business models
ƒ Energy companies, utilities and regulators
ƒ Investment, ownership and oversight of integrated solutions
ƒ Other ICES enablers (e.g. CHBA, QUEST, FCM)
ƒ Build public support and capacity to deliver ICES projects

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Existing Federal Support for ICES

ƒ Federal Funding Initiatives

ƒ EQuilibrium Communities Initiative - $4.2 million (in partnership with
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation)
ƒ Clean Energy Fund - $192 million
ƒ ecoENERGY for Aboriginal and Northern Communities program
ƒ Green Municipal Fund - $550 million (administered, at arms length, by
Federation of Canadian Municipalities)
ƒ New infrastructure funds - Building Canada ($33 billion), Infrastructure
Stimulus Fund ($4 billion), Green Infrastructure Fund ($1 billion)
ƒ Research and Development through CanmetENERGY
ƒ Community energy planning, integrated energy systems, alternative
energy technologies
ƒ Collaboration and consultation with PT & Stakeholders
ƒ Federal, provincial and territorial (FPT) cooperation under the auspice
of the Council of Energy Ministers
ƒ Financial support for QUEST secretariat and studies
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Other Federal Activities

ƒ Standing Committee on Natural Resources Study

ƒ June 2009, Committee released report supportive of ICES, with
9 recommendations to federal government for advancing ICES
in Canada
ƒ Government response agrees in principle with all
recommendations and will continue collaboration and
consultation with PT & stakeholders and will consider how to
best advance ICES
ƒ Minister’s Roundtable
ƒ October 2009, 22 senior level decision makers
ƒ Participants supportive of ICES, positive about the Roundtable
and provided useful input on possible federal role

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 Federal Provincial Work on ICES –
CEM Roadmap
ƒ Council of Energy Ministers ICES
Roadmap
ƒ Released September 1, 2009 - Endorsed by all
CEM ministers
ƒ Tool for FPT governments in moving ICES
forward – All types of communities
ƒ Roadmap informed through consultations by
CEM jurisdictions with key stakeholders
1. Defines ICES & proposes vision: by 2050 all
Canadian communities are designed and operated
as integrated community energy systems
2. Explores roles for governments and key
stakeholders
3. Identifies Barriers
4. Develops timeline for implementation (3 phases)
5. Outlines broad strategies to advance ICES including
a menu of enabling tools for government
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CEM Roadmap – Timelines for

implementation
ƒ Divided into three phases:
1. Quick start: Large-scale showcases, quick-start projects –
encourage early planning and identification of opportunities
2. Acceleration: Develop and implement focused programs, policy
and regulatory support and increase research and development
3. Large-Scale Adoption: Long gestation period: funding, policy and
regulatory frameworks, training, innovation

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Path Forward – Federal
Leadership

ƒ The Government is considering how to best

advance ICES as it continues its efforts to
provide effective and efficient support to improve
and encourage energy efficiency and renewable
energy in Canada and to build stronger
communities

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Path Forward – Stakeholder

Leadership

ƒ QUEST
ƒ Annual conference and workshop
ƒ Regional caucuses to address regional challenges
ƒ Promotion of ICES across sectors

ƒ FCM
ƒ Green Municipal Funds
ƒ Partners for Climate Protection
ƒ Actively involved with ICES

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Pembina Study

ƒ Cutting Carbon in Small, Rural and Remote

Communities: Options and successful strategies
for achieving significant reductions in greenhouse
gas emissions

Study Objectives

ƒ Identify strategies that can put small, rural and

remote communities on track for deep reductions in
energy use and emissions
ƒ Understand the opportunities for community-wide
improvement in energy performance by taking a
more holistic approach to energy supply and
demand
ƒ Understand the unique challenges and
opportunities faced by these communities
Targeted Communities

ƒ Population less than 10,000

ƒ Connected to regional utility networks, and not connected
ƒ Not strongly influenced by larger centres

ƒ Approximately 6.8 million Canadians (~20%)

ƒ Around 3,000 to 4,000 communities
ƒ Over 680 PJ of energy and 38 Mt of CO2e used in buildings
and transportation alone (~5% of national total energy use)

ƒ Energy and GHG profiles vary between communities, based

on energy sources and community characteristics

Unique Circumstances in Small,

Rural and Remote Communities
ƒ Each community is unique
ƒ The unique mix of social, economic, environmental and energy resources play
a critical role in the development and applicability of energy solutions
ƒ Capacity
ƒ Staff and experts with appropriate knowledge may not always be available
ƒ Fewer resources may be available to ‘compete’ against larger cities for limited
program dollars for implementation of large projects
ƒ Bureaucracy
ƒ Smaller bureaucracy can facilitate the development and implementation of
innovative solutions
ƒ Planning around Community Economic Development
ƒ Integrating community energy planning within the context of economic
diversification and development can open up avenues of development that can
meet multiple objectives
ƒ Energy costs
ƒ Solutions offering improved energy performance can be more attractive in
areas where energy prices are much higher

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Successful Strategies:
Community Energy Performance

ƒ Incorporation of community energy planning

ƒ Adoption of ‘hub-and-spoke’ regional approaches
ƒ Implementation of comprehensive community-wide
programs

ƒCity of Dawson Creek, British

Columbia
ƒComprehensive energy plan for the community
ƒImplementation of building audits and retrofits, light-
emitting diode (LED) traffic lights, a solar-ready bylaw,
training, energy program promotion

Successful Strategies:
Energy Efficient Buildings

ƒ Promotion of federal/provincial retrofit programs

ƒ Adoption of higher performance regulation for new
construction
ƒ Exploration of next-generation energy performance

ƒEast Gwillimbury, Ontario

ƒAll new housing requires EnergyStar certification,
and non-residential requires LEED Silver
ƒPart of comprehensive community energy plan
ƒSupport despite outside municipal jurisdiction
Successful Strategies:
Integrated Heating and Cooling

ƒ Implementation of district heating

ƒ Implementation of waste to energy systems
ƒ Integration of renewable energy technologies

ƒOujé-Bougoumou District
Heating, Oujé-Bougoumou,
Quebec
ƒProvides village-wide heating to efficient
homes and buildings using a wood waste
(biomass) district energy system
ƒPart of the ongoing community
revitalization and self-sufficiency efforts

Successful Strategies:
Transportation and Land Use

ƒ Investment in active transportation

ƒ Strategic integration of transit services
ƒ Development of complete, mixed use village areas
ƒHaliburton County, Ontario
ƒHired a regional coordinator to develop
and implement active transportation
plans for the Villages of Haliburton and
Minden
ƒPartnership between public health,
tourism, municipal recreation,
community economic development…
Successful Strategies:
Off-Grid Communities

ƒ Investment in connection to grid

ƒ Addition of renewable energy, and more renewable
energy

ƒRamea, Newfoundland
ƒElectricity generated by diesel and
wind
ƒState-of-the-art wind-hydrogen-diesel
R&D project, expected to allow the
shutting down of all diesel generators
during periods of low demand

Areas to Address in order to

Improve Energy Performance

ƒ Uptake of energy efficiency

ƒ Assessment of community-specific potential projects
ƒ Assessment of community-specific renewable energy potential
ƒ Integration of local and regional industry in community energy
planning
ƒ Integration of energy in all community planning processes
ƒ Coordination and knowledge sharing between communities
ƒ Long term support for implementation of energy plans
Addendum: FCM AGM

ƒ NRCan hosted a session on ICES in small, rural and remote

communities at Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM)
Annual General Meeting (May 2010)
ƒ 3 mayors presented leading edge ICES projects:
ƒ New development on municipal land
ƒ Economic development opportunity
ƒ 200+ audience
ƒ Interest in how these communities are making it work
ƒ Expressed need for information, guidelines, tools

Conclusion

ƒ Over the last couple years, interest in ICES has grown,

and continues to grow
ƒ The Federal Government recognizes the opportunities
ICES offer to meet national objectives and is evaluating
options to advance ICES
ƒ ICES offer significant opportunities for small, rural and
remote communities and their involvement will be
important to the success of making ICES mainstream
ƒ There are already some very promising examples of
leadership in small, rural and remote communities on
which future efforts could be based

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