Community Energy Planning
Towards First Principles of Community Energy Planning
June 23, 2017
Kirby Calvert is a leading thinker in how to support local governments and communities in the energy transition. His recent blog post – Towards First Principles of Community Energy Planning – is an important contribution to the practice. It draws from the legacy of past efforts to begin a conversation about a new model. He proposes three primary principles. Localization...
Green building: shifting from innovators to early adopters
June 7, 2017
Many systems must change in the transition to a low carbon economy. The way we plan and make decisions will look different. There will be new people at the table. Especially people we had never thought to include before. Already in the home building business, a transition is underway. The Canada Green Building Council recently launched Canada’s first zero carbon building...
Culture important to achieving low carbon communities
May 4, 2017
When legislation and good intentions meet culture, unintended consequences can occur. As the saying goes, culture eats strategy for breakfast. I would add: it snacks on legislation for lunch. Legislation: The province requires all Ontario municipalities to report annually on their corporate energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. They must also approve a corporate energy management plan. The public has...
Clarity in Community Energy Planning
March 23, 2017
Several of my colleagues expressed concern about Ontario’s Municipal Energy Plan program when it was announced. Not about the funding to support municipal governments but the name of the program. Would there be confusion surrounding the choice of the word “municipal” over “community”? However, as the practice of community energy planning continues to improve in Canada and Ontario, we...
Building energy efficiency: cities upping ante
March 17, 2017
I recently shared a post – 8 ways cities are upping the ante on building efficiency. Citing a World Resources Institute report, the author summarized eight actions for urban leaders to accelerate energy efficiency in their cities. It is a helpful summary although the examples of innovation are all international. So, I thought I would put an Ontario lens on...
Home energy retrofits a climate change priority
January 25, 2017
Many governments in Canada are renewing their efforts to fight climate change. As they do, the renovation of existing homes emerges as a priority. Existing Canadian homes are a significant contributor to national emissions. Governments at all levels are dusting off old retrofit programs and ramping up new ones. Renovation is also one of the least expensive ways to reduce greenhouse...
For the love of a warm, cozy home
January 2, 2017
We pay too much to keep our homes warm and cozy on a cold winter’s day. Why? Because our homes were built to waste energy. That has been our practice for decades. Yes, it is changing. New homes are less wasteful of energy. They come with energy efficiency features already built in – from insulation to windows. But that is cold...
QUEST: intensely messy, disruptive, and local
October 20, 2016
QUEST held their annual conference this week in Calgary – in the heart of energy country. Sir David Anthony King, UK Special Representative for Climate Change, provided opening remarks and they set the stage for the conversations that followed. These conversation ranged from the global to the local, from growing jobs and the economy to addressing climate change, and...
Accelerate the energy transition
September 12, 2016
Multiple systems must change to address climate change. Likely, a sequence of energy transition pathways will be needed to achieve a low carbon future. However, the problem is time. We don’t have much. Intentional and coordinated interventions from outside of a system can help accelerate change. They begin with the end in mind. Systems are always changing. While continuous improvement is commonplace, the transition...
Principles lead the way to low carbon future
June 15, 2016
It is easy to get distracted during disruptive times – there are shiny new objects at every turn. How do you wade through the different options? Tried and true principles. QUEST (Quality Urban Energy Systems of Tomorrow) held their annual strategic planning session in early June, engaging staff, board members and regional caucus chairs in a well-facilitated two days. Celebrating its 10th...
Energy transition needs to engage people
May 20, 2016
In my virtual twitter world, everyone gets climate change and is working on solutions to prevent further global warming. They are busy figuring out how to manage the impacts we are already experiencing and to be better prepared for what is coming down the pipe. Mind you I follow @climateoutreach, @350, @OntarioClimate, @MAC_Climate among many others. You get the picture. In...
Local governments should have our backs on energy security
May 14, 2016
I am in the final stages of a project for a client. It is a toolkit for local elected leaders to build more resilient, sustainable and prosperous communities for all Canadians by taking action on climate change. I had the good fortune of talking to a friend about this work who pointed me to the work of George Marshall. ...
Accelerating the transition to low-carbon cities
April 25, 2016
There is an urgent need to accelerate the transition to low-carbon cities. Despite the best efforts of many cities and supporting organizations, we have not seen the uptake or progress we need to help meet Canada’s international climate change commitments. We are great at planning and pilots. We need scale and we need it fast. Our country is among the...
Low carbon cities contribute to our wellbeing
April 20, 2016
Part of my presentation yesterday at the Big Ideas, Better Cities conference on climate change focused on the many co-benefits that come with the transition to low carbon cities. The theme was echoed by several others presenters. When I talk about wellbeing, I like to use to the Canadian Index of Wellbeing (CIW) as my starting point. The CIW is a Canadian...
It's the low-carbon economy, stupid
April 13, 2016
With an economy heavily dependent on fossil fuel extraction, Canada has struggled to find a credible path forward on climate change. Our emissions are among the highest in the world and are projected to increase without significant intervention. There is a substantial gap between Canada’s current greenhouse gas reduction targets and what will be necessary to honour the commitments made in...
Energy disruption no fantasy
April 12, 2016
Guelph’s community energy plan has been in the news lately. Understanding why is instructive. This is my take on it. First, a community energy plan (CEP) is nothing more than a tool to help a community figure out how to use less energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions while driving local economic development. Guelph’s CEP aims to make Guelph a low-carbon city. ...
Farmers fuel cities
March 28, 2016
There is a saying I see around town printed on bright yellow posters – Farmers Feed Cities. Today that means more than food. It also means energy – wind, solar, biomass, and bio-gas. Farmers fuel cities too. While in Kingston last week, I took in a discussion on rural communities and renewable energy. The focus of the panel was mostly on solar...
Samso: more than carbon neutral
February 7, 2016
While making breakfast, my husband likes to listen to the CBC. Today he heard a story about a small island in Denmark. This was the second time in a week that the little island of Samso has come up in conversation. This is perhaps not so surprising when you learn that Samso is the first island in the world to...
Barriers to e-vehicle charging stations
February 2, 2016
I often get asked to do interviews on a variety of topics related to cities. The most recent interview was about potential barriers to increasing the number of charging stations for electric vehicles in municipalities. I bet there will be some. With announcement that the Ontario government will provide $20 million in grants this year to help create a network of...
Great time to refresh community energy strategy
December 7, 2015
I am in the last stretches of completing a review Guelph community energy strategy and much has changed over its 10 year history. In the beginning, we put our focus on energy to create a big tent to engage as many people as possible. This opened the door to talk with some, although not all, of the doubters. Even doubters are...
Local Government and the Green economy
November 7, 2015
There were many insights shared at the Green Economy: Ontario conference about the opportunities for green innovation in several sectors with energy, water, transportation and big data particularly noted. I was struck by how many themes had some interface with local governments – either directly or indirectly – and I was able to provide some examples of how local governments...
Green economy
November 4, 2015
I am preparing for a panel at the Green Economy: Ontario conference. My session is on how public policy can drive green economic growth. The good news is there are lots of examples and opportunities. Guelph has a good story to tell in driving water innovation and it begins with two unique conditions. Guelph is one of a few Canadian cities that rely...
Invisible wasted energy
September 29, 2015
Our homes waste a lot of energy. That hurts our pocket books. It also hurts the environment. The first principle of a Smart Energy Community is conservation and efficiency – “if you don’t need it, don’t use it”. The problem is that you can’t see wasted energy – not like a leaky faucet. To address this problem, a start-up company...
Sustainability goes beyond green
September 21, 2015
I am always interested in projects that take a broad view of sustainability because it not only means healthier and more vibrant communities, it promotes more creative thinking. Blatchford is being billed by Edmonton as the world’s largest sustainable community. The vision for the 217-hectare site will take 20 to 30 years to build and will house 30,000 people. The goal...
Energiewende on the ground
June 6, 2015
A big learning to share in June from my participation in the Transatlantic Urban Climate Dialogue (TUCD) was getting to see how Germany’s national policy Energiewende (energy transition) was being implemented at the local level. Energiewende is the transition by Germany to an energy portfolio focussed on energy efficiency, thermal and renewable energy and sustainable development – the backbone of community energy planning. Germany’s long-term goal is...
Creating markets for energy solutions
May 31, 2015
The programs that implement smart energy community strategies create markets for energy efficiency, renewable energy, thermal energy, and more. They attract investment and business to serve emerging markets and catalyze innovation. This was just confirmed for me during my participation in the Transatlantic Urban Climate Dialogue. Canadian innovators providing energy solutions will also need access to international markets to excel. Collaborations...
The Future Electric Utility: Local Implications
May 25, 2015
As I have been preparing for the conference in June on the future of electric utilities in Ontario, I have been considering the implications for local governments and communities and reflecting on the observations and questions raised by the conference organizers. There are several risks associated with the changing business environment for electric utilities that their owners should be aware of. LDCs...
The Future Electric Utility
May 21, 2015
I am speaking at a conference in June – The LDC of the Future – hosted by the Centre for Urban Energy at Ryerson College. The target audience is municipal elected officials. It is a timely conference. The backdrop is that several converging trends are reshaping the energy sector in Canada. As part of Ontario’s electricity system, this transformation will impact...