Operationalizing Sustainability through Community Energy Planning

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Operationalizing Sustainability through
Community Energy Planning

• Laura Porcher
• Executive Director
• Community Energy Association
• www.communityenergy.bc.ca
• For FCM February 2, 2006

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Mission

• Assisting local governments to promote energy
  efficiency and alternative energy through
  community energy planning and project
  implementation

FCM Tradeshow Booth 8
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Who is CEA?
Partners 2006
Planning Institute of British Columbia
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Challenges goals of sustainability

• Key Challenges
• Climate Change / Air Quality
• Fossil Fuel Energy Supply
• Waste / Resource Scarcity
• Water Quantity/Quality Supply
• Ecosystem Integrity
• Food Supply / Quality / Security
• Economic Prosperity / Viability
• Social and Community Health

• Sustainability Goals
• Reduce Emissions
• Renewable Energy / Efficiency
• Reducing Waste / Recycling
• Better Water Management
• Ecological Design / Protection
• Organic / Local Supply
• Diverse / Local Systems
• Individual and Community Health

Energy is a critical factor in all
sustainability challenges and goals
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Timing of change

• Obsolescence Cycle of a City
• City structure and layout - subdivision roads
  (75-200 yrs)
• Buildings (50-100 yrs)
• Infrastructure (20-100 yrs)
• Landscape (10-100 yrs)
• Systems and equipment (5-20 yrs)

• Design determines sustainability in many ways
• Defines how much (, E, W, W, etc) it takes to
  keep you housed, fed, employed and happy
  decades to centuries

Holland Barrs
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What is Community Energy Planning?

• Community Energy Planning (CEP)
• Consideration of energy supply and demand in
  community design and development
• Four pillars
• Design Land use and transportation
• Buildings Site planning, green buildings and
  retrofits
• Infrastructure
• Alternative energy supply options

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Land Use

• Compact Development
• Mixed Use
• Design for Walking, Cycling, Transit
• Approaches
• Development standards
• Development cost charges
• Policies and by-laws
• Demonstration projects

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Transportation

• Public transit
• Pedestrian and cycling amenities
• Car/van pools
• Alternative fuels
• ethanol
• biodiesel
• Green vehicles
• hybrid gas/electric vehicles
• right sizing
• Fleet policies

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Buildings

• Energy codes
• Policies to encourage efficiency
• DCCs
• streamlined approvals
• tax breaks
• Education / information campaigns
• For developers, builders, public
• Municipal buildings
• Retrofits of existing buildings
• Design standards for new buildings

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Infrastructure

• Streetlighting / Traffic Lights
• Water Conservation / Wastewater Reduction
• District Heating / Cooling
• Sewage Heat Recovery

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Alternative Energy

• Biomass - for heating, electricity or fuels
• Landfill gas - for heating, electricity
• Wind
• Solar thermal or photovoltaics
• Heat pumps ground or water source
• Waste heat recovery

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Benefits of energy planning

• Economic development energy security
• Reduced energy costs
• Job creation - new energy efficiency businesses
• Keeping energy dollars local
• Long-term energy security
• Healthier communities
• Livability
• Efficient communities
• Habitat agricultural land preservation
• Reduced travel times
• Greenhouse gas reduction
• Demonstrating leadership and self-reliance

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Integrating Community Energy Planning
one planning dimension

• Integrate energy considerations into regional
  community planning initiatives, seeking energy
  opportunities
• Integrated Community Sustainability Plans
• Partners for Climate Protection GHG action plans
• Airshed planning
• Regional Growth Strategies
• Official Community Plans
• Downtown revitalization and neighbourhood
  projects
• Green building initiatives

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Community Energy Planning Scale
Can be at any scale within the community
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Possible outcomes from CEP

• Comprehensive energy plan
• The full meal deal- all aspects of community
• Integrated into community plan and working
  policies
• Single issue energy plan
• Energy component of some other system or project
• New energy-related program
• e.g Access BC Hydros PowerSmart program
• New energy systems or infrastructure
• e.g district system, waste heat capture,
  micro-hydro

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About CEP

• Starts with identifying community goals
• Economic development
• Confront rising energy costs save energy dollars
  
• Greenhouse gases air quality
• Energy security
• Examines energy end-use, amount and supply
• What do we use energy for?
• How much do we use? How can we reduce?
• Where does it come from? Can we use renewable?
• Involves the community and partners in
  identifying challenges and solutions

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Full CEP may include

• Energy baseline
• Understand current energy use, costs, emissions
• Options development analysis
• Consultation
• Target setting
• e.g. Greenhouse gas reduction target
• Action plan
• Implementation Monitoring

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Case Studies

• Whistler 2020 Sustainability Plan
• Integrated energy planning as part of
  sustainability planning The Natural Step
• Systems approach
• Goal to move off fossil fuels
• District heating
• landfill gas, sewer gas, renewables
• Green Buildings guidelines and retrofits
• Flexible energy platforms, e.g.
  district-compatible hydronic systems
• Transport

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Case Studies

• City of Vancouver GHG Action Plan
• Community heating system for SE False Creek
• Geo, sewer heat, biomass
• Buildings energy efficiency
• Transportation modes, vehicle fuel efficiency
• One Day Vancouver public engagement

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Case Studies

• City of North Vancouver, BC
• GHG Local Action Plan
• Energy planning objectives in OCP
• efficient building design
• community energy systems
• increased use of transit, walking, and cycling
• Community heating system for Lower Lonsdale
• Mixed use compact development in Lower Lonsdale

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Case Studies

• Dockside Green, Victoria, BC
• 15 acre brownfield redevelopment
• Entire site GHG neutral
• All buildings to be LEED certified
• Biomass (wood waste) cogeneration using
  thermochemical gasification
• On-site sewage treatment
• Cycle walking paths, car co-op, harbour ferry

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Case Studies

• Shoal Point, Victoria, BC
• Industrial site re-use and remediation
• Mixed use residential commercial
• 45 energy reduction vs. MNECB
• Ground source heat pump
• Passive solar design

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Case Studies

• Revelstoke, BC
• Community Environmental Strategy
• including energy and GHGs
• Community heating system using local wood waste
  as fuel, displacing propane
• Targets for municipal buildings efficiency
• Bicycle paths in all new subdivisions

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Case Studies

• Wastewater Heat Reclaim, Kelowna, BC
• Wastewater treatment plant discharge
• used as low temperature heat source
• Heat recovered using heat pumps
• Used to heat nearby Okanagan University College
• 300,000 annual energy savings

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Case Studies

• Vancouver Landfill Gas Utilization, Delta, BC
• Co-generation plant utilizes LFG
• 5.5 MW electric generation
• 6.5 MW thermal heat generation
• Power sold to BC Hydro
• Heat sold to CanAgro tomato greenhouses
• 33 expansion planned for 2006

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Case Studies

• Hartland Landfill Gas Utilization, Victoria
• 1.6 MW green power generation
• Privately built by Maxim Power
• 250,000/year royalty to CRD

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Potential partners

• Federal govt
• NRCan, Infrastructure, Environment, WD
• FCM Green Funds
• Province, e.g. Local Govt Planning Grants
• Utilities
• BC Hydro, Fortis BC, others
• Terasen
• BC Transit, Translink
• Non-governmental organizations
• Private sector, financial instns, foundations

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Assisting local governments

• Linking private and public-sector partners
• Services, website, tools, e.g. CEP Toolkit
• Showcasing, e.g. Energy Aware Award
• BC first stop for Kyoto Protocol implementation
• New CEA/Infrastructure Canada municipal outreach
  program
• www.communityenergy.bc.ca

FCM Tradeshow Booth 8
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Conclusion

• Community self-reliance, independence, and
  prosperity can be greatly enhanced by addressing
  energy
• Many opportunities and benefits await
• The process has been clearly mapped with many
  case studies to learn from resources are
  available
• An energy-smart community is a great community
• 
  -- THANK YOU