NWT RESEARCH DATABASE

Regions: Inuvialuit Settlement Region, Gwich'in Settlement Area

Tags: renewable energy, social sciences, energy security, Sustainable Energy

Objective(s): To co-create and broker the knowledge, understanding, and capacity to design, implement and manage renewable energy systems that support and enhance social and economic values in northern and Indigenous communities.

Project Description: This licence has been issued for the scientific research application No.5444. The overall goal of the CASES Partnership is to co-create and broker the knowledge, understanding, and capacity to design, implement and manage renewable energy systems that support and enhance social and economic values in northern and Indigenous communities. The Partnership's objectives are to: 1) Co-develop and apply tools for assessing, understanding, and enhancing the social and economic value of renewable energy in northern and Indigenous communities; 2) Determine the necessary and sufficient conditions, including common challenges and solutions, for successfully introducing renewables into the energy mix of northern and Indigenous communities; 3) Facilitate co-learning between partners and ‘sister communities’ to share knowledge and innovations that contribute to long-term sustainable energy security, through a network of model energy communities across the Circumpolar North; 4) Create a northern Circumpolar knowledge sharing platform, comprised of model community energy plans, energy transition toolkits, and stories from international experience for communities, utilities and researchers to network, exchange knowledge, and facilitate long-term capacity building; and, 5) Train a new generation of interdisciplinary leaders, researchers, policy makers, and practitioners to transform energy systems and promote sustainable energy systems in northern and Indigenous communities. This is a multi-year partnership initiative. Not all stages of the project are "research". The project involves a combination of research activities and knowledge sharing events to build a foundation for, and advance, community appropriate energy solutions. The main steps and methods involved in the project over its 7-year duration are summarized below. Community Energy Profiles (Year 1-2): The research team will assess existing community energy systems as a baseline and develop community energy profiles as a planning resource for communities and utilities. Working with partners, the team will develop community energy profiles of: i) energy systems (e.g. assets, supply chain, use patterns, governance); ii) energy costs, benefits, vulnerabilities, renewables incentives; and iii) potential renewable resources and technologies. Energy profiles will help communities chart their own energy future and inform the design of energy systems that enhance values and reduce vulnerabilities to energy insecurity. Data collection methods will be based on energy models developed using energy use data; workshops with communities to explore how energy is used and current and future community energy needs; and interviews with community members, leadership, and energy utilities about energy use, energy needs, energy regulations, and energy investment programs and opportunities. Sister Communities Energy Forum (Year 2): The research team will bring together representatives from each of the 15 communities across northern Canada (NWT: Aklavik, Fort McPherson, Tsiigehtchic, and Inuvik; Saskatchewan: Deschaumbault Lake, Pellican Narrows), Alaska, Sweden, and Norway for a 4-day energy forum hosted by the Alaska Center for Energy and Power, at Fairbanks, Alaska. The team will share energy profile results, discuss common gaps and challenges, and explore solutions. Community participants will also share narratives on the meaning of ‘energy security’ and the diversity and commonality of energy values. The team will record stories as part of a video production for communities on energy security in the North, which will be produced near the end of the project. Community Energy Futures Assessment (Year 2-3): Through community energy futures workshops (futures cliniques), the research team will co-produce bottom-up visions for community energy based on local values and aspirations. Workshops will involve community members, utilities, elders and youth to frame: i) opportunities to advance/innovate existing renewable energy projects; ii) opportunities for new projects to meet current and future energy needs; iii) problems or challenges that could be tackled by future projects; and iv) desired energy futures and long-term energy goals. Results will complement community energy profiles and identify opportunities to use renewables to create value and reduce vulnerability or insecurity. Sister Communities Energy Forum (Year 4): The research team will once again bring together representatives from each of the 15 communities across northern Canada, Alaska, Sweden, and Norway for a 4-day forum, this time at Inuvik. The forum will be held during the Arctic Energy and Emerging Technologies conference. The team will present energy futures assessment results and engage in cross-sector discussions of constraints and strategize about solutions based on international sister community experience. The team will explore alternative renewable technology and infrastructure and design features based on results of community energy futures workshops – specifically, analyses of how technologies operate, costs, infrastructure needs, and reliability. The team will engage local NWT community elders and youth to share narratives on energy security and revisit questions asked at the first sister community energy forum in Alaska. CASES Energy Transition Assessments (Year 4-5): Working with partners and communities, the research team will assess what is ‘community appropriate’ – the possibilities, value generation, and constraints associated with renewables; the intended and unintended consequences; and the needed investments in technology, infrastructure, governance and capacity to achieve energy self-sufficiency. Workshops with communities to explore the impacts and opportunities presented by different energy options; and interviews with community members, leadership, and energy utilities about the potential impacts, challenges, and benefits of different energy futures and options. International Best-practices Forum on Renewable Energy Transition (Year 6): The research team will host a 3-day forum in Saskatchewan engaging all community leaders and partners, and inviting other communities, industries and governments external to the partnership. The team will share results from CASES assessments, explore common opportunities and challenges to renewable energy, and explore viable solutions to address these challenges. The forum will provide an opportunity for community participants and partners to learn about innovations and practices in renewable energy from participants from other jurisdictions – including models of ownership, rate structures, and governance to facilitate energy transition. A major outcome will be a set of international principles for ‘community appropriate’ sustainable energy security’ in the North to shape future energy planning, policy and investment decisions. Comparative Analysis (Ongoing): From the start of the project, the team will be undertaking comparisons of energy profiles, assessments, and challenges across. Communities in Alaska and Norway are more advanced in community-based renewable energy systems than communities in northern Canada. There are likely valuable lessons to learn. The team will be asking “why here, not there” and “why like that here and like that there” questions. The team will be sharing the results with communities and partners throughout the project, and communities will share directory with other communities during our energy forums. CASES Toolkits (Ongoing): Working with communities, other partners, and researchers, the team will develop toolkits for community energy planning. These will include community energy planning templates, models for ownership and governance, information on renewable technologies and system design capabilities, and guides for community engagement in energy planning. The assessment frameworks used in the project will be translated to easy-to-use models for communities to use as self- assessment tools and monitor energy transition progress. Toolkit development will be ongoing throughout the project. ‘Storyteller’ Forums (Year 7): This is a seminal activity of the Partnership and an opportunity to expand its impact. The team will hold four forums (Yellowknife, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Saskatoon), co-led by the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. Forums will engage community leaders, governments, utilities and communities who have yet to invest in renewables, or at the early stages of transition, to learn about approaches, problems, and solutions. Throughout the project the team will capture video from energy forums, interviews, and workshops to develop a video series that captures the importance on energy security in the North, shares lessons from front-runners and innovators, and highlights the value derived from energy systems that are community-appropriate. Videos will be complemented by posters and displays and talks from partners and northern community leaders involved in the project. Energy Planning Toolkits: The research will result in the development of community energy planning toolkits, which will include energy profiles and model energy plans and templates for local communities and leadership. Energy Gateway: An open-access web-based tool will be created in Year 2 of the project, where all project information and community energy data will be stored and made available. This will be a key resource for communities and northern energy utilities and governments. Energy Gateway will include such resources as: toolkits for communities to undertake energy assessments; community energy profiles; model community energy plans; energy literacy material, illustrating the different types of energy ownership and benefits-sharing structures; story-teller videos; and a network of utilities, communities, and researchers. This will be a primary portal for the project. Short Video: Videos taken during the project will be compiled into a short production on energy security in the North, sharing stories about northern energy, opportunities for renewables, and lessons from international success stories. The videos will be shown in each community through an open house near the end of the project. Policy Reports, Papers, and Student Theses: All policy briefs, major presentations, and other papers and reports will be made available on the Energy Gateway. The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from January 25, 2023 to September 29, 2023.