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Solar Colwood – engaging community in energy conservation and renewable energy

Colwood, BC
In 2015, the community of Colwood BC completed its four year community wide mission to engage local citizens in energy saving and GHG reducing initiatives within their homes and municipality.

As a result of this project, Colwood has now earned a place as one of Canada’s leading communities in energy conservation and renewable energy.

Success Story Snapshot
Energy Savings / GHG Reductions: On average, households that participated in the project saw a reduction in energy consumption of 37% and of GHG by 43% over a 2 year period. Energy upgrades promoted and provided through Solar Colwood combined incentives resulted in energy savings of 4.96 million kWh/year and GHG reductions of 651 tonnes of C02e/year.
Business Case: The total energy savings from all participants is estimated around $525,552 every year at 2015 energy prices.
Co-benefits: Solar Colwood provided jobs, training, and scholarships to community members, supported local artists through participation in and sponsorship of prizes for art shows, encouraged a culture of conservation in the region, and supported the development of green technology.
Total project cost: The total cost of this project was $11.9 million: Natural Resources Canada provided $3.9 million. Additional grants were provided by BC Hydro, the province of BC’s LiveSmart program, and Fortis BC. The project also benefitted from about $2.7M in-kind contributions from a number of other partners. Participants in the program also contributed by investing in energy saving home retrofits at reduced rates.

Project Summary

Solar Colwood was a community-wide project that engaged residents of Colwood BC in renewable energy and energy saving projects in their homes and local community. This project was developed in response to findings published by Colwood’s Task Force on Energy and Emissions which showed that, in order for the community to reach its Climate Action Charter commitments, existing buildings in the community would need to be retrofitted with renewable energy and energy saving upgrades.

The four-year project was completed in 2015 and resulted in over 500 residents (3.11% of the population) achieving over 1000 improvements in their community. These improvements included installing solar hot water systems, ductless split heat pumps, electric vehicle charging stations, solar photovoltaics, and smart home monitoring systems. The City also provided free energy and water savings kits and discounted EnerGuide home evaluations to enable home and business owners to access incentives for upgrades from various incentive programs. Colwood became a Canadian leader in per capita solar retrofits and the City of Colwood redefined itself as a regional and provincial leader in energy conservation and renewable energy.

Solar Colwood was supported through the Federal Government’s Clean Energy Fund.  Additional funding and technical support was contributed by Solar Colwood’s other partners including: The T’Sou-ke First Nation, Royal Roads University, Horizon Technologies, SolarBC, League Assets, the Province of British Columbia, Camosun College Pipe Trades Department, Horizon Technologies, B.C. Hydro, Fortis BC, Ministries of the Province of British Columbia, SolarBC, The Canadian Solar Cities Project, The WestShore Chamber of Commerce, Vancity’s Bright Ideas, The New Car Dealers Association of BC, The Capital Regional District.

Energy Savings/GHG reductions

The original energy and emissions target of over 33% GHG reduction for existing buildings when compared to the 2007 baseline was exceeded. On average, household upgrades implemented through the Solar Colwood project resulted in a community wide energy savings of 4.96 million kWh/year (enough to power 182 average homes in BC) and greenhouse gas reductions of 651 tonnes of C02e/year (the equivalent of taking 119 cars off the road each year).

The reductions in energy use measured per household participating in Solar Colwood were higher than those experienced with other programs. The Royal Roads University’s Monitoring Study identified that Solar Colwood participating households reduced energy consumption on average by 37% two years after the installation while GHG emissions were reduced by 43% on average over the same study period.

Single family homes participating in both ecoENERGY and LiveSmart BC incentive programs achieved an average energy savings of only 15-28% annually. The higher average annual energy savings experienced by Solar Colwood program participants is attributed to residents completing multiple upgrades in addition to installing solar hot water. Reductions can also be attributed to participants changing behavior as a result of them committing to take on an energy leadership role in the community.

Business Case

Providing a clear business case to residents was key to Solar Colwood’s success. Solar Colwood provided customized analysis for each potential participant on the costs and energy savings that would be achieved through the upgrades the City was providing incentives for. Residents were also provided discounted home energy evaluations so that they could make informed choices priorities for energy upgrades.

The business case for the overall Solar Colwood program is solid. The Solar Colwood project cost approximately $11.9 M and was partially funded with $3.9 million worth of grants from Natural Resources Canada’s Clean Energy Fund. The total energy savings resulting from this project represented a collected reduced energy cost in the community of an estimated $525,552 every year at current energy prices. This equals more money for residents to purchase goods and services in the community. In addition, the project generated almost $2.7M of in-kind support.

Co-Benefits

In addition to reducing GHG emissions and reducing energy consumption in the area, Solar Colwood generated several co-benefits.

  • Colwood is now a Canadian leader in per-capita solar thermal retrofits, second only to the T’Sou-ke First Nation with a total of 82 private solar hot water systems installed across the entire Capital Region.
  • One of the outcomes of the program was a strong demand for the ductless heat pumps technology with 100% of available incentive funds fully allocated for the installation of 120 heat pumps well before the project’s end.
  • Eleven T’Sou-ke Nation members became CanSIA certified solar installers. The training and work experience provided through Solar Colwood not only provided skills and jobs in solar installation, but also provided encouragement and confidence for trainees. Additionally, four solar installers received Solar Colwood scholarships for the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) Entry Level Solar.
  • Solar Colwood directly supported the development of new energy conservation and heating system technologie such as “Smart Home For Us”, which is a unique monitoring and management system that improves energy literacy to encourage reduced energy waste.
  • By driving local demand for solar thermal technology, Solar Colwood indirectly supported the development of the CamoSun solar hot water system designed by a local company, Pacific Solar Smart, with assistance from Camosun College.
  • Solar Colwood helped reduce annual water consumption by 11.4 million litres by providing free Tap by Tap energy and water saving kits.
  • Colwood residents are able to power their vehicles with solar electricity they’ve harvested on their own rooftops.
  • Program participants are enjoying financial benefits too. Collective reduced energy costs from upgrades incentivized and/or promoted by Solar Colwood are estimated to be over half a million dollars ($525,552) every year at current energy prices.
  • Colwood’s Fire Station was equipped with solar thermal and solar PV systems that are now providing renewable energy, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and shrinking the City’s energy bills.

Lessons learned


The Value of Human Capital in Community-wide Projects



The process of organizing and implementing the Solar Colwood project showed that these kinds of projects depend on the leadership, co-operation and shared ambition of many individuals. Installers, suppliers and energy advisors are a valuable resource for marketing these types of programs. Likewise, having support and champions on council and among staff is essential. All departments, especially Finance, Building, Planning and Engineering must be involved.

The Benefits of Low Cost, Low Barrier, Climate Actions 

Solar Colwood’s success demonstrates that incorporating low‐cost, low‐barrier measures to achieve GHG reductions in a large number of buildings can be a very effective way to work toward achieving GHG reduction targets

Community-wide Change Takes Time

Public understanding of the benefits of solar technology can take years to develop. For local governments aiming to encourage the development of emerging industries, long-term support is highly recommended.

Flexibility is Key to Success

Every community is different so taking an adaptive approach to learning is very important. . Maintaining a flexible approach to renewable energy, energy efficiency and smart home initiatives is especially important as these technologies are rapidly evolving. Staying up to date and keeping programs flexible allows communities to respond to and take advantage of these changes.

Challenges

Large Upfront Costs and Long Payback Periods

While there is a solid business case for solar hot water systems and other energy retrofits for suitable buildings in Colwood, home and business owners are still reluctant to invest their money upfront to benefit from savings in the long term. Future programs must continue to experiment with measures to overcome this barrier.

More details on this project are outlined in the Solar Colwood Outreach Report.

Related Tools

Other Examples: 

Two other BC communities that have successfully undertaken solar energy projects include:

Local Government Contact

Sandra Russell 

Communications Manager, City of Colwood

T: 250-478-5999

E: srussell@colwood.ca

Images courtesy of City of Colwood

 

“We’ve reduced our energy consumption and GHG emissions, improved our community’s resilience, supported local clean energy jobs, and gained local and international recognition.” - Colwood Mayor Carol Hamilton

Community type: 
Mid-sized city
Sector: 
Energy
Focus: 
Community-wide

Kimberley’s former mine site becomes home to the largest solar project in BC

Kimberley, BC
In 2015, the City of Kimberley BC began commercial operation of SunMine, the province’s first municipally owned utility-scale solar facility.

SunMine is the first solar project in the province to sell power directly to the grid through BC Hydro’s Net Metering program. The project has allowed the community to utilize the Sullivan mine’s now fully reclaimed brownfields and make use of existing transmission infrastructure that once served the mine. 

Success Story Snapshot
Energy Savings / GHG Reductions: Over the first 2.5 years of production (up to end of December 2017), the SunMine generated 4419 MWh, or 89.6% of anticipated energy production. Over the same period, the project was able to avoid 2.5 tonnes of NOx, 1770.8 tonnes of CO2, and 6.4 tonnes of SO2, (as estimated using US national energy generation and emissions factors).
Business Case: At peak production SunMine provides 1 Megawatt or enough to power about 250 homes in BC. For the first 2.5 years, the project generated $473,165 or 88.7% of the anticipated revenue.
Co-benefits: The mine has provided a productive use of land that would otherwise be unused and created green jobs in the community. The project is attracting tourists to the area and is being used to educate the public about green energy.
Total project cost: SunMine solar project cost $5.35 million
  • Teck, a diversified resource company provided land, site infrastructure and $2M towards the project
  • The Province’s Innovative Clean Energy (ICE) Fund contributed $1M contribution
  • The Columbia Basin Trust contributed $300, 000
  • The Southern Interior Development Initiative Trust some funding contributed $50,000 to the project
  • $2M  was borrowed

Project Summary

The City of Kimberley’s SunMine is one of the largest solar projects in British Columbia and the first municipally owned utility-scale solar facility. The facility was completed in 2015 and started commercial operation on June 22nd of that year producing enough to power about 250 homes at peak production. The location chosen for the project contained brownfields that have been fully reclaimed by Teck and donated for the the SunMine project along with the existing infrastructure. This site presented few opportunities for any productive, tax-generating use but now includes 96 sun-tracking solar masts, each with 42 solar modules for a grand total of 4,032 modules.

The new mine provides an opportunity to assess the technology. It is the first solar project in Western Canada to utilize tracking technology, allowing the facility to increase energy production earlier and later in the day. Trackers also help align the panels to season shifts in the height of the sun above the horizon.

So far, the solar project is collecting 40% more energy than traditional, fixed solar projects. It is expected that these results will encourage the development of other solar projects around the province. The City is currently seeking partners to expand the project to the point where it is capable of producing 15 Megawatts. Kimberley’s Mayor, Don McCormick, claims that the site has the potential to reach 200 Megawatts. This infographic illustrates how the SunMine facility works.

 

Energy Savings/GHG reductions

At the current capacity, SunMine can power about 250 homes. Over the first 2.5 years of production (up to end of December 2017), the SunMine generated 4419 MWh, or 89.6% of anticipated energy production. Monitoring software records show that the project helped the city avoid 2.5 tonnes of NOx, 1770.8 tonnes of CO2, and 6.4 tonnes of SO2 over the same period (as estimated using US national energy generation and emissions factors).

Business Case

This project makes use of fully reclaimed brownfields and existing infrastructure from the operations of the old Sullivan mine. It provides a new tax base for the City in an area with limited options for use.

SunMine’s $5.35 million facility cost was covered through various funding mechanisms that include: $1M Provincial Innovative Clean Energy (ICE) grant, $2M financial contribution as well as land and infrastructure donation from Teck, the company which formerly operated the Sulivan mine, $300,000 donation by the Columbia Basin Trust, and $50,000 provided by the Southern Interior Development Initiative Trust. After citizens of the Kimberley voted 76% in favour in referendum, a final $2 million was borrowed by the city to support the project that will be repaid with the revenue from the sale of renewable energy to BC Hydro.

The SunMine makes use of BC Hydro’s Net Metering program, which enables electricity to be added the grid when facility generates more than the current need and credits to be redeemed when the need exceeds the supply. The facility currently produces enough electricity at the peak production to power about 250 homes and the electricity is sold to the BC Hydro grid made possible through Net Metering program.

Kimberley residents believe that there is now sufficient evidence that the technology works and has begun seeking investors to expand the project to point where SunMine is producing  up to 15 megawatts or more.

Additional detail on the business case can be in the project’s business plan is available online.

Co-Benefits

Economic

The project has increased the town’s visibility which has been credited with improving tourism in the area.

Educating the Public about Green Energy

Since opening, over 1,000 people have toured the facility, including students from the local elementary, middle, and high schools, as well as College of the Rockies and Selkirk College. In addition, over 200 articles written have been written about the project, and over 14,000 unique visitors have browsed the website.

Support for Innovative Green Energy Technologies

The SunMine project was the first project in Western Canada to utilize tracking technology. The engineering and project experience is expected to garner the region a competitive edge for future initiatives in the growing renewable energy market.

Recognition

Since opening, SunMine and its partners have won the following awards:

  • Community of the Year Award by Clean Energy BC, 2015
  • Union of BC Municipalities, 2015 Community Excellence Award for Leadership and Innovation in Green Initiatives
  • The Sustainability Award from the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of BC
  • The National Award for an Engineering Project or Achievement from Engineers Canada.
  • 2016 Collaboration Award in this year’s Community Energy Association Climate & Energy Action Awards
  • 2017 Clean 50 award for outstanding contributions to clean capitalism
  • 2017 Brownie Award for Best Large-Scale Project from Canadian Brownfields Network

 

Lessons learned

Consult Experts Early

Engaging the right experts early would have helped the City get the specifications defined early in the project and save time and money in the long run. The original estimate was “a twoonie a watt” and turned out to be a “fiver”.

Have a Healthy Contingency

An project that is the “first of it’s kind” should have a contingency for unexpected complications.  For SunMine, it turned out that there was a delay when spare parts needed to be ordered.  If there had been a contingency, a small inventory of spare parts would have been readily on hand.

 

Related Tools

Other Examples: 

Local Government Contact

Scott Sommerville, 

Chief Administrative Officer City of Kimberley

T: 250-427-9668

E: ssommerville@kimberley.ca
 
Images courtesy of City of Kimberley

 

 “We’re getting back into the resource business again, only in a renewable fashion this time,”- Kimberley Mayor Don McCormick

Community type: 
Mid-sized city
Sector: 
Energy
Focus: 
Community-wide

Evaluating Residential Energy, Emissions and Cost Scenarios for Prince George’s Official Community Plan

This report explores the Integrated Community Energy Mapping (ICEM) approach developed by CanmetENERGY Ottawa, a division of Natural Resources Canada. 

Community-scale Energy and GHG Modelling
Energy Planning
Official Community Plan (OCP)
Jessica Webster and Brett Korteling
Natural Resources Canada
Mar, 2013

http://www.fraserbasin.bc.ca/_Library/ClimateToolkit/Evaluating_Resident...

Sector: 
Community Buildings
Focus: 
Community-wide
Resource filetype: 
PDF
Resource type: 
Reports & Guides

Pages

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