Accelerating Community Energy Transformation

Accelerating Community Energy Transformation (ACET) is a collaborative initiative led by the University of Victoria that brings together over 40 partners, including Indigenous knowledge keepers and community leaders, to create innovative place-based solutions for energy system transformation. ACET will help transform regional economies, inform inclusive policies and integrate breakthrough renewable energy technologies that position Canada as a world leader in clean energy transformation. Learn more about the initiative at www.uvic.ca/ACET.

Regional Energy Dialogues is one of ACET’s many projects working to advance energy systems innovations at the community level.

Northern British Columbia Climate Action Network

This project builds on and supports the activities of the Northern BC Climate Action Network (NorthCAN). Established in 2022, NorthCAN has grown into a multi-sector regional network that includes more than 300 representatives from local governments, Indigenous communities, business and industry, health care and education, and other non-governmental organizations. The drive to establish NorthCAN came from a recognition that assets, actors, and passion exist in northern communities, but that a forum for collaboration and information-sharing was needed to build regional capacity and advance climate action.

Dr. Sinead Earley has played a key role in NorthCAN’s evolution as a regional hub, allowing for the identification of key community partners for the Northern Regional Energy Dialogues research project. NorthCAN members, including representatives from local and regional governments, First Nations, and energy NGOs will both facilitate community-level conversations, and host the Regional Energy Dialogues workshops.

University of Victoria

University of Northern British Columbia

Community Energy Association

Funding Provided by the Canada First Research Excellence Fund