In order to capture the Upper Skeena Regions energy security issues, we needed to understand the experience from all different angles and landscapes, which included individual residents, the community as a whole, and different energy user types and scale.
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PROJECT PARTICIPANT SELECTION
This project focuses on rural and remote communities and their energy needs and energy literacy. To understand the region’s current situation with energy use and needs, we selected a cross section of energy users. The selection criteria included:
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Areas that are connected to the power (rural) grid but not to natural gas
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Areas where energy security is compromised by grid reliability and cost
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Areas “off grid” that are powered and heated by diesel or other fossil fuels
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Rural residents that are interested in renewable energy and adopting technology that made sense for their situations
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Residents that use power for different reasons (industrial, and farming); and
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Scale - examining Indigenous rural communities and the energy issues faced by their government and residents
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Multiple stakeholders participating in the planning effort will strengthen the regional planning process.
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EMPOWERED ENERGY SOLUTION PARTICIPANTS
Click on each of project participants to see a brief background on each of the project participants, including why they were selected for the project and an overview of the energy issues they are currently facing.
Tjflex2 www.creativecommons.org. CC-BT-2.0
PARTICIPANT 1:
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Kispiox Valley Ranch
(referred to as 'The Ranch')
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In the Kispiox Valley there are farms and ranches throughout. These farms and ranches range from 5 acre to 1000 acres with most falling within 15-100 acres and often have cattle, horses, pigs, chickens, produce and hay for livestock sustenance and for sale. These farmers and ranchers have different energy needs than other participants in the study.
This Ranch has a large cattle operation, a shop, and two homes on the property. The electrical needs for these two residential dwellings are for lighting, plugs, and appliances. The Ranch electricity needs are for lighting, heated waterers for the winter in the two barns, heated and powered shop and the electricity for the water well for all home and ranch needs.
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The energy issues at The Ranch are entirely about energy reliability. The amount of power outages makes it necessary to be thinking about a power backup especially in the winter season.
This rancher has strong interest in self sustainability and has the goal of getting off the power grid in the future.
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An energy audit was conducted on the main home of this ranch and for the purposes of this research, it provides us with a traditionally built, stick frame example for the energy conservation section of this report. Understanding and dealing with energy loss is as important as getting efficient heating solutions.
PARTICIPANT 2:
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Salmon River Farm and Mechanical Shop
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Terry Bexson and Debbie McGhee own and run the Salmon River Mechanical & Ranch. They have a well-developed interest in being self-sufficient with their food as well as their energy needs.
Their electrical needs are for a Log Home, mechanical shop, barns and outbuildings.
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As part of this project, they received an energy audit for their log home. The energy audit/assessment results were used as an example in the Energy Conservation section of this report to provide energy loss information and solutions to other log homeowners in the area.
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The owners of this property have decided to get solar infrastructure this coming year and are currently deciding on a suitable heating option.
Deb McGhee
PARTICIPANT 3:
Bear Claw Lodge
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Bear Claw is a world-renowned wilderness lodge - a 15,000-square-foot luxurious timber frame in the remote, upper Kispiox Valley on Gitxsan territory. Nestled alongside the Kispiox River, the lodge was designed to feel like a home away from home, where guests have the run of the house (for the most part). There is also a horse barn with a hayloft, staff house, electric sauna, heated storage and other outbuildings. The beautiful architecture and design reflect the land, culture and people of the Kispiox. The lodge itself was designed and built by local craftsmen and artists both Indigenous and settler. The lodge is partially owned and wholly operated by a local family.
The lodge is powered by two 60-kW diesel generators in the winter months and getting Solar infrastructure installed in spring 2023 which will allow the business to reduce to 35 kW generators for winter backup to a 30kW solar system. The main lodge is heated by a propane boiler system.
Propane is also used in the kitchen as the cooking fuel. There is a propane heated hot tub as well as an electric air conditioner and sauna. Fuel costs for both propane and diesel are upwards of $200,000 per year and Bear Claw has made several, previous attempts to convert the lodge to solar as well as other alternative energy and heat systems. Considerable investment has been made to not only lessen the carbon footprint of this commercial operation, but to also attempt to demonstrate that making that transition is a financially sound decision. This process has been incredibly frustrating due to several issues including installation of faulty equipment, some alternative systems that do not function well with 3-phase power, and a historical lack of infrastructure and knowledge in the region on how to retrofit commercial operations such as the Bear Claw property. We were grateful that this operation was still willing to work on a solution given how much time and lost investment they had already put into looking at other fuel sources and renewable energy technology.
Bear Claw Lodge