Community Energy Finance Navigator

Communities across Canada are proving that clean energy can be built locally, with benefits that stay in the community.

The financing pathway is often one of the biggest challenges and many teams end up hitting the same wall: where do you find real examples of how other projects actually got financed?

The Community Energy Finance Navigator is a new pilot platform designed to make the financing story visible. Not theory. Not one-off stories. The practical “how they did it” details, all in one place. An exciting new output from our work as part of the Accelerating Community Energy Transformation initiative.

On May 27th we launched the Navigator Pilot in a live webinar, providing a guided walkthrough of the platform from Basma Majerbi and Sam Treacy.

This was followed by a moderated discussion with Lynne Couves and Chris Henderson about current challenges related to financing community energy projects and how the Navigator can be used as a resource to accelerate moving projects from idea to implementation.

Lynne Couves:
Lynne is the director of the Pembina Institute’s renewables in remote communities program, supporting the clean and equitable energy transition of remote communities in Canada. She is mixed blood Inuk, raised in the place known as Calgary, within the Treaty 7 territory of Southern Alberta and Otipemisiwak Métis Government (Districts 5 and 6). Much of her career has been focused on coordinating and leading projects with Indigenous communities, focused on social and economic development and multistakeholder collaborations. This work experience led her to a deeper understanding of the importance of Indigenous sovereignty and further developed curiosities about the energy challenges faced locally and globally, including the vital role of Indigenous Peoples in the transition to clean energy. She holds a BA in communication and culture from the University of Calgary and an MA in environmental education and communication through Royal Roads University. You will find her (re)creating in the fresh air, watercolour painting, beading, and spending time as a mother, wife, daughter, sister, auntie, niece, cousin, friend, community member, kin.

Chris Henderson:
Chris is a Canadian clean energy thought leader and eco-entrepreneur. For the past 35 years, he has been at the forefront of ground-breaking enterprises and social and ecological initiatives with large-scale Canadian and global impact. Chris is a trusted commentator on sustainable development issues that respect the Planet and generate enduring outcomes for people and communities. Chris has two professional focuses. Firstly, advising and equipping Indigenous Nations and peoples to develop and own clean energy projects catalyzing social and economic development opportunities that combat Climate Change. Secondly, providing strategic advice on accelerating the energy transition to a low-carbon, abundant energy future. Chris’ first book Aboriginal Power was published in 2013. In addition to being ICE Founding Executive Director, Chris is the Lumos Energy president, Delphi Group Co-Founder and Globe Series Board Chair. Chris is happiest paddling a canoe on Canada’s lakes and rivers.