Case study: Greg Gaudet, City of Summerside, PEI

With excitement building for the soon-to-be-announced 2014 Sustainable Communities Awards, we are shining a light on one of last year's outstanding winners: the City of Summerside, PE, which won in the energy category for its Wind Farm and Smart Grid Pilot Program. Following a successful pilot launch, this initiative has been expanded into the new MyPowerNet program. We spoke with Greg Gaudet, director of municipal services, about Summerside's creative approach to sustainability.

FCM: First, can you give us some background about Summerside's sustainable development initiatives?

Greg Gaudet: The City of Summerside has undertaken many sustainable program and projects, notably the MyPowerNet program, the Heat For Less Now program, the 12-megawatt wind farm, the Waste Water Treatment Plant, and the Wellness centre, known locally as the Credit Union Place. Other initiatives include our green spaces plan, public transit plans and efforts to revitalize our waterfront for community use and enjoyment. Our economic development office is also working on an eco-industrial park project. 

FCM: Can you tell us more about the wind farm and Smart Grid Pilot Program?

Greg Gaudet: The Wind Farm and Smart Grid Pilot Program led to a larger, city-wide program called MyPowerNet, which uses state-of-the-art technology to manage electricity and provides consumers with better tools and knowledge to reduce their energy consumption. Energy storage appliances powered by renewable sources lighten our community's carbon footprint by reducing our dependency on fossil fuels, and increasing household savings. The city has completed the two of three program phases, and has 1,231 premises now enrolled.

FCM: Why did the city decide to follow this path? 

Greg Gaudet: The city has three main goals for MyPowerNet. First, to pass the wind farm benefits along to residents by reducing heat and hot water costs by 35 per cent and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 42 per cent. Second, to create additional revenue for the city-run utility by reducing wind energy exports (using it locally instead) and increasing off-peak sales. And finally, to increase economic opportunities by creating a broad electric infrastructure network and a research and development lab to foster innovation for business and industries.

FCM: What steps were involved in making the vision a reality? What obstacles did you face along the way?

Greg Gaudet: The initiative is based on partnerships to engage businesses and residents. We aimed to give back to the community throughout construction and implementation. We created partnerships with existing businesses to build the infrastructure, and collaborated with a range of partners, from cabling enterprise, trades, to technology companies to entrepreneurs. Outreach efforts continue and we anticipate new partnerships with developers, builders, renovators, contractors, and realtors.

The main obstacle was educating stakeholders about a new concept. Another challenge was establishing trust -in the technology and in sustainability overall. We overcame these barriers by proving the equipment's feasibility in a lab setting, and through a successful pilot program with low financial risk to participants. Then we evaluated our progress and developed a business case which led to full acceptance of the program.

FCM: How did you engage the community? Have residents been supportive?

Greg Gaudet: We consulted a range of stakeholders during early-stage project development, including energy experts and researchers from Dalhousie University. We also held public meetings and an open house to connect with residents and community groups. Our marketing department produced a series of ads and educational items to help generate participation in the program. Community response has been supportive at all program stages and our first customer survey, completed in late 2012, had a 99 per cent satisfaction rate.

FCM: What costs were associated with implementing this project? What savings have resulted from it?

Greg Gaudet: The total community investment to date is $2 million. That translates to 160 electric thermal storage units, $483,999 in product sales, a 4,021,139 increase in kilowatt hours sold per year, a $190,635 increase in annual utility revenue, a 42 per cent reduction in GHG emissions for each participating customer, and 99 per cent customer satisfaction.

FCM: Has this project achieved other economic benefits in your community?

Greg Gaudet: Yes, Summerside's smart grid infrastructure has offered three major economic benefits: higher disposable income, due an estimated 35 per cent savings on annual heat and hot water costs; job creation, for one permanent full-time city staff member and 12-16 contractors; and business investment, by attracting leading-edge businesses and research organizations that want to flesh out new products and services using a modern electrical infrastructure network.

FCM: What lessons did you learn from this project, and how will it benefit future initiatives? 

Greg Gaudet: Don't underestimate the education required for any new initiative. Be sure to connect with the community early to gain acceptance and set an easier path forward.

The MyPowerNet program has been a stepping stone for the city to fully integrate new energy and data technology into municipal and community life. It started the thought process on how to best use new systems to build smarter homes and businesses. It enables strategies at the power distribution level, where it will have the most impact on the way we use electrical energy to work, live and play, and has been developed with an eye toward future energy infrastructure, to support electric cars, for example. Eventually, every home in Summerside (and probably the rest of Canada) will have accessibility to an electrical infrastructure network.