HomeMy WebLinkAboutDSD-2025-106 - Waterloo Region Community Energy (WRCE) 2024 Progress ReportStaff Report
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Development Services Department www.kitchener.ca
REPORT TO: Committee of the Whole
DATE OF MEETING: April 28, 2025
SUBMITTED BY: Anna Marie Cipriani, Corporate Sustainability Officer, 519-783-8970
PREPARED BY: Anna Marie Cipriani, Corporate Sustainability Officer, 519-783-8970
WARD(S) INVOLVED: Ward(s)
DATE OF REPORT: March 5, 2025
REPORT NO.: DSD -2025-106
SUBJECT: Waterloo Region Community Energy (WRCE) 2024 Progress Report
RECOMMENDATION:
For information
REPORT HIGHLIGHTS:
• The purpose of this report is to provide Council with a 2024 WR Community Energy
progress report
• This report supports Cultivating a Green City Together: Focuses a sustainable path
to a greener, healthier city; enhancing & protecting parks & natural environment
while transitioning to a low -carbon future; supporting businesses & residents to
make climate -positive choices.
BACKGROUND:
The energy transition is a critical priority related to community resilience and affordability.
WR Community Energy (WRCE) is a collaboration between the Region of Waterloo; the
Cities of Cambridge, Kitchener, and Waterloo; Enova Power Corp., GrandBridge Energy,
and Kitchener Utilities. WRCE plays an important role in coordinating strategic energy
investments in Waterloo region. In 2024, as its role as an independent voice and energy
transition facilitator became clearer, WRCE incorporated as a non-profit. This new structure
allows a focus on deepening partnerships, evaluating systems -wide benefits, and ultimately
driving investments. Senior municipal and utility leadership in the collaboration's
governance; and strategic participation and investment from other sectors is key to
navigating the complexities of a successful energy transition and responding to innovation
and the need for community affordability. WRCE is in its fifth year as an organization. It is
currently focusing on local thermal energy development.
REPORT:
This 2024 WR Community Energy information report focuses on:
1. Sharing a vision of generating half of distributed energy from local, clean, and
equitable sources (based in several years of studies, discussions, and analysis).
*** This information is available in accessible formats upon request. ***
Please call 519-741-2345 or TTY 1-866-969-9994 for assistance.
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2. Demonstrating how to align local energy supply with demand
3. Highlighting two local projects:
A. High Performance Development Standards (HPDS) and
B. Low -Carbon Thermal Strategy
By leveraging existing technologies, scaling them across the community, and aligning with
economic development trends, this region's collaborative and innovative spirit can make this
vision a reality and help our community meet its 2050 climate targets.
STRATEGIC PLAN ALIGNMENT:
This report supports Cultivating a Green City Together: Focuses a sustainable path to
a greener, healthier city; enhancing & protecting parks & natural environment while
transitioning to a low -carbon future; supporting businesses & residents to make
climate -positive choices.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS:
This report has no financial impact at this time.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT:
INFORM — This report has been posted to the City's website with the agenda in advance of
the council / committee meeting.
PREVIOUS REPORTS/AUTHORITIES:
none
APPROVED BY: Justin Readman, General Manager of Development Services
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