Some 90% of First Nations who responded to a recent Heat Survey say their homes get too hot and they're struggling to afford their energy bills.

First Nations are also twice as likely as others surveyed to seek heat-related medical attention.

Some 90% of First Nations who responded to a recent Heat Survey say their homes get too hot and they're struggling to afford their energy bills.

First Nations are also twice as likely as others surveyed to seek heat-related medical attention.

Distributed by ACOSS Australian Council of Social Service in partnership with the First Nations Energy Network and National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Housing Association (NATSIHA), the annual survey is tracking the intersection between heat, housing, energy costs, and people experiencing financial and social disadvantage.

The ACOSS final report states the situation facing First Nations people surveyed is worse on most indicators and must be prioritised for solutions.

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This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to change the intergenerational wealth of First Peoples in this country through renewable energy projects and jobs.

Grid-connected community energy projects in Australia face significant challenges that innovative approaches to behind-the-meter asset investment can avoid. Where dedicated communities endeavour to step into grid-connected asset deployment, however, they do better in some locations than others, with some project designs than others, and where they can secure access to FCAS, technical expertise, mentoring, and even the partnership of an aggregator.

Despite the immense complexity and market risk, there are projects delivering the right mix of positive outcomes sought by their communities. Community projects so often involve generous people doing good work, but not all project configurations are equal. There is no shortcut for energy market knowledge. Caveat emptor.

To explore the value of community energy projects, whether financial, non-financial or a combination of both, it is helpful to understand the driving objectives of those that initiate them. With an understanding of the problems that proponents are looking to solve, it’s possible to reflect on how successfully these projects perform.

We identified four driving motivations, with crossovers common across projects: accelerating climate action; securing energy access, reliability and resilience; building community economic opportunity and agency, and; building Social Capital and energy transition literacy.

This report was authored by Anna Hancock, Mitch Shannon, Andrew McConnell, and Tristan Ashford, Pollination Group, July 2024

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The transition to clean energy will require the creation of a skilled workforce to take up the new job and career opportunities. First Nations are critical partners in the clean energy transition, including in the establishment of the workforce required to service the sector.

The global call to address climate change and advance sustainable development has created rapid growth in research, investment, and policymaking regarding the renewable energy transition of Indigenous communities.

From a rightsholder perspective, Indigenous Peoples' vision of sustainability, autonomy, and sovereignty should guide research on their energy needs.

In this paper, we present a multi-method, inductive examination to identify gaps between Indigenous communities' expressed needs and rights, and the questions researchers and policymakers investigate in energy transition research conducted in the context of Indigenous communities located in Canada.

We combine a systematic review of the extant literature, a scoping review of the grey literature on off-grid communities by Indigenous and non-Indigenous governments and non-governmental policy bodies, qualitative primary data collected via fieldwork, and an in-depth study of an Indigenous-led renewable energy transition study conducted by Haíɫzaqv Nation's Climate Action Team.

We holistically examine these different perspectives and identify emergent themes to recommend ways to bridge the gaps between off-grid renewable energy research and stated Indigenous community priorities.

Specifically, we recommend designing equitable research practices, understanding community worldviews, developing holistic research goals, respecting Indigenous data sovereignty, and sharing or co-developing knowledge with communities to align with community priorities closely.

Authors: Serasu Duran, Jordyn Hrenyk, Feyza G. Sahinyazan, Emily Salmon, 'Re-righting renewable energy research with Indigenous communities in Canada’, Journal of Cleaner Production, Volume 445, 2024

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It is estimated that 43% of all clean energy infrastructure required to get Australia to net zero emissions will be sited on land under the care or control of First Nations.

First Nations communities will be significantly impacted by, and critical to, decarbonisation. The Indigenous Estate should be accessed by agreement with First Nations communities.

First Nations ownership and equity models are essential, alongside genuine partnerships that have deep levels of trust, reconciliation efforts, and a sense of community. Benefit-sharing must start early (before impacts are felt), to build and sustain trust, and maintain momentum.

Best practice frameworks for clean energy projects such as, First Nations Better Practice Community Engagement and the First Nations Clean Energy Network, should be used across all projects impacting the Indigenous Estate. Factors including a commitment to cultural heritage and land stewardship, protecting Country, sharing economic and social benefits through strategic partnerships, and ensuring cultural competency.

This Mobilisation Report was put together by Net Zero Australia, in partnership with The University of Melbourne, The University of Queensland, Princeton University and NOUS, and was published in July 2023.

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In a settler colonial context like Canada, renewable energy transitions and projects will take place on or near Indigenous traditional territories.

In the emerging body of knowledge around Indigenous community involvement in renewable energy the role of the Indigenous economic development corporation (EDCs), a uniquely Indigenous legal form has had little attention.

Although a range of governance structures that could support renewable energy projects exist; what has not been explored are which legal forms tend to employ specific governance structures.

Employing a national dataset, surveys and interviews, this study assesses the experience and involvement of Indigenous EDCs as a legal form in renewable energy projects, the governance structures EDCs employ, and how these governance structures respond to the needs for self-determination and decision-making power of Indigenous communities.

The findings show that at least 26 EDCs are involved in renewable energy projects, that EDCs tend to use economic instruments, while political organizations, (e.g., Band Council), tend to use political instruments, such as impact and benefit agreements (IBAs).

Interviewed and surveyed EDCs agreed that ownership of a project is more beneficial than IBAs that tend to be short lived. Although full ownership denotes control over a project, which aligns with UNDRIP, the desired level of ownership varies depending on a variety of factors, such as comfort with risk and how provincial context affects preferred ownership structures.

Authors: Katarina Savic, Christina E. Hoicka, 'Indigenous legal forms and governance structures in renewable energy: Assessing the role and perspectives of First Nations economic development corporations', Energy Research & Social Science, Volume 101, 2023

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Thanks for use of the photo Keshav Rajasekar on Unsplash