This study offers insights from a unique case of meso-level collective action by First Nations in British Columbia, Canada, aimed at transformative electricity institutional change.

We collate regulatory and advocacy text to characterise the range of proposed First Nation Power Authority models and their placement along a continuum of conformative to transformative energy justice.

Interviews with knowledge holders from 14 First Nations offer insight into motivations behind transformative change and how it is shaped by historical injustice alongside practical community objectives around energy security, resilience, and community development.

First Nations narratives of electricity transformation are aligned with the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous People (UNDRIP) and with goals of self-determination and incorporate relational and regional approaches.

These findings validate theoretical frameworks of transformational energy justice (Avelino et al., 2024; Elmallah et al., 2022).

Much of the groundwork has been laid by the collective and the regulator, while new legislation has opened a window of opportunity to increase Indigenous participation and control in the electricity sector.

Authors: Christina E. Hoicka, Adam Regier, Anna L. Berka, Sara Chitsaz, Kayla Klym, “Stretch and transform” for energy justice: Indigenous advocacy for institutional transformative change of electricity in British Columbia, Canada, Energy Policy, Volume 202, 2025

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This study evaluates whether residential rooftop solar can serve as a preventative solution to energy insecurity among low- to moderate-income households.

We found that solar leads to large, robust and salient reductions in five indicators of energy insecurity.

Moreover, the benefits of solar ‘spill over’ to improve a household’s ability to pay other energy bills.

The results suggest that rooftop solar may be an effective tool for policymakers who seek to reduce energy insecurity.

Authors: Yozwiak, M., Barbose, G., Carley, S. et al. The effect of residential solar on energy insecurity among low- to moderate-income households. Nat Energy (2025)

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Community benefit agreements (CBAs) negotiated in Canada are legally binding through contract law and set out obligations for project developers and local communities.

Also referred to as impact and benefit agreements, CBAs are common resource governance tools that are negotiated across the globe between private project developers and local, often Indigenous, communities whose land must be accessed or disturbed for major extractive resource projects.

According to the literature, CBAs have the potential to help facilitate economic and social development of Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities by providing revenue benefits, employment and training opportunities, contracting opportunities for local businesses, new community infrastructure, and impact mitigation measures.

Although CBAs are only legally required in certain regions in northern Canada in accordance with lands claim agreements, CBAs are negotiated for virtually every major extractive resource project developed in Canada and are becoming increasingly common all around the world.

Some attribute the prevalence of CBAs to private developers recognizing the right of communities to free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC) as affirmed by the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) while others attribute the prevalence of CBAs to project developers managing social risk and attempting to satisfy consultation and accommodation requirements to obtain approval.

While this paper's case focus is on the Canadian North, the authors hope that the theoretically-informed study finds resonance with other jurisdictions host to CBAs.

Authors: Cameron Gunton, Eric Werker, Mark A. Moore and Sean Markey, Simon Fraser University, Canada

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Thanks for use of the photo by Jonny Rothwell 

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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Governance and decision-making that uphold the rights, interests, knowledges, and values of Indigenous peoples and land-connected communities are increasingly recognised as critical components of a just energy transition. Despite the unprecedented inclusion of Indigenous peoples in resource governance, it is unclear how community consultation and consent can effectively support Indigenous-centred decision-making.

This paper, Enabling Indigenous-centred decision-making for a just energy transition? Lessons from community consultation and consent in the circumpolar Arctic (published in 2025), by Julia Loginova, Mia Landauer, Juha Joona, Ranjan Datta and Tanja Joona, variously from universities in Australia, Sweden, Finland and Canada, provides a review of community experiences with consultation and consent across the Arctic and sub-Arctic region which along with other ‘resource geographies’ are increasingly affected by transition minerals mining and renewable energy infrastructure.

Key themes identified in the review include:

1. limitations of state-and company-led community consultation and consent;
2. practices of Indigenous-centred (Indigenous-led, Indigenous-benefiting and Indigenous-informed) decision-making; and
3. barriers to Indigenous-centred decision-making.

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The private sector plays a critical role in the clean energy transition – as do Indigenous Peoples.

If the opportunity of a just transition is to be realised, private sector and state commitment to Indigenous Peoples’ rights and transformative business models designed to deliver shared prosperity for and with Indigenous Peoples is non-negotiable. These need to be in alignment with Indigenous Peoples’ self-determined priorities.

This report, jointly produced by Indigenous Peoples’ Rights International (IPRI) and the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, explores the case for a renewable energy transition that centres Indigenous Peoples’ rights, interests and prosperity, as determined by them, in pursuit of a global transition that is fast because it is fair and sustainable.

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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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It is crucial to question who has the authority to mandate renewable energy projects and who their beneficiaries are. In the energy field, power has remained, for the most part, in the hands of settler nations institutions and private energy companies. Although renewable energy resources are mostly located on Indigenous traditional territories, not all Indigenous communities benefit from the energy transition. The fact that Indigenous peoples are given only a limited voice or power over the transformation of their ancestral territories puts them in a particularly challenging position regarding their participation in the energy transition. Indeed, defending their interests is complex, due to the vagueness and ambiguity surrounding the question of Indigenous national sovereignty and self-determination in Australia and Canada.

This paper, A just energy transition for Indigenous peoples: From ideal deliberation to fairness in Canada and Australia (published 2024), by Fabienne Rioux-Gobeil and Annick Thomassin from the Australian National University, considers who benefits from energy projects and who bears the consequences.

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Thanks for use of the photo Karsten Würth 

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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