Innovation Sandbox Challenge - Empowering Indigenous Innovation and Leadership

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Background

In May 2025, the OEB launched its Innovation Sandbox Challenge: Empowering Indigenous Innovation and Leadership, which is providing funding, project-specific support and regulatory guidance to five projects. Natural Resources Canada is supporting this initiative with $1.125 million from the Energy Innovation Program Smart Grid Regulatory Innovation Capacity Building funding call.

The Challenge aims to identify economic barriers, explore emerging opportunities, enhance energy services and build capacity through Indigenous-led innovation. The projects, each of which are led by, developed in partnership with or meaningfully engage Indigenous communities, are scheduled to conclude in the winter of 2027-28.


Projects

Lac des Mille Lacs First Nation

Project Title: Moose AI

OEB Funding / Total Project Value: $232,395 / $309,860


Lac des Mille Lacs First Nation will develop and deploy an Indigenous-led energy asset management platform and technician marketplace (Moose AI) that enables Indigenous communities, homeowners and businesses to manage distributed energy resource (DER) assets and connect with qualified local technicians. The project aims to onboard approximately 60 solar energy systems, including community solar at Lac des Mille Lacs First Nation, Sheshegwaning First Nation and Algonquins of Pikwakanagan First Nation. Operations and maintenance work order data and machine learning will be used to train Moose AI to detect and assess the state of solar energy system. Training materials will be developed to support First Nations communities in adopting the Moose AI platform for managing solar and battery energy systems.

Project Partners

JAZZ Solar is the technical development and integration partner, supporting software development, data integration and testing.

Hydro One is the pilot and advisory partner, supporting interoperability and potential pilot participation.

Opportunity, Barrier, and Solution to be Tested/Evaluated, as identified by the Proponent
Opportunity to scale a pilot / engage with customers on the energy transition Barrier (what keeps this opportunity from being realized in Ontario today) Solution to be tested / evaluated through the project
  • Empower communities to manage mixed DER fleets and grow local operations and maintenance jobs
  • Lack of accessible, community-controlled tools for asset management and technician engagement
  • Indigenous-led mobile application and technician marketplace for DER asset management
Outputs

Project Outputs are:

  • An Indigenous-led, community-approved, utility-informed mobile application (iOS/Android) with a technician marketplace for maintenance work orders
  • Training materials and capacity-building sessions
  • Knowledge-sharing package and replication toolkit tool kit for other Indigenous communities
Expected Outcomes

This project is expected to:

  • Deploy an app for managing solar and battery energy systems, achieving at least 80% user satisfaction across multiple residential and commercial sites
  • Activate a technician marketplace integrated with real-time fault detection and maintenance work order dispatch, with at least one verified service provider engaged
  • Improve operational performance through faster maintenance response times, increased system reliability and expanded opportunities for local Indigenous service providers
  • Enhance knowledge sharing and support replication, with a tool kit and lessons learned distributed to other Indigenous communities to encourage broader adoption of Moose AI

This project is expected to be completed by summer 2027.

 

AUX Energy

Project Title: Indigenous Energy Transition Decision Framework

OEB Funding / Total Project Value: $157,500 / $210,400


AUX Energy will develop an Indigenous Energy Transition Decision Framework to support Indigenous groups evaluating which energy project opportunities in the private sector they should participate in. The framework will be co-designed with Serpent River First Nation, piloted on two project proposals and disseminated as a tool kit to be used by other Indigenous communities.

Project Partners

Serpent River First Nation is the pilot community, co-developer and leader of cultural, engagement and validation activities.

Hydro One is the technical and regulatory advisor, supporting framework development and sectoral outreach.

Opportunity, Barrier, and Solution to be Tested/Evaluated, as identified by the Proponent
Opportunity to scale a pilot / engage with customers on the energy transition Barrier (what keeps this opportunity from being realized in Ontario today) Solution to be tested / evaluated through the project
  • Empower Indigenous communities to lead and scale energy transition projects, make informed decisions that reflect their cultural, economic and environmental priorities
  • Lack of culturally-grounded, community-driven decision frameworks; limited trust and capacity to evaluate energy projects; absence of tools that integrate Indigenous knowledge with technical and financial analysis
  • Develop and pilot a co-designed Indigenous Energy Transition Decision Framework that empowers communities to assess, negotiate and manage energy projects, integrating traditional knowledge, technical criteria and Indigenous data sovereignty principles
Outputs

Project Outputs are:

  • Indigenous Energy Transition Decision Framework
  • Two energy project proposals analyzed and evaluated using the Indigenous Energy Transition Decision Framework
  • Public tool kit and best practice guide
  • Enhanced collaboration among utilities, Indigenous communities and regulators to support energy project evaluation, risk analysis and partnership negotiation
Expected Outcomes

If successful, this project is expected to:

  • Complete a framework and have it validated by Serpent River First Nation
  • Analyze two energy project proposals using the Indigenous Energy Transition Decision Framework
  • Train about 30 Indigenous community participants in energy project evaluation, risk analysis and partnership negotiation
  • Enable tool kit and best practice guide usage by about 10 Indigenous communities across northern Ontario

This project is expected to be completed by spring 2027.

 

Grand Council Treaty #3

Project Title: Strategic Planning and Education for the Implementation of the Energy Institute

OEB Funding / Total Project Value: $265,000 / $353,000


Grand Council Treaty #3 will develop a governance, operational and partnership model for the establishment of its Treaty #3 Energy Institute for the 28 First Nations communities it represents. The Treaty #3 Energy Institute will teach energy literacy, provide technical training and facilitate leadership development with a curriculum that includes a regulatory component aimed at increasing knowledge of the OEB.

Project Partners

Ministry of Energy and Mines is the policy partner, supporting community-based renewable energy initiatives, energy literacy and capacity building.

Hydro One is the technical and implementation partner, contributing expertise in electrical systems, integration of renewable energy sources and training.

Opportunity, Barrier, and Solution to be Tested/Evaluated, as identified by the Proponent
Opportunity to scale a pilot / engage with customers on the energy transition Barrier (what keeps this opportunity from being realized in Ontario today) Solution to be tested / evaluated through the project
  • Increase capacity within Treaty #3 communities so they can lead and scale energy transition projects, building local capacity and energy sovereignty
  • Lack of culturally-grounded, Nation-led frameworks for strategic energy planning, limited energy literacy and insufficient technical partnerships
  • Establish the Energy Institute with a co-developed governance and education framework, integrating Anishinaabe values, technical training and partnerships to empower communities in energy planning and project delivery
Outputs

Project Outputs are:

  • A community-approved governance framework that embeds cultural guidance and ensures accountable, Anishinaabe-led decision-making on energy planning
  • Operational structure for the Energy Institute, including staffing models and resource requirements
  • Digital and print educational materials co-designed with Indigenous elders, youths, technical partners and First Nation leadership
Expected Outcomes

This project is expected to:

  • Build community-led energy capacity through co-created governance and operational frameworks
  • Develop and deliver culturally relevant training programs that increase Treaty #3 Nation participation and decision-making in clean-energy planning, and project implementation
  • Strengthen long-term partnerships between Treaty #3 Nations, Ministry of Energy and Mines, Hydro One and technical partners
  • Enable ongoing learning, evaluation and community-driven curriculum updates
  • Strengthen Nation-to-Nation and community-utility relationships that improve Anishinaabe participation in emerging energy opportunities
  • Train a network of Community Energy Champions equipped with foundational energy knowledge, digital tools and localized skills to advance clean-energy initiatives

This project is expected to be completed by fall 2027.

 

Mohawk College of Applied Arts and Technology

Project Title: Energy & Asset Management Sandbox

OEB Funding / Total Project Value: $219,905 / $292,959


Partnering with the Independent First Nations Alliance, Mohawk College will implement a data sandbox to centralize multiple sources of asset- and energy-related data to support decision-making for capital and operational investments. The data will be used to create an online energy asset management platform that converts electricity and fuel data into insights that can help with energy planning in First Nations communities.

Project Partners

Independent First Nations Alliance is the Indigenous partner, providing community expertise, engagement management and long-term platform stewardship.

Opportunity, Barrier, and Solution to be Tested/Evaluated, as identified by the Proponent
Opportunity to scale a pilot / engage with customers on the energy transition Barrier (what keeps this opportunity from being realized in Ontario today) Solution to be tested / evaluated through the project
  • Empower Indigenous communities so they can use real-time data to optimize energy use, install renewable energy sources and improve asset management
  • Complex market solutions, limited access to energy data and lack of local capacity for technology management
  • Deploy a community-driven, user-friendly platform with scalable sensor networks and tailored visualizations to provide insights on energy behaviour, enabling local decision-making and energy sovereignty
Outputs

Project Outputs are:

  • Install sensors in up to 80% of community-owned buildings
  • Digital tool that visualizes energy data analysis in real-time
  • Test and operational versions of the sandbox platform
  • Training sessions and knowledge transfer materials to support communities in building capacity and energy knowledge
Expected Outcomes

This project is expected to:

  • Improve energy literacy and local capacity for data-driven planning with data visualisations, helping to identify inefficiencies, maintenance needs and opportunities for utility savings
  • Identify maintenance needs and energy inefficiencies early
  • Support decarbonization by tracking fuel consumption and informing strategies to reduce reliance on diesel and other fossil fuels
  • Enable scalable, replicable sandbox model that can be adapted by other Indigenous communities, supporting knowledge-sharing across the region

This project completed in winter 2027-2028.

 

Keepers of the Circle 

Project Title: Parking Lot Solar System

OEB Funding / Total Project Value: $400,200 / $533,600


Keepers of the Circle will construct a parking lot solar energy system designed specifically for northern climates, where such infrastructure can be challenging to implement due to extreme cold and heavy snow. The electricity produced will offset loads at a construction facility and social enterprise in Kirkland Lake, Ont., led by Indigenous women. The project will also explore the potential for integrating electric vehicle (EV) charging in northern Ontario to promote the adoption of EV infrastructure.

Project Partners

None

Opportunity, Barrier, and Solution to be Tested/Evaluated, as identified by the Proponent
Opportunity to scale a pilot / engage with customers on the energy transition Barrier (what keeps this opportunity from being realized in Ontario today) Solution to be tested / evaluated through the project
  • Transform underutilized parking lots into productive clean energy assets for Indigenous communities
  • Limited technical experience, regulatory complexity and lack of demonstration models in northern Ontario
  • Pilot a solar canopy system with documentation of technical, regulatory and supply chain steps, and share a guide for other Indigenous organizations so they can build similar systems
Outputs

Project Outputs are:

  • A solar energy canopy system generating renewable electricity
  • A report documenting the project process, barriers and recommendations on how to build similar systems
  • Knowledge and regulatory guide for replication
  • On-site training sessions for Indigenous women and community members
Expected Outcomes

This project is expected to:

  • Reduce greenhouse gas emissions and operational energy costs for the Anishnawbe G’Zhiitoonegamic Panel Factory through on-site solar energy generation
  • Increase Indigenous workforce capacity in solar project design, installation and monitoring via hands-on training and workforce development
  • Enable a replicable solar canopy model for other Indigenous communities and organizations in northern Ontario

This project is expected to be completed by summer 2027.