LIFE is a member-owned co-operative building community renewable energy projects in Southern Ontario.
LIFE’s renewable energy projects are located in Waterloo Region and the County of Wellington, on the traditional territory of the Haudenosaunee, the Anishinaabek, and the Attawandaron (Neutral) Peoples. Several are on the lands of the Haldimand Tract, which covers six miles on both sides of the Grand River all along its length, and which was granted to the Six Nations by the British in 1784.
As beneficiaries of this land, we have a responsibility to acknowledge and understand its history and the current experiences of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples, and to be accountable to the oppression they continue to face.
You can join LIFE today! Click here to learn how to become a member.
We invite new members and old to purchase up to $1000/year of LIFE's Preference Shares.
If you have a site or project that might work, please get in touch with us to discuss how we might help it happen.
Meanwhile, you can learn more about our existing projects, or scroll down to learn more about our beginnings.
The Moorefield turbine hub and blades being installed, October 2016.
One of LIFEs earliest solar projects: LIFE Solar JV 52 is a 60 kW project located in Erin ON. Our interest was sold to the landowner in 2020.
Our Beginning
Why?
LIFE Co-op started off in 2006 with farmers and community members sitting around Linda Laepple's table in Wilmot Township. We started a member-owned co-operative filled with people who wanted to work together to develop our green energy economy.
We have a profound concern for the future of the planet and what we are leaving for our children. We feel empowered when we work together as a community of concerned members in creating a cleaner energy future. We are also able to give a solid financial return to our investors, which feels pretty good in today's investing environment. And sometimes we just enjoy the company.
“I invest because I have always wanted my retirement income to be harvested from the wind and the sun.”
— Linda Laepple, Director and Founding Member
LIFE has developed several renewable energy projects - so far solar and wind projects, but we're open to other technologies where these are feasible. We're able to do this because our members and investors purchase shares in the co-op; the co-op then invests the funds into the development of renewable energy facilities, often in partnership with other owners. Once projects are up and running LIFE receives its share of the profits, which it distributes to its investors, annually or semi-annually.
To date, all of our projects have been developed under Ontario's Feed-in Tariff Program, which offers a 20 year contract to purchase the power produced by our facilities. We work in partnership with landowners - usually members who co-own the facility on their building or lands.
LIFE divested of many of its distributed solar joint ventures in 2021-22. Our current projects are located in Waterloo Region and Wellington County. The 500 kW Moorefield Wind Project is also located in Wellington.
Investment Opportunities
LIFE invites members to invest in Class A.4 Shares, available only in bundles of 20 shares ($1000) per member per year. The funds will be used to finance research and development of a number of new project streams.
5
Renewable Energy (solar/wind) projects installed and operating
15-51%
LIFE's ownership share in these facilities
1790 kW
Contract capacity across all Projects
Become a member
Membership is open to all residents of Ontario over 16 years of age. Becoming a member means you have a say in how the co-op runs, what projects we invest in, and allows you the opportunity to invest in our projects.