CanREA hosted Spring Forward event on renewable energy

Photo: The Canadian Renewable Energy Association.

The Canadian Renewable Energy Association (CanREA) brought together 175 renewable-energy experts from across Canada for a two-day event focused on recharging Canada’s economy with renewables.

CanREA’s Spring Forward event explored how wind energy, solar energy and energy storage will play a key role in boosting economic growth and job creation post-pandemic, while supporting critical 2030 and 2050 climate targets.

“We called this event Spring Forward because that is exactly what Canada needs to do right now,” said Robert Hornung, President and CEO, CanREA. “Canada has only reduced its GHG emissions by 1.1 per cent in the last 14 years and our country just set a target to reduce emissions by a minimum of 40 per cent in the next nine years. We need to spring into action and accelerate the deployment of clean, renewable electricity if we are to succeed in beating the climate crisis.”

Selected highlights: 

• Opening keynote address by Peter Fraser (International Energy Agency, former VP of the Ontario Energy Board), spoke about Net-Zero 2050 and the implications for global renewables development.
• Closing keynote session by Linda Coady (Pembina Institute) and Janet Brown (Opinion Research) discussing polling indicating that Albertans are ready for a net-zero economy.
• The Globe and Mail’s Adam Radwanski moderated a discussion on Navigating the Energy Transition Across Canada and the U.S. with Melina Bartels from BloombergNEF and Sashen Guneratna of the Canada Infrastructure Bank.
• Annette Verschuren, Chair and CEO, NRStor Inc., led a fireside chat with Peter Gregg, President and CEO, Nova Scotia Power Inc., exploring how the NS grid is moving toward 80 per cent renewable electricity by 2030, and what’s next for wind, solar and energy storage in the province.
• Heather Zichal, CEO, American Clean Power Association, sat down with Hornung, to discuss the Biden administration’s climate change objectives and its goal to achieve a 100 per cent clean electricity grid by 2035.