The outbreak of COVID-19 has triggered a global economic crisis that was unimaginable even two weeks ago, and perhaps nowhere is that being felt more acutely than in Alberta. In addition to the obvious consequences of social distancing on businesses and industry, we’re also dealing with a gut-wrenching collapse in oil prices that’s being driven in part by a deepening conflict between Saudi Arabia and Russia. Taken together, the combination of falling oil prices and a temporar

As governments and industry around the world work to jump-start their economies and restart their businesses without triggering a second wave of COVID-19 infections, they’re suddenly open to ambitious ideas and policies that were on a slow track before the virus struck. But in straining for the highest fruit on the tree, we need to be careful that we don’t miss one of the easiest pieces to pick: energy efficiency. It will deliver results — and deliver them quickly. Installati

“We can’t forecast our way to the future that we want,we really need to begin with the end in mind.” – Chad Park, Lead Animator with Energy Futures Lab For years, the work explored within Energy Futures Lab (EFL) has flown mostly under the radar. Our community has collaborated on initiatives aimed at building a thriving, future economy. Now, a global shift is occurring and the Lab is seeing opportunities to expand our community and engage more broadly. On April 16th, the EFL

In many ways, this has been the Year of Carbon at the EFL. We need to re-imagine carbon and re-imagine waste to make a substantial reduction in GHG emissions. We have been supporting carbon neutral and carbon positive initiatives as well as refreshing EFL’s portfolio of initiatives to solve interrelated climate, environmental and economic challenges. Reducing carbon emissions from oil and gas assets and leveraging Alberta’s legacy infrastructure are important areas for the La

2018: A Good Year Last year was a good year at the EFL. While our team is conscious that there is much to achieve in 2019, let me take a moment to acknowledge a number of accomplishments in 2018. The EFL was recognized as one of the Clean50’s Top 20 projects in Canada for 2018 for its outstanding contribution to clean capitalism. This recognition is grounds for pride in our work and evidence of the unique potential of The Natural Step Canada’s Sustainability Transition Labs

On Tuesday this week, I was interviewed by host Laura Lynch on CBC Radio One’s Vancouver morning show, the Early Edition, for a segment about Alberta. The experience of the interview has me thinking a lot about the challenges we need to overcome in Canada to address energy and climate issues together. The framing for the interview was the recent announcement by Premier Rachel Notley about Alberta temporarily curtailing oil production, set against the messages from this week’s

The increasing drive towards a low-carbon future is demanding that we look differently at the way we live, eat, commute, and transport goods. Easy, convenient, and relatively affordable mobility is embedded in our lifestyle, which makes changes at scale challenging. This has opened the space for ideas across a range of innovation priorities, including 1) implementing new technologies and supporting cleaner fuels; 2) providing low-carbon mobility options; and 3) applying regul

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been a rapidly developing area of technological advancement over the last 10 years and more, yet it is only very recently that the buzz about its implications and potential for Alberta’s energy sector has really escalated. Why is that? How can artificial intelligence enable Alberta to thrive in a competitive, low-carbon world? Three possible reasons come to mind. First, there is now a far better collection and recording of historical energy da

Amidst the drama of recent pipeline and trade war news, you may be forgiven if you missed another announcement that will be important in shaping Alberta’s economic future. On May 29th, Calgary-based E3 Metals announced that it had reached an important technical milestone that moves it one step closer to being able to extract lithium from oilfield brine. Alberta could become a key supplier of this globally-relevant material on the strength of its petroleum industry. Instead o

The world is poised for a massive transition in energy production and use. Making this transition will be critical to ensure the long-term sustainability of our environment, economies, and communities. It will be a monumental challenge, but a challenge replete with opportunity. Alberta is ready to lead and Albertan communities are on the front lines As a global leader in energy innovation Alberta is perfectly positioned to lead the transition with a vision of prosperity that

Calling all Alberta energy entrepreneurs! We need you and your ideas! In partnership with ATB Financial, we are launching an energy-themed Alberta BoostR campaign and seeking 15-20 projects to participate. What is ATB BoostR? Alberta BoostR is a rewards-based crowdfunding platform from ATB Financial designed for entrepreneurs and small businesses in Alberta. Through Alberta BoostR, businesses can raise money, test ideas, and gain exposure and market insights from the “crowd”

Alberta is poised for a big leap forward in energy innovation. This will be on display in early November at SPARK 2017 , a two-day conference in Edmonton co-hosted by Emissions Reductions Alberta (ERA) and Alberta Innovates (AI). Many EFL partners and Fellows will be taking part in the event. In preparation for SPARK 2017, Energy Futures Lab Director and Chief Innovation Officer of The Natural Step Canada, Chad Park sat down with Steve Macdonald, ERA’s Chief Executive Offic

It’s time for a demonstration. It will take place in the village of Valemount, BC. The project, the first of its kind in Canada, is called Sustainaville and will demonstrate that geothermal energy (heat from the earth) can be used to “grow a whole community”. “Warm geothermal water can support greenhouses but can also support initiatives like a brewery or shrimp farm. This fully renewable resource can serve several tiers of need in the community before being recycled to do i

Oil and gas versus renewables? That’s a false dichotomy, according to the Energy Futures Lab (EFL), an initiative that acknowledges the importance of Alberta’s significant natural advantage in fossil fuels and how it can be used as a stepping stone to a cleaner energy future. The Energy Futures Lab is designed to allow stakeholders to engage with one another about Canada’s energy future, to find some common ground, and to take action together. – Chad Park “The issues around e

Innovating Alberta’s Energy Future Showcase explores ways Alberta will lead the transition to a low carbon future “There are so many amazing projects in the works that are going to help with the challenge of building the energy system of Alberta’s future. I’m excited to learn more about this groundbreaking work by the EFL Fellows.” – Andrew Ference CALGARY, April 11, 2017 /CNW/ – A diverse group of innovators and influencers will take the stage April 19 to share their ideas a

On December 5, 2016, approximately 170 people braved the cold to talk about the future of energy in Alberta at the University of Calgary’s downtown campus. Dr. David Layzell, Energy Futures Lab (EFL) Steering Committee Member and Director of the Canadian Energy Systems Analysis Research (CESAR) project, argued that energy system transition is the “grand challenge for our society.” The EFL design team worked with Dr. David Layzell and his research group to help identify big ch

No one ever said the transition to a new energy economy would be easy. From the very beginning, The Natural Step Canada (TNSC) was under a great deal of pressure to describe the impacts and outcomes of the Energy Futures Lab (EFL). We resisted prescribing a solution. Our Fellowship – more diverse than we could have hoped – has created a shared vision and innovation pathways, generated new ideas, and brought existing initiatives into the lab to amplify and scale. Describing an

Leaders from government, business, not-for-profit, academia and indigenous communities will gather in Calgary for a special two-day event on October 19 and 20. Their objective: to share proposed solutions for solving Alberta’s most complex and pressing energy challenges. This October event is an opportunity for the EFL to make its network of ideas even more inclusive and tested with as many diverse perspectives as possible before scaling up and communicating broadly through a

If the energy transition is a journey, what are the paths to get there? Our future isn’t in a single resource based economy or a silver bullet solution. Instead, it’s a series of paths leading to the same destination, paved by diverse talents and opportunities. But we need to quickly recognize the tools and resources we have, and looking at the trailblazers in cleantech is a good place to start. To better understand the potential for cleantech in Canada, Rudayna Bahubeshi sat

Part Three: Opportunities for Alberta’s Energy Future Following last month’s GLOBE Conference in Vancouver, Energy Futures Lab Director Chad Park caught up with two members of the Energy Futures Lab Advisory Council, Tzeporah Berman and Toby Heaps, both of whom had important roles at GLOBE and its surrounding events. The following is part three of the three-part discussion and focuses on specific considerations and opportunities for Alberta’s energy future. Part one explored