Renewables Driving Canada’s Low Carbon Economy

Industry leaders, academics, and a range of Government and institutional representatives came together for two days at Ottawa’s Westin Hotel to discuss how to advance the role of renewable fuels and bio-based products to shift Canada to a low-carbon economy. The event was hosted by Andrea Kent, the CEO of the Renewable Industries Forum. BioApplied actively participated in the conference and engaged with participants to answer how policies governing bioenergy and bioproducts impact the growth of this economic sector.

The “Staying the Course” report by Gord Miller was released at the conference. It outlines policy steps Canada could take over the next 14 years to keep the country on track towards the goal of a renewable energy future. The report focused on the following segments:

  1. Creating a stable, long-term policy framework for biofuels
  2. Increasing investor confidence
  3. Providing support that addresses high investment risk
  4. Reducing fossil fuel subsidies

With more than 100 attendees from the academic and professional worlds, there were many idea exchanges during the networking sessions. The discussions were stimulated by the three speaker panels. The first of which was a discussion about the perceptions and beliefs that Canadians have about the value of renewable energy. It was made clear that the Canadian youth are more interested in climate change challenges. This bodes well for the future with 75% of Canadians believing we can harness solar and wind energy to its full capacity within ten years.  It was concluded at this panel discussion, that the role of government is to educate Canadians on the value of renewables and their economic impact.

Although not fully defined, it was made clear that Canada is moving ahead on introducing carbon pricing. The panelists recommended that there be a national and provincial standard for carbon pricing, and key consideration should be given to a credit system. The panel discussions and participants provided their thoughts on the future of a renewable industry in Canada.

BioApplied delivers renewable resource innovation, and therefore were pleased to be involved at this conference.  Witnessing first-hand the high level of interest, quality of participants, and depth of discussions, provided greater confidence in the growth of this sector to help deliver Canada’s commitment to a clean energy future.