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When it comes to clean energy, we need to shift our thinking from consumption to conservation, according to Dr. Marie D’Iorio, who leads NRC’s energy strategy.
As Director General of the NRC Institute for Microstructural Sciences, Dr. D’Iorio has seen many technologies adopted. She says we may have to change traditional thinking about why we adopt new technologies in the first place.
Question: What are the biggest trends happening right now in clean energy?
Canada's target under the Copenhagen Accord
On January 29, 2010, Canada committed to an economy-wide target of a 17 percent reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from 2005 levels by 2020.
Answer: Within NRC, one of the most important trends is that we’re looking for a range of alternatives to traditional fossil fuel technology that might be teamed together and scaled up to address fears about climate change.
Outside of NRC, a continuing trend I see is that consumers are more and more aware of the link between energy and the environment. There is a greater environmental consciousness driven by concerns about climate change, so that consumer demand may speed the widespread adoption of clean energy well before economic analyses would compel their adoption.
Q: What are some exciting technologies to watch?
A: Solar is one. We usually think of solar power in terms of large panels on rooftops, but there are other, more personal solar technologies whose impact will be easier to see, such as solar cells that let you recharge your smartphone or computer in your backpack. The adoption of these technologies will be affected by price, efficiency, lifetime, ruggedness and consumer attitudes, and will largely mirror the adoption of larger-scale rooftop solar cells that offer a more significant — but harder to watch — impact.
Another exciting notion is to give everyone access to a “smart grid” that enables people to make and sell excess electricity — from rooftop solar panels, electric car batteries, backyard windmills or perhaps even from next-generation exercise equipment — back to the grid. There are already some communities testing this concept. For example, Freiburg in southwest Germany — one of Europe’s greenest cities — is developing low greenhouse gas (GHG) emitting communities through clean energy solutions and clean transportation systems.
These twin research houses are used to test new technologies that can reduce home energy consumption (Canadian Centre for Housing Technology).
Q: How can Canada meet its goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions?
A: To meet our goals, we’ll need a lot more innovative research and development (R&D). We are already on track with many technologies to reach our 2020 targets. But for 2050, the technologies that will make a difference don’t exist yet. We must continue to do basic research to generate new technologies that we can’t conceive of right now, and that might displace and disrupt current technologies.
We also need to accelerate many new technologies that are currently at the demonstration stage. Not only do these technologies need to be morphed into products, but they must also be integrated into agile energy distribution systems and deployed. Large companies are already thinking about their future business models and the type of services that will be required to distribute energy and move information more efficiently.
From a consumer standpoint, a shift of mindset may be required, from “Is this as cheap as my traditional options?” to “By paying more, I reduce my carbon footprint.” Most consumers already face this dilemma when buying a car, managing their energy consumption at home, replacing appliances, etc.
Governments can play a role in accelerating technological developments through investment in clean energy innovation, financial incentives and legislated regulations.
Video: Road maps for the future
Marie D’Iorio talks about how Canada can reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.
Q: Is the shift to clean energy different from previous technology shifts?
A: Well, before the advent of electricity, we heated our homes by burning wood or coal. Then we switched to efficient furnaces that used oil or natural gas. That’s a fairly significant change because of the distribution system required.
When that switch occurred, not only was it more convenient, but it was also less arduous — you didn’t have to cut wood or put coal in your furnace. It was more efficient in terms of your time and energy.
The change that is beginning to happen now is not one of efficiency, or cost, but one that is driven by dwindling supplies and environmental changes. Not only will we have to use different technologies, but we will have to consume less. It will require a change in our lifestyle.
Q: How can we make that shift?
A: This is not just a problem for emerging or booming economies. It will take a concerted effort worldwide to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
Despite recurring arguments on efficiency and price point, the clean energy revolution is less about tapping more energy sources to meet increasing demands and more about decreasing greenhouse gas emissions and preserving the environment. The shift is driven on a global scale.
Fortunately, there are some excellent roadmaps looking 10, 20 and 40 years into the future. It is also encouraging that large private sector companies have taken on the challenge of reducing their carbon footprint.
For example, at the 2010 World Congress on Information Technology in Amsterdam, Intel CEO Paul Otellini announced that the next two billion PCs will use half as much energy as the first billion and have 17 times the computer performance. But he added that information technology can also help to make other technologies greener. By using existing microprocessor technology, Otellini believes that we could reduce emissions by 15 percent by 2020.
Video: Clean energy shift
Marie D’Iorio talks about the global shift in thinking about clean energy.
Q: What countries are furthest ahead in implementing green technologies?
A: Ernst and Young ranks countries according to their attractiveness for investments in renewable energy technologies (wind, solar, geothermal, biomass and infrastructure). In 2010, the top 10 are the U.S. and China (tied in first place), Germany, India, Italy, the UK, France, Spain, Canada in ninth place, and Portugal and Ireland tied for tenth. Germany has set an ambitious target to reduce its GHG by 40 percent compared to 1990 levels and ensure that almost 20 percent of its energy will come from renewables.
Q: What are Canada’s strengths and what could we do better?
Canada ranks among solar “hotspots”
The solar potential in parts of Canada rivals some of the sunniest regions of the world. Natural Resources Canada has ranked the following major cities based on their potential for solar power.
- Cairo, Egypt
- Cape Town, South Africa
- New Delhi, India
- Los Angeles, U.S.
- Mexico City, Mexico
- Regina, Canada
- Sydney, Australia
- Rome, Italy
- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Ottawa, Canada
Source: The Development of Photovoltaic Resource Maps for Canada (NRCan)
A: Canada currently enjoys a lot of momentum in renewable energy alternatives, especially in solar, wind, bioenergy and hydroelectric power. Most provinces and territories have strategies to reduce GHG emissions through investment in large clean energy projects.
One of Canada’s strengths is its public investment in clean energy through innovation networks, Centres of Excellence, university centres and institutes, and federal ministries and laboratories. For example, Sustainable Development Technology Canada — a not-for-profit corporation — received $1.05 billion from the federal government to foster the development and demonstration of technologies for climate change, clean air, clean water and clean land.
Canada could benefit from a coordinated national research approach to accelerate the commercialization and adoption of clean energies. In order to meet our goals for 2050, new technologies are definitely required and an innovation strategy to make that happen will be essential.
In the near term, NRC can work closely with its federal counterparts to enhance and grow competencies in Canadian priority areas where critical mass already exists. Some examples include smart grid and smart building-related technologies; sustainable energy generation, storage and distribution; carbon capture and storage; hydrogen and fuel cells; and greener oil sands technologies.
Q: How might our lives look different 20 years from now with clean energy technologies?
A: It’s difficult to make a prediction, but I hope that in 20 years, the emphasis in our lives will have shifted from energy consumption to energy conservation, helped by smart building technologies and clean energy sources integrated into our grid distribution system. Our neighbourhoods and cities will be transformed — we’ll have energy efficient cars with their associated clean energy filling stations, zero emission grocery stores, and office buildings and homes selling electricity back to the grid. 
