The inaugural Future of Power sparks conversation about more economical, reliable, and sustainable power consumption
May 7, 2019
Spark Power Group, an independent provider of integrated power solutions to industrial, commercial, and institutional (ICI) customers across North America, took over Evergreen Brick Works on Tuesday, April 9th, 2019 for its inaugural Future of Power conference. The event—emceed by Ron Dizy formerly of MaRS Advanced Energy Centre, and newly appointed Spark Power, Chief Strategy Officer— was the first of its kind by the host, Spark Power Corp., who had the support of Premier Sponsors, ABB Canada, and Alectra Inc. Additional support came from BDO, BMO, Electrical Safety Authority, Bullfrog Power’s Peak Management by NRG Peaks, NRStor Inc., and Opus One.
More than 500 business, technology, sustainability, government, academic professionals, and students attended the sold-out event. Highlights of the day included four-panel discussions, talks from three prominent guest speakers, and one fireside chat which candidly explored our need for industrial change and being adaptive to the disruption that is changing the electrical grid as we know it.
“Change to the power industry is inevitable and everybody recognizes that, but the focus of this year’s Future of Power event was to look at how rapidly North America’s power industry is transforming before our eyes,” said Jason Sparaga, Co-Founder & Co-CEO, Spark Power Corp. “This year’s speaker and panelist discussions show us that market demand for choice, reliability and innovation, is ever present and becoming a dominant factor in business planning and operations. A cleaner energy future is on the horizon and we’re so excited to be leading the conversation around this.”
Gretchen Bakke, Ph.D., gave a presentation on Pivoting Toward Energy Transition 2.0 —a look at the disruption of the power sector and our cautious move towards a world of renewable integration through a social and anthropological lens. Thought leader and Silicon Valley entrepreneur, Tony Seba talked about the disruption of major industries, why oil and gas will be obsolete by the year 2030, and the critical role that technology convergence continues to play in driving new opportunities for business and innovation. The event ended on an inspirational note with Canada’s most regarded astronaut, First Officer of the Order of Canada, and the first Canadian to walk in space, Col. Chris Hadfield. His keynote address focused on our individual roles in determining our collective future and meeting planet Earth’s ever-growing demands through audacious leadership. Hadfield treated attendees to a live cover of David Bowie’s ‘Space Oddity,’ a musical highlight that capped off the presentation portion of the conference followed by an evening reception.
Spark Power was proud to host sustainability and technological panelists from: ABB Canada, Alectra Inc., Bimbo Canada, Bullfrog Power, Greengate Power, IBM Canada, Kingspan Insulated Panels, Maple Leaf Foods, MaRS Advanced Energy Centre, Microsoft, NRG Peaks, NRStor, Opus One, Peak Power, Pembina Institute, Renewable Energy Buyers Alliance, and Stem Inc. Through their participation with Future of Power, these organizations support cost-effective, reliable, and sustainable power solutions and are driving power consumptions advancements in Canada.
