CanREA Brings Together 400+ Industry Experts for Renewable Energy Forum

Dec 15, 2020

More than 400 participants and leading experts in wind energy, solar energy and energy storage came together as the Canadian Renewable Energy Association (CanREA) held its first-ever virtual Forum on November 9 and 10, 2020.

“One message heard consistently throughout the Forum is that Canada must capitalize on its massive untapped wind and solar energy potential if it is to build an affordable, clean and reliable energy system that will help Canada reach the goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in 2050,” said CanREA’s President and CEO, Robert Hornung. “CanREA and its more than 250 members are committed to working towards this.”

“Our abundant sources of renewable energy will power our clean growth future. We will continue to use them to reduce emissions, create jobs and grow our economies,” said the Honourable Seamus O’Regan, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources, who participated in a live discussion about the role of wind energy, solar energy and energy storage in Canada’s future energy mix following his opening remarks.

CanREA was pleased to welcome Sophie Brochu (President & CEO, Hydro-Québec), Michael Law (President & CEO, Alberta Electric System Operator), Mike Marsh (President & CEO, SaskPower) and Terry Young (Interim President & CEO, Independent Electricity System Operator) to the Forum for an important discussion on innovation and collaboration opportunities engendered by the rapid changes in technologies, policies and customer preferences that are disrupting the electricity sector.

The program also included special panels on Canada’s energy transition, where CanREA Board Chair Michelle Chislett (Managing Director, Canada and US Development, Northland Power) spoke with industry leaders and on Canada’s energy future, where sustainability leaders from Telus, RBC, Oxford Properties and the City of Edmonton discussed their strong interest in accessing renewable energy for their organizations.

CanREA thanks all presenters, attendees, exhibitors and sponsors for making the Forum a success. A special thank you to Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy Ltd. for supporting the event as a Presenting Partner, along with Goldwind Americas, who was the event’s Program Stream Partner.

“We are proud to support the Canadian Renewable Energy Forum,” said Paul van der Weg, Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy Limited’s Managing Director, Canada. “As a leader in reliable renewable-energy generation in Canada, we are committed to creating long-term solutions for our customers and supporting efforts to further grow the Canadian Renewables market. We see the Forum as an excellent way to engage in dialogue with our industry partners to achieve these goals.”

In addition to attending a full roster of virtual presentations, attendees were also able to connect with one another though the Forum’s chat and video conferencing tools, as well as four daily “Power Together” networking sessions, and peruse a virtual showcase of renewable energy exhibitors.

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