Effective July 1, 2020, the Canadian Renewable Energy Association is the new multi-technology industry association that provides a unified voice for solar energy, wind energy, and energy storage in Canada. It has been created by uniting the Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA) and the Canadian Solar Industries Association (CanSIA) into a new, expanded association that also includes energy storage. 

The new association is being launched against the backdrop of a global pandemic, which has fueled a debate about Canada's energy future and the acceleration of the ongoing transition to a cleaner, low-carbon economy.

"The Canadian Renewable Energy Association will be advocating for investment in wind energy, solar energy and energy storage projects that can deliver both jobs and economic benefits today, as well as the infrastructure that will provide a foundation for significantly more investment in the jobs, economic activity and energy solutions of tomorrow," said Robert Hornung, the founding President and CEO of the Canadian Renewable Energy Association. "While this has been a time of tremendous challenge for our country, the pandemic also presents Canada with an opportunity to invest in sustainable pathways for addressing economic and environmental challenges."

If Canada is to meet its target of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, a significantly expanded non-emitting electricity grid will be needed to support increased use of electricity in transportation, buildings and industry. Success will require wind energy, solar energy and energy storage technologies to play a critical role in this effort.

In Canada and around the world, electricity systems are rapidly innovating and modernizing to leverage new technologies and wind energy, solar energy and energy storage are rapidly becoming the low-cost solution for Canada's future electricity needs. The rapid growth of wind energy, solar energy and energy storage solutions around the world is also enhancing the reliability, flexibility and scalability of energy production and use.

The solutions provided by our technologies present exciting new opportunities for investment. Bloomberg projects US $9.5 trillion in global investment in wind and solar energy between 2018 and 2050 and almost US $1 trillion more in batteries for energy storage. These figures represent 77 per cent of the total projected global investment in power generation over that period.

The scalability of wind energy, solar energy and energy storage means these technologies can transform Canada's energy system by providing solutions at both micro and macro scales. At the micro level, distributed energy resources can be deployed to convert remote communities from diesel generators to sustainable micro-grids using solar panels and industrial-sized batteries. They can promote increased energy self-sufficiency through deployment of rooftop solar panels in neighbourhoods across the country or on big-city office buildings or university campuses. On a larger, utility scale, these technologies can be deployed in complementary ways to supply and support the broader electricity grid, or they can be used in hybrid applications where facilities use wind energy, solar energy and energy storage to provide utility-scale power.

"The 300+ members of our new Association will advocate for policies - federally and provincially - that facilitate and enable delivery of the low-cost, non-emitting solutions increasingly sought by Canadian electricity consumers," said Michelle Chislett, Interim Board Chair of the Canadian Renewable Energy Association, and Managing Director for Canada & U.S. Development at Northland Power. "Our members are ready and willing to help Canada capture the synergies that connect wind energy, solar energy and energy storage technologies." 

"The transition to clean and renewable sources of energy will have significant positive impacts for consumers, the economy and the environment," says Jason Chee-Aloy, Interim Board Vice Chair of the Canadian Renewable Energy Association and Managing Director at Power Advisory LLC. "The solar energy, wind energy and energy storage industries will help Canada reduce its emissions while also providing economic opportunities in urban centres, rural areas and in Indigenous communities across the country."

Background 

 ·       Robert Hornung was named the founding President and CEO of the Canadian Renewable Energy Association on May 19, 2020.

 ·       Headquartered in Ottawa, with regional offices across Canada, the Association will have both national influence as well as a regional presence to advocate for energy solutions that utilize wind energy, solar energy and energy storage. 

 ·       The Canadian Renewable Energy Association looks forward to continuing the important work of the Canadian Council on Renewable Electricity (CanCORE) in partnership with WaterPower Canada and Marine Renewables Canada. CanCORE, including CanWEA and CanSIA, published an op-ed in the Globe and Mail on why renewable energy should be the cornerstone of Canada's net zero strategy.

 ·       Electricity Transformation Canada, an exciting new exhibition and conference dedicated to the business of energy transformation, will launch in November 2020. It is a partnership between Hannover Fairs and the Canadian Renewable Energy Association.

Canadian Renewable Energy Association | renewablesassociation.ca