Events
Climate Connections:
Power Edition
- Date: February 22, 2024
- Time: 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
- Cost: Free
- Venue: Zoom
- Organizer: Foresight
Electrification is a significant pathway to realizing a net zero future.
Current infrastructure will not be able to keep up with increasing consumer demands and growing pressures from the electrification of the built environment and mobility sectors. Electricity grids will need to evolve in order to meet Canada’s Net Zero Grid goal by 2035. Regional grids across the country have their own characteristics and regulations to meet, and many factors will need to be considered to power an increasingly electrified system.
This session brings to light specific challenges the industry faces in meeting the Net Zero Grid goal as industry players share their specific pain points in transitioning to an emission-free grid.
Speakers
Jay Wilson, Director, Net Zero and Electrification, Electricity Canada
Jay Wilson is the Director of Net Zero and Electrification at Electricity Canada. Electricity Canada is the national voice of the electricity sector, representing electricity companies that generate, transmit, and distribute electric power to customers in all provinces and territories. An environmental scientist by training, Jay has worked on the interface of energy and climate policy in Canada for over a decade in industry and government. Jay's work focuses on managing risks and maximizing opportunities for electricity companies during the transition to a lower carbon, more electrified future. Jay has been advising startups since 2021 and holds a MASc in Environmental Applied Science and Management and an EMBA.
Malcolm Metcalfe, Founder (Enbala) and CRD Technical Lead, IBET Climate
Malcolm, an electrical engineer with over 40 years of experience in energy, began his career as a hydro plant operator while still a student. Graduating from UBC in 1967 and earning an M.A.Sc. (EE) in 1970, he worked for Leeds and Northrup and later for BC Hydro, specializing in designing Automatic Generation Control systems. In 1979, Malcolm served on the organizing staff for The Duke of Edinburgh’s Commonwealth Study Conference and later became the founding Executive Director of the Governor General’s Canadian Leadership Conference, receiving the LVO from Queen Elizabeth II in 1999. After early retirement, he founded Enbala Power Networks, where he currently serves as the CTO and remains actively involved in the energy field, teaching engineering courses at UBCO and pursuing a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering focused on integrating renewable energy into the power grid.
About Climate Connections
The climate imperative presents enormous challenges for industries that must now align their strategy and operations with the goal of a low-carbon economy. As industry steps up to meet these pressing climate challenges, there are exciting new opportunities for the translation of research into impact.
Enter Climate Connections, our problem-driven event series that connects solution-seekers from industry with researchers and innovators from academia, and fosters cross-sector connections to address the climate challenge.
Through structured conversations with academic researchers, innovators and entrepreneurs, we’ll unpack and explore their challenges and help align research with commercial opportunities.
