News

June 4, 2021

Canadian Wind Energy Research Network recently completed its inaugural meeting

The Canadian Wind Energy Research Network was successfully launched in March – April 2021 with a series of six webinars. These webinars had 45 speakers from 8 provinces, with a total of 88 attendees from 9 provinces and two territories. The map below shows the locations of the steering committee (orange cars), presenters (blue P’s), and attendees (purple stars).

The goal of this network is to create a forum for collaboration in wind energy research in Canada, as well as to accelerate the update and impact of research products. A follow up meeting was held in early June to talk about next steps with regards to collaborations, industry engagement, and funding opportunities.

The follow up meeting featured engaging speakers from Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) and the Canadian Renewable Energy Association (CanREA). Tom Levy and Ryan Kilpatrick from NRCan discussed the research priorities of NRCan and funding options for network participants. Phil McKay from CanREA led a discussion about how to bridge the gaps between research and industry.

From discussions held at the follow up meeting, it is clear that while there is significant funding currently available in the area of renewable energy as well as a wide range of research work currently underway with many industry/research partnerships, there are some gaps that must be filled. The Research Network is seeking ways to fill these gaps through facilitating connections between researchers and industry, educating industry on the value the research projects can provide, and engaging with government programs to ensure that industry and research needs are being met. 

For more information, please contact:

Marianne Rodgers, PhD
marianne.rodgers@weican.ca
Scientific Director
Wind Energy Institute of Canada
902-882-2746 ext. 207