Ontario Centres of Excellence Injects $28 Million Into Breakthrough Clean Energy Technologies
Major investment in groundbreaking clean energy technologies promises to reshape the way Ontarians use and think about energy
Toronto, Ontario – February 11, 2008

– The Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE) Inc. and its industry and academic partners today announced an investment of $28 million in the research and development of six groundbreaking clean energy projects that promise to create cleaner and more efficient ways for Ontarians to generate, consume and manage energy.

• The six projects address issues critical to Ontario’s energy sustainability:
• The demand for solar power as a viable, cost effective alternative energy source;
• The need for systems and programs to help people manage their energy consumption;
• The ability to access clean energy alternatives.

These innovative made-in-Ontario technologies will benefit consumers, institutions and industry alike by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, delivering economic returns and putting Ontario on the forefront of clean energy production, distribution and consumption.

Today’s announcement of $13 million from OCE and $15 million from industry will be shared among the six projects involving breakthrough technologies in hydrogen, solar power and energy conservation and demand management. This unique collaborative effort brings together industry leaders with academic experts from universities across the province, fostering world-class research in clean energy options, and is supported by 100 undergraduate to PhD researchers.

“OCE is committed to playing a significant role in transforming the energy sector to establish Ontario as a world leader in clean energy through the commercialization of innovative solutions,” said David McFadden, Chair, OCE Board of Directors, who made the announcement with The Honourable John Wilkinson, Minister of Research and Innovation, at the Accelerator Centre in Waterloo, Ontario. “The projects unveiled today promise to reshape the way Ontarians use and think about energy,” added McFadden.

“Today’s investment builds on the considerable talent of our world-class researchers to ensure Ontario maintains leadership in growing sectors and consistently turns global challenges – such as climate change and environmental sustainability – into opportunities for Ontario,” said Wilkinson. “These projects represent the strong partnerships among our top researchers, global business leaders and government that will provide Ontarians with a cleaner environment, a higher quality of life and more opportunities for success.”

“Ontario has the skills, talent and technology to address many clean energy challenges – from generation to consumption, in both the short and long-term – not only across the province, but on a worldwide scale as well,” said McFadden. “To ensure these challenges are met, OCE is committed to connecting industry with academia to help bring cutting-edge research out of the laboratory and into the marketplace.”

In selecting the projects, OCE first engaged a wide range of Ontario’s energy sector leaders to clearly identify gaps and market needs before calling for project proposals. The overwhelming response of more than 100 expressions of interest reflects the province’s depth and breadth of innovative capacity for clean energy solutions. After a rigorous selection process, an expert panel recommended investment in six projects picked for their disruptive characteristics, promise of significant economic benefit to the province, research excellence and potential to transform the marketplace. 

One project will be an effort to reduce diesel dependency in remote Northern Ontario communities.  This partnership aims to develop a low-carbon community energy system that combines wind turbines specifically designed for extreme Northern climates, with a storage system that uses hydrogen and a fuel cell to generate electricity. This off-grid hybrid power system provides a lower-cost, environmentally friendly solution to alleviate the significant financial burden of diesel power systems on remote communities. A key element of the project focuses on developing best practice methods for community engagement with respect to mapping energy needs with the alternative resources available, resulting in customized conservation programming.

Led by the University of Waterloo, project partners include Hydro One Remote Communities Inc. and the Nishnawbe Aski Development Fund (Thunder Bay).