Grant: Industrial Research Chairs

Research in areas that are in the national interest from a social and economic perspective such as environmental science and technologies, and natural resources and energy is the strategic focus of Canada's Science and Technology framework. Therefore, the development of renewable energy technologies and improvement of electrical machine's energy efficiency, key objectives of the industrial partner, Hydro-Québec, and therefore the focus of the original and the proposed IRC renewal research program, fits perfectly into Canada's S&T strategy.The original NSERC Industrial Research Chair program (2009-2014) focused on two principal areas of research: electrical machine energy efficiency and the efficient generation of power from small scale renewable energy sources. The research included both theoretical and experimental components on emerging technologies that can be applied to the development of sustainable energy systems for Hydro-Québec customers. The research program thus focused on the more detailed calculation and measurements of electrical machine efficiency and the development of renewable energy technologies for distributed energy systems. The research program can contribute to increased use of renewable energy sources such as wind, biomass and osmosis power, in particular for applications in distributed energy systems, leading to decreased use of fossil fuels. The NSERC/Hydro-Québec Industrial Research Chair has added the complementary aspect of energy efficiency in machines and the efficient conversion of renewable energy to the existing strengths. This has created a holistic approach to research into the topic of sustainable communities which will benefit not only the industrial partner Hydro-Québec, but also the Québec and Canadian society overall. In light of the global imperative to develop sustainable energy alternatives, this research program is extremely pertinent.