Grant: Extend Innovation Enhancement Grants

In Canada, energy production and consumption accounts for 81% of national greenhouse gas emissions. This is higher than the global average due to Canada's extreme temperatures and a population dispersed across great distances. Although these factors present obstacles to Canada's transition to lower-carbon energy systems, they also provide the opportunity to advance Canadian renewable energy and clean technology sectors. In Ontario, 33% of electricity generation is from renewable sources. By 2021, an expected 56,500 jobs in Ontario are expected to be created, in the renewable energy and clean technology sector generating $3 billion in employment earnings, and contributing $5.4 billion to provincial GDP. The Greater Toronto Area (GTA) is the hub of the sector in Ontario. In the GTA, it employs over 36,000 people at over 1,700 companies. Over the past 15 years, Centennial College has developed extensive expertise and facilities to support renewable energy applied research, including a team of highly experienced researchers and the development of core infrastructure. Centennial College's NSERC IE (2012-2018) supported a renewable energy research program focused on conducting renewable energy technology demonstrations, testing, and prototype evaluation to help Toronto-area SMEs overcome technical challenges and bring products to market. As these technologies have become commodified, the need for applied research by Canadian industry has shifted to new technologies. Extensive industry consultations throughout 2018-19 led to Centennial College focusing on helping SMEs overcome the product development challenges of technologies that store, manage and optimize energy. This proposal presents a research program involving seven partner companies (with more expected to join as the program gets underway) with technology development goals in this area.