To help meet Canada’s climate change goals, the University of Regina has launched the Canadian Energy Transition Hub (CETH) to assist with the country’s clean-energy solution.
Canada has joined 120 countries in committing to net zero carbon emissions by 2050, which means our carbon emissions will be offset by an equal amount of carbon being removed or absorbed from the atmosphere. This ambitious goal will require significant expansion of low-carbon energy technologies involving collaborations between researchers, government, industry, the public, and our communities.
Residing within the university’s already-established Clean Energy Technologies Research Institute (CETRI), CETH will connect government and industry with research.
University of Regina associate professor of engineering Dr. Hussam Ibrahim, director of CETRI explains that the Hub will focus on research related to carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS), nuclear energy, hydrogen energy, and renewable energy.
“Our team will facilitate connections between the supply and demand sides of the energy transition equation,” said Ibrahim. “If you are in the energy industry and have an energy transition-related problem to solve or opportunity to pursue, then our Hub will connect you with researchers who have expertise across a wide spectrum of disciplines as well as the research infrastructure at the lab, pilot, and demonstration scale.”
Hub researcher and U of R geologist Dr. Janis Dale, who has been working on geothermal energy processes for decades noted, “Our geothermal working group is expanding our expertise in harnessing geothermal potential with a working geothermal facility on campus that will serve as a living lab for research and training of future highly-qualified workers in the field.”
Dale added that the team behind the geothermal demonstration project will help address specific industrial challenges, as well as champion and encourage the use of geothermal in Saskatchewan by exploring its potential to produce electrical energy or directly heat air and water for various applications.
The Canada Energy Transition Hub brings together researchers across disciplines to provide a “one stop shop” for those looking for information on renewable energy. Researchers working together from different fields will create a thorough understanding of the future of renewable energy in Saskatchewan and Canada.
More information is available here.
