Hydropower experts from across the country reconvened at the industry’s annual national event to discuss advancing projects and investments including hydropower refurbishments, pumped storage hydro, inter-provincial transmission, and green hydrogen in Canada to achieve 2030 Paris Agreement climate goals.
OTTAWA, ON, Oct. 8, 2021 /CNW/ – More than 300 participants and national leading experts in hydropower came together over the past three days for the 2021 Canadian Waterpower Week – Canada’s preeminent event for hydroelectricity producers, supply-chain partners and policy makers, hosted by national trade association WaterPower Canada.
“What was most striking about this year’s event was the strong sense of urgency shared by presenters and participants,” said Anne-Raphaëlle Audouin, President and CEO of WaterPower Canada. “We’ve got less than a decade now to meet ambitious and essential emissions reduction targets, and our industry is ready to play what can only be an instrumental role. But what the Conference also highlighted is the need to move from targets to action.”
Dolf Gielen (Director, Innovation and Technology Center, International Renewable Energy Agency) helped set and reinforce the tone of hydropower as critical element in energy transition during his opening keynote address at the conference.
“The world needs an accelerated energy transition going forward, and hydropower has to play a key role,” said Gielen. “We need new hydropower capacity, but also we need modernizing and upgrading of the existing hydropower capacity. Flexibility and storage systems of hydropower can complement solar and wind going forward, and sustainability of hydropower is key in this development.”