Below is a selection of recent Transition Accelerator news stories, and media releases. To contact us with media inquiries or other speaking requests, please send an email to communications@transitionaccelerator.ca.
February 28, 2023
Financial Post
[Michael] Bernstein and his co-author, Bentley Allan, who is research director at Transition Accelerator, are among the first to attempt to measure the subsidy gap between Canada and the U.S. in the wake of the IRA, which proposes spending US$391 billion on tax credits and other incentives to encourage investment in clean energy, while foregoing a carbon tax and other measures aimed at curbing consumption of fossil fuels.
February 21, 2023
The Globe & Mail
The report… includes such staggering assessments as the U.S. guaranteeing as much as 20 times more government backing for electric-vehicle battery factories. And it shows Canada being outflanked even in pursuits, such as renewable hydrogen production, that Ottawa has presented as areas of strategic advantage.
It sheds light on urgent choices facing Ottawa about where to try to compete on subsidies, given the unlikelihood of matching Washington everywhere. And it makes the case for different funding mechanisms than Canada has previously used, to convince companies that green investments are no riskier than next door.
January 16, 2023
CBC
“I think the next 12 months is largely a proof of concept,” said David Layzell, an energy systems architect with the Transition Accelerator — a non-profit organization set up to help Canada reach its climate goals — and professor emeritus in biological sciences at the University of Calgary.
December 31, 2022
Financial Post
In this video interview, David Layzell, an energy systems architect with The Transition Accelerator, talks to the Financial Post’s Larysa Harapyn about the outlook for energy markets, energy security and the energy transition.
November 15, 2022
Corporate Knights
[Researcher Sean] McCoy says industry can eliminate fugitive methane emissions relatively cheaply. David Layzell, a Calgary-based energy systems expert with The Transition Accelerator, a net-zero think tank supported by Canadian charitable foundations, says the technology should quickly become viable as carbon levies rise under a Liberal government plan to gradually increase the carbon price to $170 a tonne by 2030.
November 14, 2022
The Logic
“When you’re trying to build a business case for charging infrastructure deployment, part of that business case is looking at the fees you would charge,” said Moe Kabbara, director of electrification at The Transition Accelerator, a charity trying to solve problems that get in the way of a greener economy.
September 16, 2022
Environment Journal
As global competitors vie for dominance in critical net-zero industries where Canada is well-positioned to lead, the country must act urgently to position itself for economic success or risk the jobs and long-term prosperity that Canadians depend on.
September 16, 2022
iPolitics
Speaking at a panel hosted by the Ivey Foundation in Ottawa, Bentley Allan, research director with the Transition Accelerator, a charitable organization, warned that Canada could lose its competitive advantage during its transition to a net-zero emissions economy.
AUGUST 24, 2022
The Financial Post
David Layzell, an energy systems architect at The Transition Accelerator, speaks to the Financial Post’s Larysa Harapyn about Canada’s deal with Germany to supply hydrogen, and why Canada has more opportunities than other countries to be a hydrogen leader.
AUGUST 8, 2022
The Logic
Canada is a top destination for mining-company public listings, and is one of just 20 countries with a U.S. free-trade agreement. If Canada got all of its mines currently in development into production, it could gain 35 per cent of the 2030 North American nickel and graphite markets, according to a report released last month by the Transition Accelerator. Canada could hit 12.5 per cent market share of lithium, the other key mineral in the EV supply chain, but that would be a “stretch goal,” according to the report.”
July 18, 2022
The Canadian Press
Dan Wicklum, president and CEO of non-profit advisory group The Transition Accelerator and the former CEO of the Canadian Oilsands Innovation Alliance, said the energy industry has formally evaluated the nuclear opportunity in the past and discarded it, largely because of cost. But he said the industry’s new target of net-zero emissions “changes everything.” “We can no longer just do the things we were going to do to reduce emissions. Optionality has fallen off the table for us,” Wicklum said. “In an emissions elimination paradigm, there’s no question that nuclear is being taken very seriously.”
July 14, 2022
Energi Media
Markham interviews Pat Hufnagel-Smith, Creative Links International, author of a study for the Transition Accelerator, Assessing the Workforce Required to Advance Canada’s Hydrogen Economy.
July 7, 2022
Medicine Hat News
Southeast Alberta has the building blocks to see hydrogen production and sales thrive in the region, but work is required to arrange and assemble the pieces, a report into the industrial potential for the clean-burning fuel says, released on Wednesday.
“Towards hydrogen” is a 213-page report commissioned last summer that was discussed at a noon-hour press conference at Medicine Hat city hall.
July 7, 2022
This Is Mining
Energy security. Environmental protection. Climate action. These ambitious goals set by the Government of Canada are often viewed as at odds with each other. But are they really? Or do they collectively represent a generational economic opportunity for Canadians? Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson, Anita Balakrishnan from The Logic and Bentley Allan from the Transition Accelerator join us to talk about opportunities and challenges facing Canada’s ambitions.
July 6, 2022
Daily Oil Bulletin
“It is known from various research studies, if you can drill sufficiently deep underground, say 12 kilometres, there’s really enough thermal energy in the earth to satisfy the entire planet’s energy needs, literally hundreds of times over,” said Ian Graham, who spoke alongside Thomas Homer-Dixon, both of the Cascade Institute, who discussed the EGS opportunity, during a webinar through the Transition Accelerator recently.
July 4, 2022
JWN Energy
“For Calgary’s David Layzell, the Congress’s theme speaks volumes. It’s the first time, that a fully-fledged hydrogen discussion will occur at a Congress — and its inclusion symbolizes the theme. That Canada was selected by the WPC to host and cast into action the energy transition theme is particularly germane, given the country’s progress on the hydrogen front”
June 5, 2022
Flux Capacitor
Recorded on Zoom at the end of May 2022, episode 63 features a conversation with Transition Accelerator CEO Dan Wicklum, and Canada Grid lead Paisley Sim about how the Transition accelerator works and the role of Canada Grid. We discuss the recent Emissions Reduction Plan from the government of Canada, the challenges of energy and environmental policy within the Canadian constitution’s division of powers between Ottawa and the provinces, and we talk about where leadership will need to come from.
April 27, 2022
The Calgary Herald
“What we are talking about doing is building a new value chain, essentially a new energy system, from the bottom up,” David Layzell said. “The export possibilities for the province are huge.”
April 20, 2022
Reuters
Canada’s Bruce Power is planning to produce carbon-free hydrogen via nuclear power, so-called ‘pink’ hydrogen, in one of the first projects of its kind in the world.
April 5, 2022
Flux Capacitor
Recorded at Globe Forum 2022 late March 2022, episode 58 features a conversation with Dr. Bruce Lourie, Board Chair, The Transition Accelerator and President, Ivey Foundation. We discuss the Transition Accelerator, its role in promoting pathways for the energy transition, the coal phase-out in Ontario (the single largest contributor to GHG reductions in Canada), the urgent need for collaboration between levels of government, the future role of hydrogen, and the challenges of meeting the short timelines of the 2030 GHG reduction targets. And we close with his recommendation for an addition to the Flux capacitor Book Club.
April 5, 2022
CBC News
“The general consensus is that we will need to double or triple the size of our electricity system between now and 2050,” said Bruce Lourie, chair of the non-profit advisory organization The Transition Accelerator.
February 21, 2022
La Presse
L’attribution par Québec de crédits compensatoires pour la destruction d’halocarbures dans le cadre du marché du carbone est inefficace et contre-productive, déplore un rapport très critique de l’Institut de l’énergie Trottier, de Polytechnique Montréal, et de l’Accélérateur de transition.
February 16, 2022
The Financial Post
This week on Down to Business two electricity experts Bruce Lourie and Gretchen Bakke talk about the many hurdles Canada will have to clear to get to net zero
December 28, 2021
The Financial Post
“This is kind of the third big push (for hydrogen),” said David Layzell, energy systems architect in Alberta at the Transition Accelerator, a non-profit that advises Canadian governments on a low-carbon economy. “This time feels different — this time is different.”
December 6, 2021
Energi Media
Markham Interviews Dr. James Meadowcroft, research director of The Transition Accelerator and professor in the School of Public Policy and Administration at Carleton University on the Net Zero Changes Everything Course
November 8, 2021
Energi Media
Dr. David Layzell, professor at the University of Calgary and energy systems architect for the Transition Accelerator speaks with Markham Hislop on the Alberta Hydrogen Roadmap.
November 5, 2021
The Globe and Mail
Research Director David Layzel comments on Alberta’s new Hydrogen Roadmap in the Globe and Mail.
October 27, 2021
CBC Calgary
Dr. David Layzell discusses hydrogen’s place in our energy future.
October 19, 2021
iPolitics
Canada Grid Managing Director Philip Duguay and Chief Sharleen Gale of the Fort Nelson First Nation on why First Nations want to be part of climate solutions while ensuring their communities prosper.
September 28, 2021
The Globe and Mail
The Transition Accelerator was proud to be appart the launch of Accelerate, Canada’s ZEV Supply Chain Alliance.
August 18, 2021
Our David Layzell on the 360 on Energy and Carbon Podcast discussing the future of Hydrogen in our country.
August 13, 2021
The Southeast Alberta Hydrogen Task Force, an independent working group created to establish a framework to implement a hydrogen economy in Southeast Alberta, was officially launched.
august 5, 2021
The Hill Times
Ivey Foundation President Bruce Lourie and Canada Grid managing director Philip Duguay discuss how Canada is an outlier when it comes to regional power planning.
july 16, 2021
Energi Media
Canada Grid managing director Philip Duguay speaks with Markham Hislop on grid integration and how it builds resiliency accross North America.
july 16, 2021
Canada Grid managing director Philip Duguay discusses the need for provinces and US states to come together for vast grid integration.
july 15, 2021
Radio-Canada Le Café Show
Pierre-Oliver Pineau speaks with Radio-Canada about the importance of grid integration.
july 15, 2021
Global News Edmonton
Ivey Foundation president Bruce Lourie and Canada Grid Managing Director Phillip Duguay discuss the need to build a more resillient grid accross Canada.
april 15, 2021
Edmonton Journal
Transition Accelerator president and CEO Dan Wicklum said in the coming months and years, people will begin to see trucks, buses and trains operating with hydrogen power.
April 14, 2021
The Globe and Mail
Canada’s first hydrogen hub launched Wednesday just outside Edmonton, a $2-million effort that will act as a focal point for developing a domestic industry that is projected to be worth $50-billion to $100-billion each year by 2050.
April 14, 2021
Global News Edmonton
Edmonton Region Hydrogen HUB launch coverage and interview with Dan Wicklum starts at the 11:45 mark.
April 14, 2021
CHED Afternoons with J’lyn Nye
Interview with Mayor Alanna Hnatiw and Dan Wicklum on the launch of Edmonton Region Hydrogen HUB
April 13, 2021
The Narwhal
“The world is in a hydrogen fervour,” Dan Wicklum, president and CEO of the Transition Accelerator, a Canadian charity advocating for “transformational change,” says on a video call.
december 16, 2020
The Globe and Mail
The Transition Accelerator, a climate-focused non-profit pushing for the development of a hydrogen economy in Alberta, consulted on the federal hydrogen strategy. Its chief executive officer, Dan Wicklum, told The Globe and Mail the plan is a rare instance where all parts of Canada could benefit economically from the move to reduce emissions to net-zero by 2050.
January 28, 2021
CBC News
A new report from Canada’s private-sector funded Transition Accelerator insists governments must continue to pick winners to rebuild Canada’s economy, and has some suggestions of what that should look like.
november 19, 2020
The National Observer
Alberta is at a climate crossroads, and a group of Edmonton-area mayors believe they have hit upon a solution. The province’s Industrial Heartland Hydrogen Task Force, led by the mayors of Edmonton, Fort Saskatchewan, and Sturgeon, Strathcona and Lamont counties, is advocating for a hydrogen economy to be based in their region.
november 17, 2020
The Financial Post
Wicklum said governments previously tried to reduce emissions by mandating certain sectors reduce their emissions to targeted levels either through regulation or taxation, but a hydrogen-based energy system could enable countries around the world to set and meet net-zero carbon targets.
november 16, 2020
ARC Ideas Podcast
This week our guests are Mayor Alanna Hnatiw of Sturgeon County (the home of Alberta’s Industrial Heartland) and Mayor Don Iveson from the City of Edmonton. Both Mayors are leaders on the Alberta Industrial Heartland Hydrogen Task Force. The group just released a report on the market potential for hydrogen in the region, titled: “Building a Transition Pathway To A Vibrant Hydrogen Economy In The Alberta Industrial Heartland.”
november 16, 2020
Global News
A study released Monday says that an area northeast of Edmonton would be an ideal spot to develop Alberta’s hydrogen industry. The study, put together for Alberta’s Industrial Heartland Hydrogen Task Force by the energy emissions research group Transition Accelerator, says the region could be developed into a hub that supplies hydrogen to the Edmonton area and beyond.
november 16, 2020
The Transition Accelerator
Released today, the new report from Alberta’s Industrial Heartland Hydrogen Task Force lays out a roadmap for how to implement a hydrogen as fuel economy in the Greater Edmonton Region.
november 9, 2020
Electric Autonomy Canada
Enter the Canadian ZEV Industry Coalition — a new initiative that is the result of the combined efforts of The Transition Accelerator and Electric Mobility Canada groups and supported by Dunsky Energy Consulting.
november 9, 2020
The Transition Accelerator
The Transition Accelerator and Electric Mobility Canada (supported by Dunsky Energy Consulting) are pleased to announce the launch of a new initiative aimed at building a robust, cross-Canada Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) industry supply chain.
october 6, 2020
Global News
The UCP government believes Alberta is in a prime position to become a world leader in hydrogen. The fuel is being touted as a potential game changer for the province’s natural gas sector. Provincial affairs reporter Tom Vernon interviews The Transition Accelerator CEO Dan Wicklum.
september 15, 2020
ARC Energy Ideas Podcast
A recently published Transition Accelerator report suggests that hydrogen could represent a $C 100 billion per year economic opportunity for Canada. This week our guests are Dan Wicklum, President and CEO of the Transition Accelerator and David Layzell, Research Director at the Transition Accelerator.
september 9, 2020
Corporate Knights – Max Fawcett
“I think we’re just in the first few months of a fundamental retooling of energy systems that could very well dominate for generations to come,” says Dan Wicklum, CEO of The Transition Accelerator, a pan-Canadian non-profit dedicated to maximizing Canadian opportunities in the ongoing energy transition.
august 18, 2020
National Observer – David McKie
“People balk at big, public infrastructure spending, but my gosh, take a look at the history of this country,” says Dan Wicklum. “Pipelines and rural roads and highways. There’s always big public investment. That is something that other countries are doing and Canada needs to do as well.”
july 22, 2020
Research Money – Mark Mann
As R$ correspondent Mark Lowey has reported, momentum is growing rapidly to build a clean hydrogen economy in Canada, providing a “transition pathway” for the fossil fuel industry to start producing “blue hydrogen” by upgrading natural gas, while capturing and storing the carbon.
july 15, 2020
Edmonton Journal – David Staples
“This is California saying they are exterminating internal combustion engines for trucks before 2050,” says Dan Wicklum, CEO of the Transition Accelerator, a new non-profit group pushing technological transformation and greenhouse gas reduction in Canada.
june 19, 2020
The Globe and Mail – Adam Radwanski
In an interview, Dan Wicklum – who heads the Transition Accelerator, a new non-profit leading the Canadian hydrogen push – said he expects the strategy that Ottawa is promising this summer will “set a context” rather than commit funding. But he argued for the public money to start flowing very shortly thereafter, ideally through the establishment of a new independent entity.
Publié le 9 Juin, 2020
Radio-Canada – Tiphanie Roquette
“Tout comme le diésel a dominé les générations passées, l’hydrogène pourrait très bien être la source principale d’énergie des générations futures,” rêve Dan Wicklum, qui est le PDG de l’Accélérateur de transition, l’organisme qui chapeaute le groupe de travail.
may 14, 2020
The Transition Accelerator
Alberta’s Industrial Heartland Hydrogen Task Force, an independent working group created to develop a framework to implement a hydrogen economy in the region, was officially launched today.
may 19, 2020
The Globe and Mail – Adam Radwanski
Transition Accelerator CEO Dan Wicklum says that if governments invest in hydrogen infrastructure in the region, such as fuelling stations, it could help establish enough demand to encourage nationwide scale-up and exports.
may 14, 2020
Corporate Knights – David Layzell and Dan Wicklum
Picture a Canada where hydrogen is the focus of a pan-Canadian strategy that would have all provinces working together for a net-zero emission energy future that revitalizes our economy and again positions Canada as an energy superpower.