Submit your proposals before December 8, 2023
CanREA invites renewable-energy operations experts across industry and academia to submit their presentation ideas for the 2024 Operations Summit. We’re calling for abstracts for approximately 30 speaking spots in Canada’s largest wind, solar and energy storage operations event, which will take place in Calgary on April 10 and 11, 2024.
We’re expecting more than 300 attendees, 30 exhibitors and 30 speakers, all focused on optimizing operations practices for Canada’s wind, solar and energy-storage sites. This is a fleet that is set for substantial growth: In fact, CanREA has identified the opportunity for an additional 30 GW of wind and solar energy deployment by 2030!
Click here for more information on the CanREA Operations Summit 2024.
Theme: Adapting to a Changing Climate
The overall theme of this year’s Operations Summit is “Adapting to a Changing Climate”. While CanREA is interested in all abstracts, we will prioritize those that showcase best practices of adaptation, and demonstrate appropriate responses to a changing climate, in relation to weather, policy, workforce or regulatory concerns.
CanREA is looking for unique ideas that come from a place of experience and knowledge. Tell us about the practical ways your solar farm has dealt with changing snow loads, explain how your financial models have adapted to less reliable resource forecasting, or bring forward research and engineering that will better prepare renewables sites for an increase in forest fires, hurricanes or other extreme weather events. What puts you at the leading edge of industry innovation?
The program will focus on two distinct streams (Wind Technical and Solar Technical), described in detail below.
Why submit an abstract?
Presenters at the CanREA Operations Summit 2024 will have an opportunity to share their experience and expertise with peers and colleagues, and to “talk shop” with owners, operators and manufacturers, people who are keenly interested in facing the challenges being addressed. Other benefits include:
- Meet and network with industry peers
- Demonstrate professional credibility by sharing your knowledge
- Learn from others by discussing topics of common interest and concern
- Grow your network, establish new contacts and identify new business opportunities
- Showcase your organization’s accomplishments
- And much more!
Instructions
- Please select the program stream, category and topic that best suit your presentation idea, then make a compelling case for why your presentation would make an important contribution to the CanREA Operations Summit 2024,
- Please indicate who you plan to target (which type of professionals or specialists would be interested in what you have to say?).
- Abstracts should be 200-250 words in length.
- Abstracts must be submitted electronically using the abstract submission form (see below).
- Abstracts must be submitted before the deadline of Friday, December 8, 2023.
- During the selection process, CanREA members in good standing will be prioritized over non-members.
- Notification of acceptance will be completed by the end of December 2023.
CanREA looks forward to reading your presentation abstracts, and to seeing you at the CanREA Operations Summit 2024!
Streams
The program will focus on two distinct streams: Wind Technical and Solar Technical. In addition, we will accept abstracts in the category of “general programming,” to identify key topics appropriate for a more generalized audience.
Wind Technical
For the Wind Technical stream, CanREA’s Operations Summit is looking for presentations describing the leading edge of the wind industry. For instance, it could describe best practices on gearboxes, research on blade considerations, technology advancement on resource forecasting, or other technical topics, such as:
Case studies:
- Long term / OEM Agreements vs. Self-Perform
- Lift vs. Ladder
- Aligning incentives with the OEM
- Ergonomic tooling / lifting devices
Technology advancements:
- Condition Monitoring Systems
- Advances in blade vortexes
- Anemometer considerations
- Lidar
- Weather forecasting
Health and Safety considerations particular to wind:
- Lighting protection / warning systems
- Fall arrest systems
- High-Angle rescue considerations
- Partnerships with local Fire/Rescue organizations
Solar Technical
For the Solar Technical Stream, CanREA’s Operations Summit is looking for engaging speakers to share the most efficient technologies and strategies used in either operations and maintenance (O&M) or research and development (R&D), as well as other unique challenges and opportunities in this space, such as:
Maintenance:
- Panel Cleaning (dust, snow)
O&M Performance:
- Solar improvement stories using new technologies
Utility-scale storage:
- Lessons learned
- What operators need to know
- Warranty tie-in considerations for wind & solar
Automation / AI / Efficiency:
- Using data to improve performance
- Automating processes: Lessons learned
- Leveraging technology to increase efficiency
- Getting beyond pilot projects
- Deployment at scale / change management
Preventative maintenance:
- Advantages of preventative maintenance
- Operational experience of moving to preventative maintenance cycle
- Practical steps towards proactive O&M
Plant lifetime extension:
- Leveraging data to extend the lifetime of the asset
- Effect of an operator: Maximizing installation runtime
- Strategies to prepare for operation beyond design lifetime
- Reliability of operation – minimizing opex, maximizing revenue
General Programming
Health and Safety:
- Human and organizational performance
- Doing more with less: Human factors and performance / efficiency
- Ergonomics and new technology to assist workers
Workforce Development:
- Effects on employee retention
- Mental Health / Burnout
- Onboarding efficiency and maintaining safety
- Internal upskilling: Promoting from within vs external hires
- Development pathways
- Succession planning
- Training managers in staff motivation / engagement
- How to attract / retain staff (trades, engineers, managers)
- Maximizing workforce entry points
- Increasing accessibility for under-represented groups
- Getting workers engaged in the development of work processes
Insurance
Recycling and Circular Economy:
- End of life, and life cycle impacts
Supply Chain and Logistics
Site Maintenance:
- Fixed term service agreements and self-maintenance: lessons learned
Fleet efficiency :
- Best vehicle choice for fuel economy
- Driving change in driving habits
- Fleet electrification (Range, maintenance, infrastructure)
- Routing considerations to minimize drive time
Extreme Weather Events
- Case studies of site adaptations for extreme weather events (i.e., wildfire, flooding, hurricanes, storms, resource changes
- Preventative maintenance