April 10 and 11, 2024 Hyatt Regency Calgary Calgary, Alberta
Photo: Nearly 300 people attended CanREA’s Operations Summit in Calgary on April 10-11, 2024, a unique conference devoted to the operation of renewable energy and energy storage sites across Canada.
Canada’s Operators community gathered to talk shop, network and discover the latest innovations in the industry at CanREA’s Ops Summit.
The fourth annual edition of CanREA’s Operations Summit, the largest conference and exhibition was devoted to the operations and maintenance of renewable energy and energy storage sites in Canada.
In response to the extreme weather issues facing Canadian Operators in 2023, such as forest fires, air quality, flooding and hurricanes, the theme of the 2024 event was “Operating in a changing climate.” Operators learned best practices in dealing with difficult conditions, shared lessons learned from past experiences, and discussed the various ways in which they are planning for the future, to continue successfully operating renewable energy and energy-storage sites in Canada’s changing climate.
The program offered unmatched learning opportunities, including well balanced wind and solar technical tracks with specialized and highly technical concurrent sessions, as well as H&S, workforce development and, of course, operations-focused sessions relevant to every operator and across all technologies.
A particular highlight was the National Solar Operators Roundtable and the National Wind Operators Roundtable, where Operators from coast to coast shared their experiences, gave advice, brainstormed solutions to common problems, and forged valuable connections. These important sessions built on the excellent work done by CanREA’s Regional Operators groups throughout the year.
The two-day event included great networking opportunities for connecting face-to-face with others in Canada’s Operators community, as well as an exciting exhibition floor showcasing innovative products and interesting services for this industry.
Photo: CanREA’s Mathieu Côté and Mary MacLean welcomed attendees for the CanREA Operations Summit 2024 in Calgary, Alberta.Photo:The Operations Summit opened with an important panel discussion on “Operating in a changing climate,” which discussed tools and strategies operators can use to adjust to changing wind and solar regimes while maximizing climatic resiliency for their assets, infrastructure and the grid. Moderated by CanREA Board member Jackie Forrest (Arc Energy), the panel included Charles Godreau (Nergica), David Smith (Wood PLC), George Fan (Marsh Canada) and Anna Lafoyiannis (Electric Power Research Institute). Photo:The Operations Summit always pays special attention to workforce development for the renewable energy industry. This year, CanREA’s Mary MacLean moderated a plenary on “CanREA’s National Workforce Strategy in Action.” This session showcased of all the work CanREA’s Operations program has done over the past two years with the goal of supporting people across their employment journey and allowing both industry and non-profits to support people’s career paths. Thank you to panelists Kathryn Wagner (Inside Education), Brodie Yyelland (Emerging Leaders for Clean Energy), Patty Charlton (Nova Scotia Community College), and Nketti Johnston-Taylor (Calgary Region Immigrant Employment Council). Photo: A great time was had by all at the networking reception concluding day one of CanREA’s Operations Summit in Calgary. Operators from across Canada gathered to learn, listen and share experiences at the conference, and to talk shop and connect at the networking reception, held in the conference’s bustling Exhibition Hall.Photo:CanREA’s Operations Summit 2024 featured not one, but two National Operators Roundtables, one for wind operators and one for solar operators. Mathieu Côté led the discussion as attendees compared experiences from across the country, shared best practices, near misses and ‘good to know’ elements, brainstormed solutions to common problems, and provided feedback that will shape the future of CanREA’s Operators program. Photo: The day two plenary session focused on “Natural Disasters from a Health and Safety Perspective,” with a presentation of lessons learned, followed by a broader discussion regarding what tools or strategies could be used to prepare for such events, and what tactics to employ when recovering from them. Thank you to moderator Jen Aitchison (Renewable Risk Consulting) and panelists Jordan Heavenor (Capital Power), Patrick Norris (Irth Solutions) and Luz Mendez (Northland Power).Photo: CanREA’s Operations Summit 2024 wrapped up with a special kind of Closing Remarks: “Ask us Anything about the Alberta Market.” Thanks to CanREA’s resident Alberta policy experts, Vittoria Bellissimo (President & CEO) and Evan Wilson (Vice President of Policy—Western Canada and National Affairs), for giving attendees a real-time look at the changes affecting the Alberta market and how they could affect existing projects on the ground. Moderated by Matt Côté, Director of CanREA’s Operators Program.
Thank you to our Sponsors
CanREA wishes to thank all attendees, exhibitors and event sponsors for helping to make this year’s Operations Summit a success. A special thank you to:
Health and Safety Sponsor Liberty PowerLunch Sponsor PandellLunch Sponsor GoldwindMobile App Sponsor Energy Safety CanadaHospitality Sponsor EDF RenewablesHospitality Sponsor SparkPowerSession Sponsor Irth
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