Calgary hosts Canada’s largest wind, solar and energy-storage operations conference and exhibition.
Calgary, April 11, 2024—Nearly 300 people assembled in Calgary this week for CanREA’s Operations Summit, Canada’s largest conference and exhibition devoted to the operation of renewable energy and energy storage sites.
“This is the fourth annual edition of our Operations Summit, and it’s the first time we hosted in Calgary,” said Vittoria Bellissimo, CanREA’s President and CEO. “This event brings together wind, solar and energy storage operators to learn from each other and improve how they operate facilities across Canada—making them safer, more resilient and more efficient.”
This annual CanREA event is geared for those who construct, operate and supply this country’s expanding fleet of wind, solar, and energy storage assets: these are the people who deliver the nuts and bolts of Canada’s energy transition. Fittingly, this year’s theme was “Operating in a Changing Climate.”
“Operators are on the front lines of climate change,” said Mathieu Côté, Director of CanREA’s Operators Program. “At the Operations Summit, we asked them to share the best practices, lessons learned and technologies they are using to ensure the safe, reliable and effective operations of Canada’s renewable energy sites, even as our wind and solar regimes are getting less predictable and our sites are being subjected to increasingly extreme weather events.”
Through interesting discussions and engaging presentations, the conference program covered highly technical operations topics, such as how to build a cost-effective solar maintenance program, turbine blade issues and how to avoid them, and natural disasters from a Health and Safety perspective.
It 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.
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 Power, Lunch Sponsors Pandell and Goldwind, Mobile App Sponsor Energy Safety Canada, Hospitality Sponsors EDF Renewables and SparkPower, and Session Sponsor Irth.
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Photos
Media can contact CanREA for more high-resolution photos. A photo album from the Summit will be available soon, here.
Quotes
“This is the fourth annual edition of our Operations Summit, and it’s the first time we hosted in Calgary. This event brings together wind, solar and energy storage operators to learn from each other and improve how they operate facilities across Canada—making them safer, more resilient and more efficient.”
—Vittoria Bellissimo, President and CEO, Canadian Renewable Energy Association
“Operators are on the front lines of climate change. At the Operations Summit, we asked them to share the best practices, lessons learned and technologies they are using to ensure the safe, reliable and effective operations of Canada’s renewable energy sites, even as our wind and solar regimes are getting less predictable and our sites are being subjected to increasingly extreme weather events.”
— Mathieu Côté, Operators Program Director, Canadian Renewable Energy Association
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Communications
Canadian Renewable Energy Association
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About CanREA
The Canadian Renewable Energy Association (CanREA) is the voice for wind energy, solar energy and energy storage solutions that will power Canada’s energy future. We work to create the conditions for a modern energy system through stakeholder advocacy and public engagement. Our diverse members are uniquely positioned to deliver clean, low-cost, reliable, flexible and scalable solutions for Canada’s energy needs. For more information on how Canada can use wind energy, solar energy and energy storage to help achieve its net-zero commitments, consult “Powering Canada’s Journey to Net-Zero: CanREA’s 2050 Vision.” Follow us on Twitter/X and LinkedIn. Subscribe to our newsletter here. Learn more at renewablesassociation.ca.