This new hub will create a national network of experts in energy and electricity modeling, policy development, and other disciplines that will guide the transformation of our complex energy systems, providing evidence-based advice and home-grown solutions. By engaging modellers with policymakers across the country, this network will help address the data-to-policy disconnect, permitting modeling work to inform interventions needed to address the most pressing energy policy issues.

The four-year project is led by Professor Normand Mousseau and Professor Louis Beaumier, (both, Trottier Energy Institute, Polytechnique Montreal),and Professor Madeleine McPherson (University of Victoria's Institute for Integrated Energy Systems), and Professor Blake Shaffer (University of Calgary's School of Public Policy).

Federal funding for this project comes from Natural Resources Canada's Smart Renewable Energy and Electrification Pathways (SREP) program, which offers $964 million over four years to fund smart renewable energy and electricity grid modernization projects. The latter program seeks to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions by expanding renewable energy generation sources to provide essential grid services, while helping Canada successfully transition to a carbon-neutral economy by 2050 and meet its commitment to create a fully carbon-neutral electricity grid by 2035.

"Canada is committed to supporting the energy transition to meet our climate goals by investing in clean energy technology projects that will reduce emissions and improve our competitiveness," noted the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Natural Resources. "The Energy Modeling Hub will play a key role in identifying effective measures to implement to decarbonize our energy system and thereby move us closer to our carbon neutral goals."

"Achieving our climate goals is central to our concerns as citizens, and the concerns of the federal government. Polytechnique Montréal’s Trottier Energy Institute is committed to decarbonizing the Canadian energy system. I’m proud that our government is investing in this world-renowned institute to innovate and further support green energy," said Rachel Bendayan, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Tourism, and Associate Minister of Finance and MNA for Outremont.

"The Trottier Energy Institute is committed to supporting the energy transition that Canada must make to meet its climate goals, and we’re delighted to contribute to NRCan's efforts in this respect. More than financial support for an essential modeling exercise, it’s recognition of the expertise that our country's specialists can bring to this collective endeavor," said Trottier Energy Institute Scientific Director Normand Mousseau.

"The Energy Modeling Hub demonstrates the University of Victoria's commitment to climate action and builds on the research capabilities of the Institute for Integrated Energy Systems," commented, University of Victoria's Institute for Integrated Energy Systems Associate Director and civil engineer Madeleine McPherson. "Modeling enables us to explore various ways to achieve carbon neutrality and make the best decisions to decarbonize our energy systems. The highly collaborative work accomplished at the Hub can foster a large-scale energy transition to a low-carbon economy."

"The University of Calgary is honored to be part of this project that’s critically important for Canada. In policy and economics, the School of Public Policy brings a wealth of expertise critical to understanding energy transitions that go beyond technical modeling of energy systems and which have broad societal implications," notes Blake Shaffer, Assistant Professor in the Department of Economics and School of Public Policy at the University of Calgary.

Quick facts

- Natural Resources Canada has already provided $977,408 to Polytechnique Montréal to support a network of institutions conducting electricity modeling and analysis to guide Canada's transition to clean energy.

- Funding for the electricity modeling project originates with the Canadian government's $180-billion Investing in Canada Infrastructure Plan, which targets projects in public transit, green infrastructure, social infrastructure, trade and transportation routes, and rural and northern communities across Canada.

Learn more

Trottier Energy Institute website
University of Victoria's Institute for Integrated Energy Systems Associate website
University of Calgary - School of Public Policy website
Smart Renewables and Electrification Pathways Program page
2030 Emissions Reduction Plan - 2030 Plan page
Government of Canada 2022 budget pag
Investing in Canada Plan – Building a Better Canada page