Renewable Energy Technology Developers take note! You are not alone. Many challenges faced en route from idea to commercialisation are common to all alternative energy technologies. Critical to success are not only the decisions you make, but also the environment in which you operate.

Join a panel of Canadian companies to hear about the issues they have encountered in technology development and the extent to which these have been influenced by the various local factors at play in Canada. By contrasting with their own experiences, the UK and international audience is invited to participate in this dialogue to start to form a picture of what the ‘best of all worlds’ would look like in order for alternative-energy innovation to thrive.

The discussion will be chaired by Lee Thornton, Technology Development Officer at the High Commission of Canada [ presentation ], with panellists including Sharolyn Vettese, CEO & Inventor, Wind Simplicity Inc [ presentation ], Tom Hughes, Executive VP, Elementa Group [ presentation ], John Simon, Vice President, Seaforth Energy [ presentation ] and John Woods, VP Energy Development, Minas Basin Power & Pulp [ presentation ]

Points for discussion will include:

What particular financial Governmental support and incentives have been most helpful in developing your particular technology?
Have you found regulatory drivers a key factor in technology development, and to what extent, if any, has ‘customer pull’ influenced your direction?
Are you situated within a ‘technology cluster’? If so, have you found this helpful in helping progress your technology towards the market place? What particular aspects have helped the most?
Has your company been hindered by a lack of access to capital? Do you feel that the perception of risk by the financial community of projects in clean technology is unfair or unbalanced?
Have you engaged with academia or Governmental researchers in developing your particular technologies, and what could be done (if anything) to improve this interaction?
To what extent has the availability of a local, skilled workforce influenced both your choice of business location and pace of technology development?
Do you engage with companies in similar fields developing similar technology in foreign marketplaces? If so, what issues have you encountered in pursuing such partnerships?
Has the protection of IP been a major issue for your company? Has this process helped or hindered the progression of your technology towards the marketplace?

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