Group items tagged

Ontario in partnership with MaRS Discovery District has launched the Clean Energy Institute which will bring together industry leaders and utility companies to build on Ontario's strengths in smart grid technologies and other clean energy innovations. In addition, the institute will help support and expand domestic and international business opportunities and position Ontario to capitalize on a $250 billion clean energy industry.

On Nov 4, there was a presentation that took place at the MaRS Centre on Energy Storage Market. The session was moderated by Deloitte's director of research, Duncan Stewart. Other speakers were: Sankar Das Gupta, CEO of Toronto-based Electrovaya, Mark Tinkler, principal consultant of Emerging Energy Options, Kirk Washington, general partner at Yaletown Venture Partners, and Ken Rudisuela, president of Mobilogy Inc. The seminar focused on the importance of energy storage, not just to make renewable energy more practical, but also to reduce our dependency on carbon-based fuel, especially gasoline. Nov 5, 2009

Honorable Chris Bentley, Ontario Minister of Energy, spoke at the Future of Energy event at the MaRS Centre and announced that the province will provide "$500,000 over two years in seed funding for a new Clean Energy Institute at MaRS."

"Ontario's lucrative Feed-in-Tariff (FIT) program for renewable energy will mean the development of new and highly efficient energy technologies that will secure the Province's clean energy supply for generations. Tom Rand, head of the clean technology practice at MaRS Discovery District and co-organizer of the renewable energy financing conference held in Toronto last month, said that under the province's feed-in-tariff program, the investments are as safe as a 20-year government bond that pays 8 to 12 per cent per year, and guarantees quick connection to the grid.

The Green Energy Act Finance Forum will be taking place on Jan 29. This forum will bring leading experts from around the world to Toronto to speak to Ontario's financial community about investing in renewable energy under Ontario's new Feed In Tariff program. The forum is presented by the MaRS Discovery District, the Green Energy Act Alliance and D & D Securities.

The groundswell of geothermal interest among builders, developers and individual homeowners all over the GTA is mainly because it's what "green" venture capitalist and MaRS Advisor Tom Rand calls "low hanging fruit" on the energy tree - easy to pluck and very cheap in the long run. Tom talks about the opportunities available to enterprising, innovative businesses.

MaRS cleantech client, Hydrostar, is featured in the Toronto Star Business section. Energy and Technology columnist Tyler Hamilton talks about Hydrostar's novel way to store large quantities of energy that can be dispatched later as needed, such as during periods of high electricity demand.

Clean Energy Developments sells and installs geothermal energy systems. The technology not only heats and cools buildings cheaply and efficiently, but it's also environmentally friendly. Nov 20, 2009

The Sault Ste Marie's city council approved "$95,000 in funding the Innovation Cente for a two-year, $794,000 initiative for the implementation of their Smart Energy Strategy." Vair is in talks with the MaRS Discovery District about the Sault's role in the new clean energy institute.

Tom Rand, MaRS Practice Lead in Cleantech, will be releasing his book called Kick The Fossil Fuel Habit: 10 Clean Technologies To Save Their World in October 2009. This book will expose the broader population to the issues, technologies and opportunities around renewable energy.

Tom Rand, MaRS Practice Lead in Cleantech, will be releasing his book called Kick The Fossil Fuel Habit: 10 Clean Technologies To Save Their World in October 2009. This book will expose the broader population to the issues, technologies and opportunities around renewable energy. Aug 30, 2009

Tom Rand, MaRS Senior Advisor, Cleantech and Physical Science along with Barry Brook, Walt Patterson, Zoe Caron and Jatin Nathwani discuss about the alternatives of energy which is paving a path away from our current reliance on oil-based energy.

E(3) Canadian Roundtables will take place May 26, 2010. The event will feature a panel of thought leaders sharing their vision for a sustainable energy future for Canada. Tom Rand, Cleantech Advisor at the MaRS Discovery District will be speaking at the event.

Watch MaRS cleantech advisor and practice lead, Tom Rand, as he appears on a panel on TVO's The Agenda with Steve Paikin. The issue: the Samsung deal - good for Ontarians or not? Other panelists on the Feb 2, 2010, show include: Randall Denley from the Ottawa Citizen; Kristopher Stevens from the Ontario Sustainable Energy Association; and Norm Rubin from Energy Probe.

With Steve Pakin host of The Agenda, Norm Rubin, Director of Nuclear Research, Randall Denley, Columnist with the Ottawa Citizen, Tom Rand, Cleantech Lead at the MaRS Discovery District, and Kristopher Stevens, Executive Director of the Ontario Sustainable Energy Association discuss the harnessing nature to boost Ontario's economy--what the Samsung deal means for Ontario.

International financial experts meet in Toronto to encourage local investment in renewable power at The Green Energy Act Finance Forum on January 29, 2010.

Shawn Lesser states "The Global Cleantech Cluster Association (GCCA) have nominated 185 companies for 2011 GCCA Later Stage Award by 30 cleantech clusters from around the world."  The following 6 MaRS Cleantech clients have been nominated:  NIMTech, Hydrostor, Temporal Power, Hydrogenics, Morgan Solar and Sustainable Energy Technologies.

"The Scotiabank EcoLiving Innovators Award valued at $15,000 was awarded to Quinzee from Toronto , Ontario, a company that built a web and mobile application to enable Ontarians with smart meters to be smarter homeowners. Using consumer social benchmarking as a motivator for influencing efficient energy choices and behaviours, consumers can easily track and compare their energy use for free."

Greg Meckback, Digital Media Editor from Daily Commercial News states "Toronto real estate developer Tridel is partnering with Cisco Systems Inc. to use Internet Protocol (IP) technology to improve energy efficiency, security and entertainment systems in its buildings....TowerLabs with Tridel co-founded with the MaRS Discovery District, is getting feedback from focus groups on devices such as programmable thermostats or the possibility of putting programmable thermostat functions on a portable electronic device such as Apple Inc.'s iPhone."

Will alternative energy ever take the place of traditional fossil fuels, or is our thirst for oil unquenchable? BNN asks Michael Economides, professor, University of Houston, and Tom Rand, practice lead in the Cleantech and Physical Sciences department in Toronto's MaRS Discovery District.