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Foreword: WaterPower Canada
WATERPOWERED
WaterPower Canada (WPC) is pleased to support Sustainable Business Magazine’s ‘WaterPowered’ series, recognizing the achievements of their members as they develop, innovate, and advance waterpower in Canada.
WaterPower Canada is the national, not-for-profit trade association dedicated to representing the Canadian waterpower industry. We promote the advantages of waterpower and its responsible development in order to meet Canada’s electricity needs sustainably. In order to achieve this goal, WaterPower Canada represents the industry on a national scale in front of a variety of stakeholders, gathers industry data, and leads national research efforts to further the important and irreplaceable role that waterpower plays in Canada. With members from coast-to-coast, WaterPower Canada’s membership not only spans the country but also spans the breadth of the sector. This includes hydropower producers, manufacturers, developers, engineering firms, and other organizations.
“As the unified voice for the waterpower industry in Canada, our team works tirelessly to ensure that Canadians know about the tremendous benefits associated with waterpower, and that it is our natural asset in the fight against climate change,” says Anne-Raphaëlle Audouin, President & CEO of WaterPower Canada.
What you may not know about Canada is that the rain, snow, and ice that replenishes flowing rivers and streams provides Canadians with more renewable water flow per capita than any other country in the world. This abundance of water has led to an energy mix in which waterpower provides more than 60% of the country’s electricity. This positions Canada as the second largest waterpower generator globally, and ensures its electricity grid is one of the cleanest in the world.
ANNE-RAPHAËLLE AUDOUIN, PRESIDENT & CEO OF WATERPOWER CANADA
But these achievements didn’t happen overnight. They come from a 100+ year history of generating clean electricity from Canada’s most abundant renewable energy resource – flowing water. Canada, already a leader in hydropower generation, has the potential to more than double its current capacity to help meet growing energy demands while supporting clean energy objectives. “I don’t think many people realize that there is still so much untapped waterpower potential in Canada,” says Audouin. “For example, if only half of Canada’s total undeveloped potential was built and dedicated to powering plug-in electric vehicles, Canada could power its entire current light-duty vehicle fleet, PLUS a full quarter of the current U.S. fleet with clean, renewable, reliable, and affordable hydropower.”
When you think about how much Canada’s waterpower industry has been able to accomplish over the last 100 years, while also considering how much potential still remains, you can see why our country is a hub for global expertise in the hydropower
industry. From the first hydroelectric site in Canada commissioned in 1891, to the more than 500 existing sites that provide the country with clean, renewable waterpower today, Canada truly is a global leader in clean electricity generation.
To learn more about WaterPower Canada and our work, visit https://waterpowercanada.ca/ and join the largest gathering of the Canadian waterpower industry online October 5-9, 2020 by registering at https://conference.waterpowercanada.ca/
