Month: May 2018

NEIA’s Innovation Connector event helps establish Newfoundland and Labrador’s clean technology priorities

Posted on by kieran

For Immediate Release
May 23, 2018

The Newfoundland and Labrador Environmental Industry Association (NEIA) held its annual Innovation Connector last week, using the event to establish provincial clean technology priorities relating to the oil and gas, mining, aquaculture, and forestry industries.

“The information the business development community acquired through this process will help guide our activities in the clean technology space for many years,” said Kieran Hanley, NEIA’s Executive Director. “With the help of key stakeholders in these four industries, we have pulled from industry what it sees as being pain points relating to environmental and economic sustainability.”

Hanley says that this information will help NEIA provide targeted guidance to the startup, research, and innovation communities. “We are now able to work proactively with our partners to support the research, development, commercialization, application, and eventually export of clean technologies – in areas of opportunity industry itself has identified.”

NEIA sees significant opportunity for clean technology development in the province, noting that the global market for clean technologies is set to almost triple its size between 2012 and 2022 to over $2.5 trillion. “Reports recognize that Canada’s opportunity to build a competitive advantage relating to clean technology is within its natural resource sectors – and in Newfoundland and Labrador that includes our oil and gas, mining, aquaculture, and forestry industries.”

Hanley says that identifying priorities within these industries from the clean technology perspective was the first step towards building technological competitive advantages within this province. “We look forward to using this information to drive clean technology development in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Clean technology refers to products, processes, and services that improve on environmental performance in support of sustainable development and clean growth. Practically speaking, the use of clean technology can mean improving efficiency, reducing wastes, and/or mitigating the environmental risks of business activity.

NEIA is a not-for-profit association of businesses that promotes the development of clean technology and the growth of the green economy in Newfoundland and Labrador. NEIA has over 200 members. More information can be found at www.neia.org.

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Media Contact:
Kieran Hanley
kieran@neia.org

NEIA members discuss renewable energy opportunities for towns at Municipal Symposium

Posted on by kieran

Ashley Smith (Fundamental Inc.), Jesse McCaw (Wreckhouse Energy), Delia Warren (Iron and Earth East), and Jacob Rodgers (Newfoundland Power) were among the participants on a panel at Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador’s recent Symposium event in Gander.

The panel “Muskrat and Beyond: Alternatives and Savings for Municipalities” zeroed in on the higher electricity rates municipalities can expect to face in the coming years – and what options and opportunities are at their disposal to proactively mitigate rising costs.

To read a news article in The Compass covering this panel, click here.

To learn more about the symposium, click here.

NEIA and its membership is always willing to engage with municipalities on how they can address energy and environmental challenges – don’t hesitate to contact us!

2018 Innovation Connector matches clean technology opportunities within key Newfoundland and Labrador industries

Posted on by kieran

The Innovation Connector matched clean technology opportunities within key Newfoundland and Labrador industries – oil and gas, forestry, mining, and aquaculture – with those interested in helping pursue solutions: researchers, entrepreneurs, and intrapreneurs within established innovative firms.

At the 2018 Clean Tech Innovation Connector, representatives from industry provided insight on the challenges they face from an environmental, sustainability, and/or clean growth perspective that, if solved, will contribute to the long-term success of their sectors.

The event aimed to help communicate industry needs and set the stage for targeted and deliberate clean technology development in Newfoundland and Labrador – by providing general guidance to the startup, business, research, and sector development communities.

The Clean Tech Innovation Connector featured presentations from:

  • Ed Moriarity – Executive Director – Mining Industry Newfoundland and Labrador
  • Bill Dawson – Executive Director – Newfoundland and Labrador Forestry Industry Association
  • Mark Lane – Executive Director – Newfoundland Aquaculture Industry Association
  • Kieran Hanley – Executive Director – Newfoundland and Labrador Environmental Industry Association

EDITORIAL: It’s time to talk about carbon pricing in N.L.

Posted on by kieran

Below is an excerpt from NEIA Chair Alex Templeton’s recent editorial in The Telegram (May 4) on carbon pricing and the establishment of a Clean Technology Innovation Fund.

Click here to read the entire piece.

Expected revenues from carbon pricing aren’t insignificant.

In 2019 Newfoundland and Labrador will likely see tens of millions of dollars, growing to potentially hundreds of millions by 2022. Though other provinces are reinvesting 100 per cent of carbon pricing revenues into programming to help individuals, businesses, and industries deal with rising costs, we accept that Newfoundland and Labrador faces extraordinary fiscal challenges and that this isn’t possible in our jurisdiction.

We do believe that it’s critical to provide some level of support to those industries on which our provincial economy relies, where there may not be ready-made solutions to help reduce carbon pollution. Industry will need help to make the investments required to develop new clean technologies.

As such, NEIA is calling on the province, as part of its carbon pricing plan, to establish a Clean Technology Innovation Fund.