On October 30, 2024, econext hosted its annual conference at the Delta Hotel in St. John’s, Newfoundland & Labrador. This sold-out event drew almost 300 participants, who gathered to discuss the province’s emerging green economy opportunities and the innovative technologies that could drive future growth.
“Newfoundland & Labrador is on the leading edge of clean growth on a global scale,” said Kieran Hanley, econext’s CEO. “Our conference provided the chance for businesses, governments, communities, and academia to learn more about a number of these quickly evolving opportunities.”
Throughout the day, attendees engaged in a series of panel discussions ranging from: the Canadian perspective on the emerging hydrogen energy; advancements in energy storage, biomass, and grid technologies; lessons in social license and stakeholder engagement for clean energy projects; and advancing cleantech innovation.
The Hon. Dr. Andrew Furey (Premier of Newfoundland & Labrador) gives a keynote address at the econext 2024 Conference.
“We were excited this year to welcome speakers representing organizations from all across the continent,” said Hanley. “Being on an island, it is important to get that outsider’s perspective on where our province stands in the bigger picture.” Hanley said that those who travelled for the conference will also now be able to spread the word within their known national and international networks about the exciting things happening in NL.
Jean Habel (Canadian Renewable Energy Association, Victoria Gatehouse (Rio Tinto), Michelle Lethbridge (ABO Energy), Graeme Burk (Electricity Canada), and econext Vice-Chair Heather Murphy (SEM Ltd).
One of the conference’s key announcements was the launch of the Clean Energy Innovation Challenge, a collaboration between econext and Foresight Canada.
The challenge invites innovators from across the country to propose solutions for reducing the monitoring and maintenance costs associated with clean energy infrastructure through the use of clean technology. With a $50,000 prize pool and additional support available to winning teams, the challenge aims to accelerate the development of cost-effective, sustainable solutions. To read more about the challenge, click here.
Jeanette Jackson (Foresight Canada), Santosh Raikar (Silverpeak Renewables Investment Partners), Marija Ilic (MIT Department of Engineering & Computer Science), and econext Chair J. Alex Templeton (McInnes Cooper).
The 2024 econext conference was carbon neutral via offsets purchased from Sharp Management.
“econext would like to express its thanks to all of our partners, panelists, moderators and attendees for helping to support and contribute to this event. We look forward to welcoming you all again in 2025.”
About econext
econext is a not-for-profit association with a mission to accelerate clean growth in Newfoundland and Labrador by: (1) stimulating research, development, and innovation; (2) preparing its workforce for a greening economy; and (3) acting as a catalyst for climate change action within its industries, businesses, and communities.
econext has been working for over 30 years on behalf of its members across many sectors to support environmentally sustainable economic development. More information can be found at https://econext.ca.
St. John’s, NL – Today at the econext 2024 Conference, econext and Foresight Canada have announced the Clean Energy Innovation Challenge.
The Clean Energy Innovation Challenge invites innovators to propose solutions that reduce the monitoring and maintenance costs for clean energy infrastructure through the application of digital, remote, and/or autonomous technologies—while improving environmental sustainability.
“The clean energy opportunity in front of Newfoundland and Labrador is tremendous,” said Kieran Hanley, econext‘s CEO. “From major wind-to-hydrogen projects to the growth of our domestic electricity grid, we are on the verge of significant green economic growth in our province.”
More information on the province’s emerging clean energy industry can be found here. Hanley said that improving the economics of future projects and minimizing their environmental impacts will be important for their success. New ideas and approaches will be important in helping Newfoundland and Labrador reach its clean energy potential.
Staying competitive and profitable in today’s rapidly evolving market requires continuous innovation. It’s also key to meeting net zero targets. Foresight’s Innovation Challenge program connects industries with tailored cleantech solutions that address sustainability and operational challenges. By offering a de-risked and cost-efficient process for sourcing, testing, and validating solutions, Foresight enables industry leaders to achieve their sustainability goals and drive impactful change with cutting-edge innovations.
“We are honoured to collaborate with econext on this challenge, deepening our connection with the Atlantic provinces. Clean energy infrastructure is a critical gateway to decarbonization, and by linking the right innovations, we can deliver turn-key, high-impact solutions that can be deployed swiftly—driving sustainability and economic growth across Newfoundland and Labrador and beyond.” Jeanette Jackson, CEO, Foresight Canada
A total of $50,000 in cash prizes in addition to a series of supports will be made available to competition winners to help them advance their proposed concepts. “This is a significant opportunity for innovators to get their ideas in front of industry and draw interest to their technologies.”
Industry partners supporting the challenge include ABO Energy, EverWind Fuels, North Atlantic, Pattern Energy, World Energy GH2, Newfoundland Power, and Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro.
The Challenge has been made possible through support from RBC and the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA). Details, including submissions guidelines and deadlines, will be announced soon.
About econext
econext is a not-for-profit association with a mission to accelerate clean growth in Newfoundland and Labrador by: (1) stimulating research, development, and innovation; (2) preparing its workforce for a greening economy; and (3) acting as a catalyst for climate change action within its industries, businesses, and communities.
econext has been working for over 30 years on behalf of its members across many sectors to support environmentally sustainable economic development. More information can be found at https://econext.ca.
About Foresight Canada
Foresight Canada helps the world do more with less, sustainably. As Canada’s largest cleantech innovation and adoption accelerator, they connect public and private sectors to the world’s best clean technologies, de-risking and simplifying the adoption of innovative solutions that improve productivity, profitability, and economic competitiveness, all while addressing today’s most urgent climate challenges.
The 6th annual takeCHARGE Luminary Awards took place on October 23, celebrating companies, organizations, communities, and individuals across Newfoundland and Labrador making great strides in energy efficiency.
econext CEO Kieran Hanley accepted the “Leadership Award” on behalf of the econext team.
“Our team has been working hard to develop and implement programming to help SMEs and communities in Newfoundland and Labrador become more energy efficient,” said Hanley. “I am honoured to accept this award on their behalf.”
Hanley said that econext has a number of exciting initiatives on the horizon that will accelerate clean growth in the province through energy efficiency. “We can’t wait to talk about what we are working on – stay tuned!”
The awards event was held at the Emera Innovation Exchange, where the takeCHARGE team gathered with award recipients both in person and online. This year’s 13 recipients were:
NL Health Services – BIG Award
Franks General Store – BIG Award
CLEAResult – Partnership Award
Nunatsiavut Government – Partnership Award
Colemans – Sustained Excellence Award
Ingram’s Electrical Ltd. – Sustained Excellence Award
Kieran Hanley (econext) – Leadership Award
Ethel O’Brien – Leadership Award
Heat Pump Solutions Ltd. – Electric Vehicle Awareness Award
Penney’s Pitstop Ltd. – Electric Vehicle Awareness Award
Jack Byrne Regional Sport & Entertainment Centre – Innovation Award
Makkovik Inuit Community Government – Community Impact
Town of Placentia – Community Impact
More information on the takeCHARGE Luminary Awards can be found here.
About econext
econext is a not-for-profit association with a mission to accelerate clean growth in Newfoundland and Labrador by: (1) stimulating research, development, and innovation; (2) preparing its workforce for a greening economy; and (3) acting as a catalyst for climate change action within its industries, businesses, and communities.
econext has been working for over 30 years on behalf of its members across many sectors to support environmentally sustainable economic development. More information can be found at https://econext.ca.
econext has released a discussion paper which connects the dots between climate change adaptation and economic development in Newfoundland and Labrador.
“As we make investments into the economies of our regions and our communities, the impacts of climate change need to be a key consideration,” says Kieran Hanley, econext‘s CEO. “Generally speaking, in the future our climate is going to be warmer, wetter, and stormier – and that might change how we think about economic development projects.”
“As an example, we might not want to invest into an energy retrofit of an old community centre if that same building is in great danger of being damaged by future flooding.” Hanley said that, while this might seem obvious, oftentimes these risks would not be picked up on without deliberately thinking about climate change early in the process. “Conversely, changing weather conditions might make a region more friendly to certain types of agriculture that seemed far-fetched in the past.”
“What we are trying to do with this discussion paper is outline some of the considerations that economic developers should be thinking about as they plan and support projects,” said Hanley. “The paper looks at this through an NL-specific lens and focuses on sectors – like tourism and public infrastructure – that those involved in economic development in our province often are engaged in.”
In 2024 econext and its partner CLIMAtlantic produced a series of infographics to better articulate the expected impacts that communities in Newfoundland and Labrador are expected to experience due to climate change.
Hanley said that econext has resources to help communities and economic developers better understand climate change and the challenges – and opportunities – that come with it. “We can help provide you with the the information and resources to put you on the right path. Get in touch.”
About econext
econext is a not-for-profit association with a mission to accelerate clean growth in Newfoundland and Labrador by: (1) stimulating research, development, and innovation; (2) preparing its workforce for a greening economy; and (3) acting as a catalyst for climate change action within its industries, businesses, and communities.
econext has been working for over 30 years on behalf of its members across many sectors to support environmentally sustainable economic development. More information can be found at https://econext.ca.
econext‘s Manager of Industry and Community Engagement (Colin Heffernan), Special Project’s Lead (Sara Jafari), Manager of Climate Services (Sepehr Khosravi), and Director of Workforce Development (Ogaga Johnson) at the EDANL Conference.
“econext have staff members who specialize in helping communities tackle their greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate change,” says Colin Heffernan, econext‘s Manager for Industry and Community Engagement and panel moderator. “Viewing a town’s opportunities and challenges through that green lens opens the door to new economic development possibilities”.
The event was focused on providing information and resources for the province’s economic development practitioners working to support their communities. “A community can be defined geographically, like a town, or more holistically as a group of businesses, stakeholders, and so on,” said Heffernan, noting that many of the same economic development principles apply in different scenarios. The event was attended by staff from municipalities, industry associations, sector organizations, business, and the public service.
econext‘s panel also highlighted the major clean energy projects being pursued in the province, and the workforce that will be required to develop them.
“There are lots of opportunities available for municipalities to help finance economic development initiatives through green and environmental projects,” said Heffernan. “What we wanted to convey at the event was that econext‘s staff are here to help communities identify and pursue those opportunities.”
econext is a not-for-profit association with a mission to accelerate clean growth in Newfoundland and Labrador by: (1) stimulating research, development, and innovation; (2) preparing its workforce for a greening economy; and (3) acting as a catalyst for climate change action within its industries, businesses, and communities.
econext has been working for over 30 years on behalf of its members across many sectors to support environmentally sustainable economic development. More information can be found at https://econext.ca.
During a visit from a government and business delegation from Belgium, Newfoundland and Labrador signed a memorandum of understanding with the Port of Antwerp-Bruges.
“Newfoundland and Labrador is on the frontier of a new global industry,” said Kieran Hanley, econext‘s CEO. “We have the clean energy resources to help our European allies decarbonize their economies, and agreements like this one help facilitate that trade relationship.”
Hon. Andrew Parsons (Minister of Industry, Energy, and Technology) and Mr. Tom Hautekiet (Chief Business Development and Transition Officer – POAB). Image courtesy of the Embassy of Belgium in Canada.
“There are six wind-to-hydrogen developments being pursued in our province totaling over 23GW,” said Hanley. “These projects are significant on a global scale and will position Newfoundland and Labrador as an international leader in hydrogen production.”
Hanley said that coordination is required between jurisdictions that can supply clean energy and those that will be customers for it. “Relationships like the one that we are seeing develop here are important for success.”
More information on NL’s clean energy industry can be found here.
econext is a not-for-profit association with a mission to accelerate clean growth in Newfoundland and Labrador by: stimulating research, development, and innovation; preparing its workforce for a greening economy; and acting as a catalyst for climate change action within its industries, businesses, and communities.
econext has been working for over 30 years on behalf of its members across many sectors to support environmentally sustainable economic development. More information can be found at https://econext.ca.
Between September 20-22, 2024, the third econext Clean Growth Ideathon took place at Memorial University’s St. John’s campus, challenging over 70 students to create the best solution for utilizing Newfoundland and Labrador’s organic waste to generate clean energy.
“We are seeing new opportunities emerge in our province for finding value in our organic waste streams,” said Alex Rumbolt, econext’s Business Sustainability Lead. “What we are sending to our landfills actually has value in helping support of energy systems. Our challenge to MUN students this weekend was to come up with the best, most promising idea to achieve this.”
The students, from various disciplines and levels of university education, formed 16 teams. Each team worked to develop their ideas and pitch them to a panel of expert judges. The students participated in workshop events throughout the weekend, in addition to ongoing mentorship opportunities to help teams build their ideas from the ground up. The top three teams earned a combined $6,000 in prizes for their innovative solutions.
“The energy and innovation displayed by the 70 plus students who attended the econext ideathon exceeded all expectations.” said Chelsea Linfield, Special Projects Coordinator with econext. “This next generation of leaders and thinkers gives us great hope for the future of our province, and we’re excited to see the impact they will have on the clean growth industry in Newfoundland and Labrador.”
First Place Winners
The first-place prize, sponsored by Hatch, was awarded to Team Chemisphere (William Church, Abdelrahman Mohamed, Mohammed Furqan and Farhan Turjo) who pitched utilizing waste water separation to produce both clean water and biogas capable of powering homes.
Second Place Winners
The second-place prize went to Team BiogeNL (Jake Clarke, Ethan Clarke,Ted Etchegary and Andrew Harris) who presented the idea of using small installable anaerobic digesters to collect organic food waste from residential and commercial locations to generate biogas.
Third-Place Winners
The third-place prize was presented to CleaNL (Asif Patel, Shuvas Khanal, Rajalakshmi Madhusudanan Nair and Mohammad Fahim Inteser Alam) who proposed using targeted collection zones to gather food waste from large commercial operations to process into biogas.
In addition to the first place prize sponsor, econext would like to thank its opening ceremonies sponsor, Entr part of Aker Solutions, and meal sponsors, takeCHARGE and the Newfoundland and Labrador Credit Union.
The econext Ideathon was made possible through partnership with the Business + Higher Education Roundtable, and with support from the Government of Canada.
If you are interested in partnering on a future event, please contact Chelsea Linfield at chelsea@econext.ca or Alex Rumbolt at alex@econext.ca.
econext is an association that accelerates clean growth in Newfoundland and Labrador and works on behalf of over 200 members to foster environmentally sustainable economic development. More information can be found at https://econext.ca.
The Business + Higher Education Roundtable (BHER) is a non-partisan, not-for-profit organization bringing together some of Canada’s largest companies and leading post-secondary institutions. Since 2015, BHER has worked to harness the strengths of Canada’s business and post-secondary education sectors to build opportunities for young Canadians, boost innovation and drive collaboration. Learn more at www.bher.ca. Visit our WIL Hub for ways to explore, invest in and create quality WIL opportunities.
Today North Atlantic announced a new Green Energy Hub to stimulate growth and advance export-oriented projects in the province’s green energy and low-carbon sector.
“Newfoundland and Labrador is on the frontier of a new global hydrogen industry,” said econext’s CEO Kieran Hanley, “and North Atlantic’s commitment to developing a green energy hub gets us one step closer to realizing the great potential that is in front of our province.”
The Green Energy Hub will aim to:
Develop, advance, and execute green hydrogen projects and export the products they produce.
Foster research and training opportunities that will be available for the participants in the green hydrogen industry.
Act as a focal point for energy export.
Serve as a catalyst for domestic hydrogen distribution and use
“In addition to the commercial/industrial plans which have been laid out, we are excited to see a deliberate focus on research and training,” said Hanley. “Being on the front end of this new global hydrogen industry, investments in workforce and innovation will help ensure Newfoundland and Labrador benefits from a lasting clean energy legacy.”
Last year econextpublished a discussion paper exploring opportunities to maximize the economic development potential for the province associated with its growing clean energy industry.
“One of the key opportunities we identified was for Newfoundland and Labrador to strive to become a global leader in research, development, training, and innovation,” said Hanley. “We congratulate North Atlantic in helping the province advance its position in this regard in a very tangible way.”
econext is a not-for-profit association with a mission to accelerate clean growth in NL. econext has been working for over 30 years on behalf of its members across many sectors to support environmentally sustainable economic development. econext is a driver for clean growth innovation in the province, a coordinator of green workforce development, and a catalyst for net zero by 2050 planning within NL’s communities and industries. More information can be found at https://econext.ca.
econext is pleased with the provincial government in its decision to acquire a better understanding of carbon offsets opportunities within the province.
“In the work that we have done, barring the invention of a variety of new technologies, we know that Newfoundland and Labrador cannot reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to absolute zero,” said Kieran Hanley, econext‘s CEO. “If we are to achieve net zero by the year 2050, finding negative emissions opportunities is necessary.”
Hanley said that ideally negative emissions initiatives would be homegrown within the province, which is why the study being undertaken by the Department of Environment and Climate change is so important. On Tuesday, the provincial government issued a request for proposals for a “Potential Carbon Offset Study and Projects Study“.
Negative emissions projects can range from nature-based solutions such as improved forest management processes to highly technological solutions like the direct air capture of GHGs using a combination of clean energy, suction, and carbon storage innovations.
Hanley said that econext believes if GHGs are created in NL that they should be offset here as well. “We want to make sure that the economic benefits from negative emissions projects – from the jobs associated with their development to the revenues from their operations – are accrued within our province.” Carbon offset projects present economic opportunities, but Hanley cautions that it is wise for innovators to get a more clear picture of what policies will look like before advancing their ideas too far.
“Carbon offsets programs are highly complex with rigorous requirements,” said Hanley, “as they should be, because we must have great confidence in the way in which GHGs are being managed.” Hanley noted that uncertainty remains in how offset programs nationally and/or provincially will work, “but in our work we saw that a clear first step is to understand what types of negative emissions projects in NL have the most potential in terms of both scale and economics.”
“The research being pursued by our provincial government will provide invaluable insight as to what the best opportunities are and where we should focus our future efforts from the perspectives of public policy, research and development, and investment.”
econext is a not-for-profit association with a mission to accelerate clean growth in NL. econext has been working for over 30 years on behalf of its members across many sectors to support environmentally sustainable economic development. econext is a driver for clean growth innovation in the province, a coordinator of green workforce development, and a catalyst for net zero by 2050 planning within NL’s communities and industries. More information can be found at https://econext.ca.
econext has partnered with the Ocean Startup Project to present a series of innovation spotlights to help inspire entrepreneurs competing in The Ocean Idea Challenge.
The Ocean Idea Challenge invites aspiring entrepreneurs to begin their customer discovery journey, aimed at turning innovative ideas into viable solutions for sustainable ocean industries.
“The development of ocean technology is one of our great innovative strengths in Newfoundland and Labrador,” said Kieran Hanley, econext‘s CEO. “We want to double down on that and do what we can to help create a wave of new startups focused on environmental sustainability in our oceans.”
Hanley said that one way econext can contribute is by providing entrepreneurs with real world environmental challenges that industry is facing. “Not every entrepreneurially-minded person comes to table with an idea in hand, and so we are helping by seeding a few ideas worth exploring.”
“Collaboration between industry and startups is crucial in bringing fresh and innovative perspectives to expert-identified ocean challenges,” said Paula Mendonça, Executive Director at the Ocean Startup Project. “By working together, we not only lend credibility and validation to these emerging companies but also give them a significant advantage in their customer discovery journey. It’s through this synergy that we can drive meaningful change and propel our industries forward, creating a future where innovation and expertise go hand in hand.”
More information on the Ocean Idea Challenge can be found here.
Winners of the challenge receive:
Funding: Secure up to $7,000 to support your early stages of customer discovery and help bring your ideas to fruition.
Resources and Support: Access local technology innovation hubs, receive expert guidance, and utilize extensive resources to refine your project.
Network Building: Engage with potential teammates, partners, and industry leaders who are equally committed to the health of our oceans.
Innovation Spotlights
econext submitted the following industry challenges for entrepreneurs to consider:
Offshore Energy
Canada’s oceans present a new challenge for offshore wind developments: icebergs. To realize the region’s full economic potential, new technologies and procedures are needed to mitigate the risks that icebergs may present to offshore wind farms. Challenge: Develop a solution to predict the flow and/or mitigate the risks of icebergs on offshore wind farms and infrastructure.
Fuel switching for marine transportation
Ships and boats are long-term investments; while future vessels may incorporate renewable technologies in their designs, fossil fuels dependent vessels will still be on our waters for many years. Given the size of Canada’s ocean sectors and the important role that marine transportation plays, economical approaches to fuel switching for marine transportation are required if Canada is to meet its net zero by 2050 commitments. Challenge: Develop economical and scalable solutions for retrofitting existing marine vessels to utilize alternative, low-emission fuels such as hydrogen, ammonia, or biofuels, ensuring compatibility with current infrastructure and operational demands.
Storm surge modeling
Climate change is causing more intense storm activity more often in Canada. Storm surges have proven to have the capacity to inflict a great deal of damage to our communities, and this is true in many places of the world. Better storm surge modeling may prove to have important benefits from the perspective of infrastructure planning, emergency preparedness, etc. Challenge: Develop advanced modeling tools that can predict the impact of storm surges with greater accuracy and provide real-time data integration. These tools should be designed to assist in urban planning, emergency response strategies, and the development of infrastructure capable of withstanding severe weather events.
Wastewater
Regions across Canada have a significant wastewater problem. The discharge of sewage to the ocean environment in the form of treated or untreated wastewater can have serious impacts on life. The investment, installation, monitoring, and maintenance related to most technologies is a burden that most small communities find extremely difficult to bear. New approaches and solutions are required to help Canada to discontinue this environmentally unsustainable practice. Challenge: Develop cost-effective, low-maintenance wastewater treatment solutions tailored for small communities in Canada. These solutions should minimize environmental impact, be easy to implement and maintain, and effectively reduce or eliminate the discharge of harmful contaminants into the marine environment.
Registration
Registration for the Ocean Idea Challenge is open from Tuesday, April 30 until Sunday, June 9, 2024 at 11:59pm PT. Click here for more information.
econext is an association of businesses that accelerates clean growth in Newfoundland and Labrador and works on behalf of over 200 members to foster environmentally sustainable economic development. More information can be found at https://econext.ca.
The Ocean Startup Project propels Canada as the top destination for ocean entrepreneurs, driving innovation across the ocean economy. Our mission is to transform Canada into a global hub where ocean startups can thrive, from inception to global market presence. Leveraging a network that includes Canada’s Ocean Supercluster, the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, and partners from across the country – Genesis, Springboard Atlantic, PEI BioAlliance, New Brunswick Innovation Foundation (NBIF), Technopole Maritime du Québec (TMQ), Invest Nova Scotia, and the Centre for Ocean Applied Sustainable Technologies (COAST) – we bolster Canada’s innovation ecosystem for ocean-focused startups. Our efforts have catapulted us to the forefront, being recognized in the top 5 accelerators/incubators in North America and top 10 globally in the Blue Economy sector according to Startup Genome’s Report. Launched in 2020, we’ve quickly become a global contender, not only speeding up market access for Canadian startups but also attracting international ventures. Join us in navigating the future of the ocean economy, where together, we can unlock the ocean’s full potential. Learn more about The Ocean Startup Project at https://oceanstartupproject.ca/.
