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Publications & Multimedia

Publications & Multimedia

Our work to change our society

We mainly publish working papers in conjunction with our seminars. However, we also publish op-eds and other documents that help inform policy and the public.

Topics

Agrivoltaics

Publications

  • Agrivoltaics in British Columbia

    Setting up the Provincial Conversation


    Working Paper #18 March 2026

    Solar remains underdeveloped in BC despite falling costs partly because the limited land suited for solar often overlaps with valuable farmland. We examine agrivoltaics: the practice of combining solar panels with farming on the same land, as a way to advance BC's energy and agricultural goals at once. We identify key barriers to deployment and propose short and medium-term policy reforms to support it.

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Videos

Alternative Energy Sources

Publications

  • Alternatives to Fossil Fuels in Canada

    A Long-Term Vision for Growing Jobs and Income to Diversify Our Economy


    Working Paper #21 September 9, 2026

    [Updated Sept. 10th to incl. royalties discussion] We find Canada has made little progress diversifying its economy under the Carney government despite mounting US trade war threats, remaining reliant on commodity exports, as reflected in public investment reviewed by the Major Projects Office. We point to the contradiction of doubling down on fossil fuels while wildfires ravage BC and Ontario, arguing this reflects a broader lack of coherent economic strategy. Green transition and innovation sectors, we argue, represent missed opportunities for more sustainable jobs and income.

  • Energy Storage Solutions for the Green Transition

    The Complementary Role of Hydrogen and Batteries


    Working Paper #20 May 10, 2026

    As power demand grows in BC, batteries and hydrogen offer complementary storage paths: batteries for short-term needs, hydrogen for long-duration and heavy industry. We compare their technical feasibility, emissions, and costs, and examine why stakeholder coordination failures have already stalled several billion-dollar hydrogen projects, before recommending a phased dual-track strategy that prioritizes near-term battery deployment while conditionally scaling up hydrogen as costs fall.

  • Lessons From Failure: How the Demise of the IRA can Inform Green Industrial Policy


    Working Paper #19 April 2, 2026

    The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) marked the first comprehensive US climate industrial policy, driving a green transition through government incentives, before being largely dismantled by the Trump Administration. We examine what that reversal reveals about vulnerabilities in the IRA's original design. We find that reducing fossil fuel subsidies and concentrating clean energy funding geographically and sectorally could make future climate policy more resilient to reversal.

  • The Hydrogen Bet

    Energy Storage of the Future or Pie in the Sky?


    Working Paper #14 January 23, 2025

    There's a growing interest in hydrogen fuel cells as an alternative to battery storage for unstable renewable energy sources. We take a critical look at that enthusiasm, examining fossil fuel's foothold in hydrogen production, the technical challenges of storage and transport, and hydrogen vehicles' struggle to compete with EVs. While the hype seems overstated, it's not baseless. We see a real case for continued investment, particularly where production relies on green energy sources.

  • Is there a Future for Nuclear Power?

    Examining the Case for Canada


    Working Paper #12 October 31, 2023

    Nuclear is an appealing option for stable, emissions-free power. Yet public sentiment has stalled its growth in much of the West even as expansion continues in East and South Asia. We review how nuclear power works, its costs and benefits, and safety and proliferation concerns, before zooming in on its status in Canada and the unresolved problem of nuclear waste. Once those long-term waste costs are factored in, we find reason to be skeptical of nuclear's role in a green transition.

  • Geothermal Power in British Columbia


    Working Paper #4 March 16, 2021

    British Columbia has abundant geothermal energy resources, yet is not developed. As hydroelectric power struggles to keep pace with growing demand from population growth, EVs, and LNG electrification, geothermal offers a compelling alternative. It is stable, land-efficient, low-emission, and job-rich compared to natural gas. It's especially promising for remote communities still reliant on costly diesel. Drawing on examples from Alaska and California, we explore why and how that can change, arguing that targeted policy support could help B.C. finally tap this underused resource.

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Group from the 2023 Nuclear Power Event

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Videos

Community & Indigenous Energy

Publications

  • Promoting Women's Participation in Ghana's Renewable Energy Industry

    A Case Study of Lady Volta Green Tech Academy


    Working Paper #15 July 2, 2025

    Women remain underrepresented in the renewable energy industry, facing systemic barriers to technical and leadership roles. Drawing on interviews and enrolment and employment data, we examine how Ghana's Lady Volta Green Tech Academy addresses this gap. They equip women with skills like solar installation, though financial burdens, cultural bias, and weak industry ties limit outcomes. We point to mentorship, job placement support, and stronger industry partnerships as ways to scale its impact.

  • Learning Energy Self-Sufficiency from Remote Islands

    An Analysis of Lasqueti Island


    Working Paper #13 January 17, 2024

    Lasqueti Island has relied on self-generated power since residents rejected a BC Hydro connection in the 1970s. We visited the island to document the range of solutions residents have developed and what they reveal for other off-grid communities. Rather than a single model, we find a patchwork of household-level ingenuity and DIY tradition, offering lessons in conservation, adaptability, and community knowledge-sharing.

  • Towards feasible clean energy projects on Indigenous island communities

    On decolonizing clean energy production in Haida Gwaii, British Columbia


    Working Paper #10 June 2, 2023

    Haida Gwaii's diesel-reliant off-grid power system has been left out of BC's clean energy push. We examine three possible paths for developing clean energy on the archipelago, ownership by BC Hydro, ownership by the Haida, or a mixed model, weighing each against legal, financial, and environmental considerations, including the province's commitments under UNDRIP and the TRC's Calls to Action. We find that a mixed ownership approach offers the most promising path forward, better aligning Haida Gwaii's clean energy future with both reconciliation and reliability.

  • Why So Many Remote Renewable Energy Projects Fail: A Literature Review


    Working Paper #3 September 29, 2020

    We use the framework of technical, financial, and political/social obstacles as our meta-framework for understanding obstacles to energy transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy. In this literature review, we provide an overview of the challenges for remote, off-grid communities to adopt renewable energy technologies.

  • How to Create a Community Energy and Emissions Plan that Considers Economic Development: A Brief Guide


    Working Paper #2 September 23, 2020

    There are many internet-based sources for communities who want to create an energy plan. This document is based in part on CERG鈥檚 examination of multiple guides and examples. Many of the existing documents are related to reducing climate change in response to emissions. We have to also consider the needs of most communities to also consider economic development. Creating a plan can help a community to balance these two objectives and consider its energy supplies and consumption in long-term perspective. This guide seeks to offer an overview of some of the key parameters a community should consider in making its plan.

  • Towards a Positive Sum Regulation of Indigenous Utilities in B.C.


    Working Paper #1 March 3, 2020

    The development of regulations around indigenous utilities is certainly timely; by all accounts indigenous clean energy projects are continuing at a rapid pace around the province, despite the challenges created through the cancellation of the standing offer programme. Ample notice and participation from knowledgeable and interested parties has been incorporated, and BCUC has been transparent in posting all relevant inputs during the process. The recommendations proposed in the draft report attempt to reach a fair balance between recognizing the need for First Nations to manage their own energy requirements and ensuring that all BC residents have access to reasonably priced, safe and reliable electricity.

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Lasqueti Island visit
Lasqueti Island visit

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Yekooche First Nations visit

Videos

Energy Policy

Publications

  • Waste Not, Want Not? Social movements鈥 effectiveness for policy-decision making

    A Cross-Cultural Analysis of Nuclear Waste Facilities in Ontario and Hokkaido


    Working Paper #16 October 2, 2025

    We compare how social movements shape nuclear waste policy in Ontario and Hokkaido, Japan. Drawing on frameworks of identity politics, resource mobilization, and political opportunity, we examine grassroots and Indigenous resistance to disposal projects, including Ontario's Near Surface Disposal Facility and Suttsu Town's pushback in Hokkaido. Inclusive governance that addresses historical injustices and local values, we find, is key to more equitable nuclear waste management.

  • Site C: The Failure of Oversight


    Working Paper #11 October 23, 2023

    Site C is now $8 billion over budget due to foundation cracks. Rather than revisit whether it should have been built, we focus on how it was decided, examining breakdowns in transparency, accountability, and consultation. We look at three key issues: undetected structural risks, questionable cost-benefit estimates from BC Hydro, and inadequate consultation with Indigenous groups. We ask whether the province's decision-making process needs reform.

  • Improving the Promotion of Electric Vehicle Deployment in British Columbia

    A Comparative Case Study of British Columbia and Qu茅bec


    Working Paper #8 August 8, 2022

    Transportation makes up a quarter of Canada's greenhouse gas emissions which makes EV adoption central to climate targets, including BC's 100% zero-emission vehicle mandate by 2040. Comparing BC's policy mix to Qu茅bec's (a province with its own strong EV push), we explore which combination of incentives, tax measures, and infrastructure investment actually increases adoption, and what BC still needs to strengthen to hit its ambitious targets.

  • EV Battery Reuse

    An Analysis for using end-of-life electric vehicle batteries for energy storage


    Working Paper #7 November 1, 2026

    British Columbia leads North America in per-capita EV uptake. As those vehicles age out, a growing supply of retired batteries will need somewhere to go. Rather than sending them straight to recycling, we explore how giving these batteries a second life as storage for solar and wind could solve one of renewable energy's biggest cost barriers. It could open the door to cheaper, more reliable clean power, particularly for smaller and marginalized communities.

  • Establishing an Effective Investment Ecosystem in Vancouver鈥檚 Cleantech Cluster


    Working Paper #6 August 18, 2021

    British Columbia's hydrogen fuel cell companies and cleantech innovation hubs haven't translated into a strong angel investment or venture capital ecosystem, leaving startups vulnerable to the "valley of death" before they generate revenue. Comparing Vancouver's policy tools to those of Silicon Valley, Cambridge, Singapore, and Tel Aviv, we find that adding tax incentives and co-investment programs could strengthen the investment ecosystem and help keep hydrogen fuel cell talent from leaving for other markets.

  • Evaluating the Regulation of Independent Power Producers in a Hydro-Based Electricity System

    Lessons for BC from Qu茅bec and Norway


    Working Paper #5 July 5, 2021

    We examine how British Columbia's 2002 shift to Independent Power Producers locked in high fixed prices and stalled after 2017, while BC Hydro's demand forecasts fail to account for the province's EV targets that Site C alone can't meet. Comparing BC's experience to Qu茅bec and Norway, we identify reforms, including better pre-planning support and municipal and Indigenous ownership models, that could help BC scale up renewable energy.

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2025 Corix site visit

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2024 False Creek Neighbourhood Energy Utility site visit
2023 Waste to Energy site visit
2023 YVR Landfill site visit

Videos

True Cost of Fossil Fuels

Publications

  • Carbon Capture, Utilisation, and Storage: A Massive Case of Resource Misallocation


    Working Paper #17 December 9, 2025

    We evaluate the feasibility of Carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) as strategy for reducing Canada's carbon emissions. Our economic analysis finds that while technically feasible, CCUS is prohibitively expensive, diverting resources from clean energy investment and potentially prolonging fossil fuels' hold on the economy. We argue CCUS should be reserved for hard-to-abate sectors like cement and steel, rather than treated as a broad climate solution.

  • BC鈥檚 LNG Play

    Reasonable Transition Fuel or Environmental Disaster?


    Working Paper #9 February 7, 2026

    British Columbia has bet on LNG exports as a source of jobs, tax revenue, and environmental leadership, yet most proposed projects have been cancelled and only one major terminal remains under construction. We examine whether that bet still makes sense, weighing BC's competitiveness against cheaper global suppliers, the risks of methane leakage and water contamination, and the actual costs and benefits of continued provincial support. Are alternative energy sources a better long-term investment?

  • Fossil fuels are an economic drag


    Op-ed in Canada's National Observer September 11, 2025

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2026 Straight of Hormuz Talk

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2026 Straight of Hormuz Talk

Videos

Other Works

Publications

  • Two Solutions for the Strait of Hormuz Straitjacket

    Existing pipelines can blunt Iran鈥檚 leverage today, but renewables are the only way to end it.


    Op-ed on Open Canada August 24, 2026

  • The Tragic Failure of Science Communication

    From Climate Change to COVID


    Op-ed in CSPC September 2021

    The increasing tragedies around climate change and covid have been well-documented and communicated by the scientific community. Scientists have been discussing the dangers of climate change since at least 1957. Such warnings gained little policy attention in the ensuing decades. The first global policy effort, as reflected by the UN Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), did not happen until 1988. The IPCC has since been churning out ever more dire reports about the need to drastically and immediately reduce fossil fuel emissions. There is no shortage of technical or policy solutions for climate change. The costs of renewable 鈥渃lean鈥 energy, such as solar panels, have been steadily declining. What is missing is a sense of urgency by both policymakers and the public.

  • American decline and Canadian complacency


    Op-ed in Canada's National Observer August 10, 2026

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2026 Plastic Waste forum
2026 Plastic Waste workshop

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2026 Plastic Waste workshop attendees

Old List of Papers

As we transition to a new publications page, we'll be keeping the old version around for a short time in case we missed including publications above.