By Bri Conn

This year marked the third Energy Nexus Case Competition hosted by the McMaster Energy Association, and the first entirely virtual competition. This year’s challenge was focused on the integration of ‘Power, Policy & the Planet’, as teams of students were challenged to develop and present innovative ideas to help Canada meet its goal of net-zero emissions by 2050. Currently over 80% of Canada’s GHG emissions are associated with the country’s energy systems, in sectors such as transportation, electricity generation, heavy industrial activities, and fossil fuel extraction [1].

We recognize that the path towards net-zero emissions is not an easy one - there is no one ‘quick fix’ solution to climate change. The reality is that a multitude of incremental and even radical innovative solutions are needed across all sectors of the economy. Teams were encouraged to consider initiatives taken on the part of governments, businesses, and individual citizens. These initiatives could take the form of new technologies, public policies, social initiatives, adaptations to industrial activity, and radical changes to current consumption patterns.

We were able to engage over 50 students in 12 teams across all faculties and programs. All teams submitted reports with a wide variety of plans to reduce emissions relating to energy - with a wide array of project topics including microalgae farming, building policies, power generation, and new agriculture technologies. Competitors were evaluated based on their proposal’s feasibility, creativity, level of impact, and quality of presentation. The top three teams advanced to the second round of the competition to create video presentations and answer questions from a panel of judges composed of energy industry professionals and McMaster faculty and staff.

We would like to congratulate the following three teams for their exceptional work.

First Place: Team 1 North Power - Kristen Abels, Ana Arezina, Sajjha Nawab, Noor Latif

North Power’s project ‘Curbing Curtailment and Fueling Heavy Industry with Green Hydrogen’ detailed how existing infrastructure and industries can adopt Green Hydrogen as an energy storage solution to reduce their emissions. Their plan included two stages: first using surplus electricity that is currently being curtailed to produce green hydrogen to reduce natural gas usage, as well as a long term plan to begin using hydrogen as a fuel feedstock for heavy industries in Ontario.

The recording of Team 1’s pitch can be found here.

Figure 1: Team 1 - North Power’s proposed two-part solution to introduce green hydrogen facilities compatible with Enbridge Gas’s existing Ontario infrastructure.

Second Place: Team 8 - Rachel Harding, Lauren LaValley, Rachel Lee, Kierra McDougall, Parmida Soltani

Team 8 presented the Green Worker Initiative, a comprehensive plan to reduce the emissions of the average Canadian office worker throughout their day. The plan targeted emissions related to worker’s commute and office design. Targeting greenhouse gas emissions from commuting, their plan included new funding for zero-emissions vehicles (ZEVs) rebates with the goal of increasing ownership of ZEVs. In the work space, Team 8 suggested creating policy to regulate emissions from buildings with the goal of incentivizing green retrofitting in commercial buildings, and encourage more working from home to reduce the required footprint of offices.

The recording of Team 8’s pitch can be found here.

Figure 2: Team 8’s Green Worker Initiative presentation

Third Place: Team 11 Alliance for Sustainability - Roshan Ahmad, Negar Balouchestani-Asli, Titi Huynh, Sara Tamjidi

Team 11, presented a project on reaching and educating a wide variety of demographics in Canada, a ‘Pan-Canadian approach to education’ which focused on reaching young students as well as long term care residents. This educational strategy includes incorporating Traditional Indigenous Knowledge with a mandatory climate change curriculum in schools, and creating a community based garden approach to engage neighbours and families with environmental education. Team 11 also proposed the development of a Canadian climate change mobile application, which could be used to increase accountability by sharing the country’s progress towards its climate goals and providing citizens with easy to find resources.

The recording of Team 11’s pitch can be found here.

Figure 3: Team 11’s Community Volunteer Program proposal to connect communities and engage citizens about climate change through community gardens.

Figure 4: Team 11’s proposal relating to climate change education in Canada.

These three teams were all awarded monetary prizes for their successful projects. In light of this past year’s events, the McMaster Energy Association provided each finalist with the opportunity to choose a charitable organization relating to energy and the environment for a donation matching their winnings to be made on their behalf. Organizations that the finalists have chosen to support include: Bruce Trail Conservancy, Canada Parks and Wilderness Association, Climate Refugees, Environment Hamilton, One Tree Planted, Ontario Clean Air Alliance, and Solar Schools Canada.

Thank you to our panel of judges: Dr. James Cotton, Joe Emberson, Eric Miller, Ryan Rogers, Josh Wasylyk, and Daisy Wu, as well as to all competing teams for pursuing their interests in energy and climate change mitigation.

Missed out on the opportunity to compete in this year’s Energy Nexus Case Competition? You can stay up to date with all things energy and the McMaster Energy Association’s upcoming events by following @McMasterEnergyAssociation on Instagram, and by signing up for our mailing list here!

References

[1] Environment and Climate Change Canada, “Greenhouse Gas Emissions” Government of Canada, 15-Apr-2020. [Online]. Available: www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services /environmental-indicators/greenhouse-gas-emissions.html. [Accessed: 01-Feb-2021].

2021 Energy Nexus Case Competition Recap