About Us

The Case for the Electricity Centre

Electricity is a backbone of the modern economy. Demand for electricity is surging as homes, industries, and transportation electrify, while the drive to decarbonize is placing unprecedented pressure on supply and infrastructure—systems that have changed little in the past century. Meeting this transformation requires solutions to complex technical, economic, social, and policy challenges, developed from a broad perspective to ensure electricity remains both reliable and affordable for all. 

Yet Canada lacks a national leader at the university level that can bring together academics, industry, and policymakers to confront these issues with insights built on deep research, train the next generation of leaders, and inform the public. 

The University of Calgary is uniquely positioned to step into this role building on:

  • a global reputation for excellence in energy research,
  • a strong network of partners across disciplines and sectors, and
  • momentum from five years of cross-campus collaboration in electricity, including workshops, joint research, and new academic programs. 

The Electricity Centre is building on this foundation to become Canada’s leading centre for electricity knowledge, training, and engagement.

Wind turbines on a snowy field

Adobe Stock

The 3 pillars of the Electricity Centre

Research excellence

Multi-disciplinary teams from economics, science, engineering, law, architecture and planning, business, and more, solving the technical, economic, and policy challenges of today and tomorrow. Working closely with industry and governments, the Centre will provide practical insights on the issues that matter most. 

Training Tomorrow's Leaders

Graduate, undergraduate, and practitioner-focused programs will prepare the workforce for the electricity sector of the future.

Public Dialogue & Engagement

Through seminars, workshops, and our flagship Electricity Camp in the Rockies, we connect thought leaders with the public. Media outreach and the ELECTRIC Blog will share insights widely and inform public debate. 

To achieve its mission across the three pillars, the Electricity Centre is:

  • Conducting transdisciplinary research in collaboration with partner universities, industry, and government.
  • Launching a data hub to enable secure research involving electricity system and smart meter data.
  • Building robust collaborations through seminars, workshops, visiting speakers, and the flagship Electricity Camp in the Rockies.
  • Training future leaders through an annual Policy Training Camp for researchers, and practitioner-focused programs such as “Electricity 101” for media and seminars for regulators.
  • Informing decision-makers and the public through proactive outreach, policy briefs, the ELECTRIC Blog, and targeted media engagement.

Meet the people of the Electricity Centre