Ottawa (ON) Research Centre | Director General’s Message

Director General

As Director General of CanmetENERGY at the Ottawa research centre, it is my pleasure to welcome you to our site. Our organization, part of Natural Resources Canada, is Canada’s largest energy technology and innovation center, providing R&D in the areas of energy efficiency, clean fossils fuels and renewable and alternative energy sources.

We are a vibrant knowledge-based community, made up of more than 230 scientists, engineers and specialists, working actively with industry, academia, consortia and international organizations to promote and develop clean energy technologies that will lead to a low carbon future. Via these partnerships we are able to assist Canadian business with vital R&D activities, whether on their site or at our world-class facilities, so they are better able to create energy technology products that leave less of an environmental footprint. The unique assets we possess, through our scientists' expertise and our pilot-scale facilities, allow us to work directly with industry early in the technology development cycle and accelerate the development of energy technologies from the initial research stage to commercialization.

Energy science and technology (S&T) is critical to Canada’s environmental and economic future and to creating sustainable development in Canada’s vast energy endowment. As a vital centre of knowledge, CanmetENERGY provides technical resources and advice to the federal government to successfully integrate economic competitiveness and environmental leadership. We also provide NRCan with advice and leadership in matters of energy codes and standards, regulations, safety, security and good governance.

On the international stage, CanmetENERGY at the Ottawa research centre leads in the development of clean technologies and in alleviating energy poverty in the developing world through collaboration with other countries and international bodies.

We have also been instrumental in the development and successful implementation of numerous high-impact projects such as:

  • the Drake Landing Solar Community in Okotoks, Alberta - the largest subdivision of R-2000 single family homes in Canada , and the first to use seasonal storage of solar energy;

  • the eKOCOMFORT, and other initiatives for building technologies;

  • the world's first hydrogen fuel cell powered bus , developed by Ballard Power Systems and supported by CanmetENERGY's Hydrogen, Fuel Cells, and Transportation Energy (HyFate) Group;

  • the Ramea Island Wind Diesel Project in Newfoundland - Canada 's first wind-diesel demonstration which has been generating 1 million kWh of electricity per year since 2005 ;

  • the development of Canada 's first technology roadmap for clean coal and CO2 capture and storage.

Along with our sister centres in Devon and Varennes, we provide the government of Canada with essential leadership in energy S&T delivery, serving as both a catalyst and a provider for a sustainable energy future for Canada.

John Marrone
Director General, CanmetENERGY at the Ottawa research centre

For further information please contact:

For general inquiries,
Laura Sheppard
Business Development Office
Laura.Sheppard@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca

For specific inquiries,

Mark Riley
S&T Director - Sustainable Buildings and Communities
(613) 996-8151
Mark.Riley@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca

Brian Farnand PhD
S&T Director - Industrial Innovation Group
(613) 996-7977
Brian.Farnand@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca

Nick Beck
S&T Director - Hydrogen Economy and Transportation Energy
(613) 996-6022
Nick.Beck@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca

Michael Wiggin
S&T Director - Technology Planning and Integration
(613) 996-8870
Michael.Wiggin@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca