GOVERNMENT
CANARIE Inc. Announces Initiative to Lay Foundation for Zero Carbon Economy
CANARIE to invest $3 million in a Green IT pilot program to demonstrate the technological feasibility and business advantages of an internationally distributed zero carbon cyber-infrastructure facility to be located in Canada. The main objective of the pilot program is to develop and test possible business models that would measure and trade the carbon credits generated by reduced use of Green House Gas (GHG) producing non-renewable energy for Information and Communications Technology (ICT) activity. This pilot project will be a collaborative research project undertaken by academia and industry.
"Companies and countries that are the first movers to adopt a zero carbon strategy will be the big winners in the future economy," says Guy Bujold, CANARIE president and CEO. "The CANARIE Board of Directors believe that the ICT industry sector, as the fastest growing industry sector, and the most adaptable, may well be in a good position to move to this new reality."
The Green Information Technology (Green IT) Pilot is CANARIE's response to the growing number of experts coming to the view that a fossil fuel driven economy of today is not sustainable as energy sources dwindle and as the planet heats up due to greenhouse gas emission.
The overall goal of the pilot is to make more extensive use of network services by laying the foundation of a potentially significant cyber-infrastructure architecture that will provide the first steps in supporting the building of a zero carbon economy. As cleaner sources of energy, including wind, solar and tidal power, become available and displace GHG producing means of generating electricity, the challenge will be to design an ICT infrastructure that is capable of using these more unreliable sources to power ICT activities. The pilot will lay a foundation for new business opportunities for industry participants as suppliers of the components required for the facility, and identify revenue opportunities for network operators in testing and validating how to use primarily wind and solar power for a reliable ICT infrastructure that can support identified mission critical applications.
To kick off its pilot project CANARIE will bring together experts from within Canada and around the world to participate in a workshop on March 4th in Ottawa that will define objectives, provide details, and determine a process to identify partners and contributions to the project. Interested parties who may have applicable technologies or business solutions are encouraged to contact CANARIE's Chief Research Officer, Bill St. Arnaud (bill.st.arnaud@canarie.ca and 613-944-5603) who will lead the workshop on March 4th to arrange for an invitation to the workshop. As space at the workshop is limited, invitations will only be extended to those who demonstrate a serious interest in this initiative.
CANARIE's Board of Directors gave conditional approval to allocate $3 million to the project and clearly indicated its intention of CANARIE becoming a leader in this field. Final approval of a pilot is subject to the outcome of the workshop.
The Green IT pilot program and the workshop support CANARIE's objectives to develop, demonstrate and implement next generation technologies to advance the CANARIE network as a leading-edge research network and to increase national and international research partnerships, and enhancing Canada's recognition as a world leader in research networking.
CANARIE Inc., based in Ottawa, is Canada's advanced network organization. It facilitates the development and use of its network as well as the advanced products, applications and services that run on it. The CANARIE Network serves universities, colleges, schools, government labs, research institutes, hospitals and other organizations in a wide variety of fields in both the public and private sectors. By promoting and participating in strategic collaborations among key sectors, and by partnering with peer networks and organizations around the world, CANARIE Inc. stimulates and supports research, innovation and growth, bringing economic, social, and cultural benefits to Canadians. The national organization was created in 1993 by the private sector and academia under the leadership of the Government of Canada. CANARIE Inc. is supported by membership fees, with major funding of its programs and activities provided by the Government of Canada.
"Companies and countries that are the first movers to adopt a zero carbon strategy will be the big winners in the future economy," says Guy Bujold, CANARIE president and CEO. "The CANARIE Board of Directors believe that the ICT industry sector, as the fastest growing industry sector, and the most adaptable, may well be in a good position to move to this new reality."
The Green Information Technology (Green IT) Pilot is CANARIE's response to the growing number of experts coming to the view that a fossil fuel driven economy of today is not sustainable as energy sources dwindle and as the planet heats up due to greenhouse gas emission.
The overall goal of the pilot is to make more extensive use of network services by laying the foundation of a potentially significant cyber-infrastructure architecture that will provide the first steps in supporting the building of a zero carbon economy. As cleaner sources of energy, including wind, solar and tidal power, become available and displace GHG producing means of generating electricity, the challenge will be to design an ICT infrastructure that is capable of using these more unreliable sources to power ICT activities. The pilot will lay a foundation for new business opportunities for industry participants as suppliers of the components required for the facility, and identify revenue opportunities for network operators in testing and validating how to use primarily wind and solar power for a reliable ICT infrastructure that can support identified mission critical applications.
To kick off its pilot project CANARIE will bring together experts from within Canada and around the world to participate in a workshop on March 4th in Ottawa that will define objectives, provide details, and determine a process to identify partners and contributions to the project. Interested parties who may have applicable technologies or business solutions are encouraged to contact CANARIE's Chief Research Officer, Bill St. Arnaud (bill.st.arnaud@canarie.ca and 613-944-5603) who will lead the workshop on March 4th to arrange for an invitation to the workshop. As space at the workshop is limited, invitations will only be extended to those who demonstrate a serious interest in this initiative.
CANARIE's Board of Directors gave conditional approval to allocate $3 million to the project and clearly indicated its intention of CANARIE becoming a leader in this field. Final approval of a pilot is subject to the outcome of the workshop.
The Green IT pilot program and the workshop support CANARIE's objectives to develop, demonstrate and implement next generation technologies to advance the CANARIE network as a leading-edge research network and to increase national and international research partnerships, and enhancing Canada's recognition as a world leader in research networking.
CANARIE Inc., based in Ottawa, is Canada's advanced network organization. It facilitates the development and use of its network as well as the advanced products, applications and services that run on it. The CANARIE Network serves universities, colleges, schools, government labs, research institutes, hospitals and other organizations in a wide variety of fields in both the public and private sectors. By promoting and participating in strategic collaborations among key sectors, and by partnering with peer networks and organizations around the world, CANARIE Inc. stimulates and supports research, innovation and growth, bringing economic, social, and cultural benefits to Canadians. The national organization was created in 1993 by the private sector and academia under the leadership of the Government of Canada. CANARIE Inc. is supported by membership fees, with major funding of its programs and activities provided by the Government of Canada.