[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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

There are many internet-based sources for communities who want to create an energy plan. This document is based in part on CERG’s 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.

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.

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 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.

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 Québec'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.

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.

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.

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 Québec and Norway, we identify reforms, including better pre-planning support and municipal and Indigenous ownership models, that could help BC scale up renewable energy.