Guest post contributed byPatrick Lemaire, President and CEO of Boralex.
Over the holidays, I caught up on some reading and among other things, I read “The State of Energy in Quebec,” a report produced and published annually for the past four years by the Chair in Energy Sector Management at HEC Montréal. It opened my eyes to the essential role individuals must play in the success of the energy transition, and in doing so, taught me an important lesson.
Sales of sport-utility vehicles (SUVs) and trucks are setting records, houses are getting bigger and bigger, and urban sprawl continues, inevitably leading to rising consumption of fuel and demand for electricity. Although Quebec has an ambitious energy policy and aggressive objectives for reducing greenhouse gases, the fact is, we simply can’t achieve our goals in fighting climate change unless we as individuals make radical changes in our consumption habits…and that includes me!
Boralex recently acquired a new gas-fuelled all-terrain SUV, which we need for the maintenance of our wind farms. Since most of our energy production sites are located in remote regions, an electric vehicle is something we can’t even consider based on current technologies, but we really ought to have considered a hybrid SUV. Even though we work in the renewable energies sector, we hadn’t thought of that. We hit the “repeat” button without taking the time to question how we do things, as many people are now doing. I now believe that’s where the hidden key to the energy transition lies.
It’s a misconception that it is only up to players in the energy industry to bear the heavy responsibility of maintaining the health of our planet. We may be the ones who carry the ball, of course, but we need everyone to get involved if we hope to win the game. Pierre-Olivier Pineau, the co-author of the report, points out that since 1990, greenhouse gas emissions have fallen by 25% in Quebec, but only 5% can be attributed to the energy industry. Understandably, when nearly 99% of the electricity we produce is already renewable, it’s hard to do better – but not impossible.
I sincerely believe that by questioning the way we do things every day, making small but tangible changes, and showing creativity, we’ll get there, both individually and collectively. Consider the example of the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec: with its new investment strategy for facing climate change, announced last October, the Caisse has found concrete and cost-effective ways to contribute to the transition to a low-carbon global economy. This type of initiative sets an example we should all strive to follow. I believe that people reach their optimal creativity when they are confronted with a problem and face specific constraints – the ‘Think INSIDE the Box’ theory. This type of situation forces us to focus on new ways of doing things, and that’s exactly what we are currently observing in the markets. The international energy industry is completely transforming itself.
Whether it’s through the technological innovations of the past few years, especially in solar energy, which have led to price cuts of historic proportions, or as a result of rising interest from corporations and investment funds in developing energy projects, the production and saleof energy has never been so conventional and competitive. I confess, I would never have believed that Google would someday become one of our competitors!
I love a challenge, and am inspired by this perspective, because it pushes us to become better. These trends coupled with the urgency of taking action will, I hope, push us to diversify further, evolve, and innovate. A range of solutions is within our reach; for example, stockpiling ‘green’ taxes, and biofuels, among other things.
In looking ahead I remain both a realist and an optimist. What really matters is our ability to ask questions and focus on our preparedness to turn constraints into real innovation, and I will be starting with my own daily routine!
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Boralex develops, builds and operates renewable energy production sites in Canada, France, the United Kingdom and the United States. Boralex President and CEO Patrick Lemaire has headed the company since September 2006. In 1988, as a freshly minted mechanical engineering graduate from Laval University in Quebec City, Lemaire officially embarked on his career by joining Cascades, serving successively as project manager, head of maintenance, and plant manager at Cascades plants in France and the U.S. His management and leadership abilities were subsequently harnessed in his roles as executive director of five Norampac plants and later as VP and COO with Norampac.
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