This document provides an overview of renewable energy training and education options across Canada. It begins with an introduction stating that renewable energy is growing globally and policies are becoming more favorable in Canada. The document then outlines various renewable energy topics like solar, wind, hydro, and energy efficiency. It provides a national map and breaks training programs down by region, including Atlantic Canada, Quebec, Ontario, the Prairies, BC, and the North. Each region lists relevant post-secondary schools, government programs, industry training, and other options.

1. ENERGY SCHOOLS CANADA
A GUIDE TO RENEWABLE ENERGY TRAINING & EDUCATION
VERSION 2.0
APRIL 14, 2016

2. CONTENTS
• Introduction Slide 3
• Studying in Canada Slide 4
• Renewable Energy; The Suite of 7 Slide 5-7
• National Map Slide 8
• Atlantic Canada Slide 9
• Quebec Slide 14
• Ontario Slide 18
• The Prairies Slide 35
• BC Slide 40
• The North Slide 53
Each geographic region is
further organized into post-
secondary, government,
industry, NGO and First
Nations-provided training
and education options,
where available

3. INTRODUCTION: GLOBAL RENEWABLE ENERGY IS A GO!
• All signs point to an exciting new era of global growth for clean,
renewable energy. In Canada, recent changes in policies, both
federal and provincial levels, are creating the most favourable
conditions in a decade for new development. As costs fall, many
countries are now getting serious about renewable energy, which in
addition to protecting the climate, preserve water resources and
save billions of dollar in energy and health costs. This is creating a
big demand for an educated and skilled workforce, in project
development, construction and maintenance services, and small
business.
• In Canada, many high quality college and university programs and
courses in clean energy are available. This digital field-guide will
show you exactly where they are, what they offer, and how to get
started. It includes sections for workshops and industry training
courses, information for those studying abroad, plus an interactive
map of Canada that pin-points all post-secondary programs. As a
bonus, we highlight 10 online training resources worldwide.
Renewable Energy;
The Suite of Seven
Solar
Wind
Hydro
Geothermal
Bio-energy
Ocean
Energy Efficiency
Is there a specific area of
renewable energy you
would love to train for a
career in?

4. STUDYING IN CANADA
You will need a letter of acceptance from a Designated Learning
Institution. Find out which schools are DLI’s on this CDN government
database
You have enough funds to cover your tuition, books, and cost-of-living
while at school, as well as your return trip to your home country
That you do not have a criminal record, nor pose any risk to Canada
or Canadians
To be in generally good health, and be willing to complete a
medical exam if requested
You fully intend to leave Canada as required by the timeframe
allowed by your study Visa or permit
Note, a study permit is not required if you intend to take a program
that is six months or less in duration
What to Know Before You Go:
Are You Eligible?

5. RENEWABLE ENERGY; THE SUITE OF 7
• Solar Energy
Solar is currently the world’s market
leader in clean energy, in terms of
rate of capacity growth, cost
declines, and versatility. From single
modules used to power LED lights or
water pumps in the developing
world, to massive multi-acre power
plants, to thermal systems for heating
water and air, the wide range of
practical uses for solar energy
assures it a key and growing role in
the world’s new green energy mix.
The Canadian Solar Industries
Association www.cansia.ca
• Wind Energy
Where solar power is more
widely applied for distributed
uses, wind power technology
established itself as the utility-
scale market leader. Beginning
in about 2005, the worldwide
demand for wind turbines grew
at an average of 30% a year.
Today, over 70GW (70,000
MW) of wind energy is
installed world-wide, including
an impressive new offshore
wind power industry in Europe.
Canadian Wind Energy Assoc.
www.canwea.ca
• Hydro
Traditionally, hydro power has
been the dominant source of
renewable power generation,
worldwide. Though large
scale dams with massive
turbines are not considered
renewable, smaller, “run-of-
river” structures, are, as they
only divert a portion of the
river’s flow through a power-
house, then return that water
to the river or creek.
International Hydropower
Association
www.hydropower.org

6. • Ocean Energy
The power of tides and wave-
action have also been
successfully harnessed, and the
exciting field of ocean energy
needs more innovative minds,
investors and entrepreneurs to
help it mature and become an
effective force for renewable
energy in coastal environments.
Marine Renewables Canada
www.marinerenewables.ca
• Bio-Energy
From wood pellets to
algae-based biofuels, the
field of bio-energy is very
broad, with numerous
energy feed-stocks and
applications for use. To be
sustainable, bio-energy
should be sourced from
wastes, grown on marginal
land, or combined with a
secondary benefit, such as
animal feed products.
IEA Bioenergy
www.ieabioenergy.com
• Geothermal
The power potential of deep
geothermal energy is truly
impressive, but is still at the
beginnings of its growth cycle.
Its major advantage over wind
and solar is the ability to be a
stable source of 24/7
“baseload” power supply. The
best sites are grouped around
the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, from
British Columbia to southern
Asia.
The Canadian Geothermal
Energy Association
www.cangea.ca

7. • Energy Efficiency
In a number of ways, Energy Efficiency or
“Demand Side Management” is the most
important renewable energy.
As society progressed through the twentieth
century, the era of “cheap energy”, it
became increasingly wasteful. Using a
combination of high tech and old time-
tested methods, many opportunities for using
energy more intelligently are being put into
action, from electricity to transportation.
The Canadian Energy Efficiency Alliance
www.energyefficiency.org
THE INTERNATIONAL RENEWABLE
ENERGY AGENCY (IRENA)
IRENA was established in 2013, to
provide a unified global platform to
assess and enable the growing
development of renewable energy. From
labour market statistics, to government
policies, to natural resources maps and
much more, IRENA exists to provide
answers to the World’s questions about
what it will take to massively scale up
renewable energy across the global
economy.
www.IRENA.org

8. CLICK THE MAP TO VISIT THE ENERGY SCHOOLS
CANADA GOOGLE-MAP

9. ATLANTIC CANADA
• Holland College
• Nova Scotia Community College

10. CAREER CASE 1: AMY
“My interest in working in renewable energy was sparked
while I was attending Dalhousie University working towards my
degree in Environmental Engineering. After graduating, I
reached out to connections I had made through my co-op
placement. I am now a Professional Development Engineer
with Natural Forces. I help a small team find sites, apply for
permitting, conduct stakeholder consultation, assess
environmental impacts and get the project ready for
construction
My degree helped me gain knowledge of the importance of
using renewable sources of energy but also it helped me
understand how we can achieve this through technological
advances. It helped me gain critical analysis skills which I use
every day while assessing new sites, technical documents or
while reading new research findings, and it helped me learn
problem solving skills in group settings which are essential
while working on a development team for large scale projects
such as wind farms.”

11. COLLEGE, UNIVERSITY
Holland College
Wind Turbine Technician
Prince Edward Island is establishing itself to be one of the most
progressive renewable energy leaders in North America.
Training for a Wind Energy program requires cross-training in
relevant trades that are also offered at Holland College. The
program’s location on the Summerside Waterfront Campus is
ideal because of its proximity to the Wind Energy Institute of
Canada site at North Cape, and to a number of wind farms.
This program is a licensed BZEE training partner. BZEE stands
for Bildungszentrum für Erneuerbare Energien, which is
German for “Training Centre for Renewable Energy”.
Key Facts:
 Start Date: September
 Length: 1 year
 Location: Summerside Campus
 Credential: Certificate
More Information