Peak Power turns buildings into virtual power plants

BIZ  Energy  •  Technology  •  National, International

Peak Power, a Toronto-based climate tech company, is pioneering decarbonization software that transforms buildings into ‘virtual power plants’ by converting hours of peak power usage into stored clean energy.

EnerSavings partners with EnPowered for retrofit program

BIZ  Energy  •  Investment  •  National

Energy management company EnerSavings has partnered with cleantech company EnPowered on a new retrofit program to help buildings reduce their carbon footprint.

Report calls for inclusion of natural assets in accounting

BIZ  Finance  •  Infrastructure, Investment, Land  •  National, Ontario

A new report from the University of Waterloo argues for the Public Sector Accounting Board to recognize the financial value of natural assets such as wetlands, forests and rivers and rethink accounting rules to protect natural resilience.

FLO opens first U.S. EV assembly facility in Michigan

BIZ  Transportation  •  Clean Energy, Technology  •  Quebec City, Quebec, International

Electric vehicle (EV) charging company FLO has opened its first U.S. EV assembly facility in Auburn Hills, Mich., which will bring 250,000 EV chargers to American drivers and create 730 jobs by 2028.

Suncor Energy to sell wind, solar assets for $730M

Real Estate  •  Globe and Mail

Suncor Energy Inc. says it is selling its wind and solar assets to Canadian Utilities Limited for $730 million. The move follows Suncor’s divestment of its wind and solar assets to focus on areas of energy expansion, including hydrogen and renewable fuels.

Most green index funds don’t align with the Paris Accords

Finance  •  Green Biz

We need to value natural capital

Finance  •  Green Biz

Taskforce values nature-based markets at $7T

Finance  •  Green Biz

Nature-based markets, including agriculture, voluntary carbon credits, conservation projects and nature-based solutions for carbon sequestration, could be worth more than $7 trillion a year, making them equivalent to 8.6 per cent of global GDP.

Canadians struggle to afford climate upgrades for homes

Real Estate  •  Globe and Mail

It took Robin and Tracy Tolhurst several years to realize their dream of building an off-grid home. One of their biggest building challenges was getting power without ruining the landscape or spending a significant sum to install power lines.

Ontario boosts energy-efficiency programs

Real Estate  •  Globe and Mail

Ontario is putting an additional $342 million toward energy efficiency programs, including paying some customers to run their air conditioning less on hot summer days.

Federal program to to support home retrofits for Albertans

Real Estate  •  Calgary Herald

The federal government is committing $25.6 million to four Alberta communities to fund energy retrofit financing programs for residents.

Toronto undercuts its green building policy: Critics

Real Estate  •  Globe and Mail

The City of Toronto has an ambitious policy that requires all new buildings constructed after 2028 meet a net-zero greenhouse gas emissions goal. But critics say recent bylaw changes and increases in developer fees could undermine its near-term climate goals.

B.C.’s wood pellet industry under fire for green label

Real Estate  •  Globe and Mail

British Columbia has developed a growing market for wood pellets that are sold as renewable bioenergy for thermal power plants abroad, but the province’s largest producer is under fire for cutting down old-growth forests.

Corporations promise to go deforestation-free – again

ESG  •  Corporate Knights

Alberta releases list of sites for carbon capture projects

Real Estate  •  Globe and Mail

Oil sands producers are one step closer to a project they are counting on to lower their greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050, after the Alberta government approved a joint application for underground space to store carbon dioxide.

First Global Indigenous Carbon Summit held in Regina

Carbon  •  Global News

The inaugural Global Indigenous Carbon Summit was held in Regina. It featured “the perspectives and insights of those who are taking steps to address carbon reduction through the application of technology, land use and other practices in a meaningful way.”

Sustainability features in JPMorgan Chase’s headquarters

Real Estate  •  JPMorgan Chase & Co blog

JPMorgan Chase is currently constructing a new headquarters building. The 1,388-foot, 60-story skyscraper is expected to be Manhattan’s first all-electric tower with net-zero operational emissions.

Sid Lee Architecture’s ‘Biosquare’ renovation

Real Estate  •  Treehugger

That podium base is now renovated by Sid Lee Architecture as Sid Lee’s international headquarters. They call it the Biosquare because of its shape and biophilic elements.

Fiona shows wild hurricane future, and need to adapt

Real Estate  •  Globe and Mail

As she stood near the remnants of flattened homes in Port aux Basques, N.L., Denise Anderson said the thought of continuing to live next to the ocean is hard after a deadly storm foreshadowed the violence of weather to come.

$52B New York Coastal Resiliency Plan unveiled

Real Estate  •  Bisnow

Building a new coastal protection system for New York’s harbor will cost approximately $52B and take around 14 years to complete, according to a long-awaited proposal released by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers this week.