Canada and dozens of other nations have committed to net-zero emissions by 2050, thereby threatening the future of C-based fuels such as gasoline, diesel and natural gas. There is a growing international consensus that these fuels must be replaced with zero-emission energy carriers like electricity or hydrogen that are produced with little or no greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Hydrogen is the energy carrier of choice for heavy-duty and long-distance transport, steel making, and many heat requirements. Fortunately, Canada is one of the world’s lowest-cost producers of very low-GHG hydrogen, from either water electrolysis using renewable or nuclear power (‘green’ H2), or from natural gas coupled to carbon capture and storage (‘blue’ H2). However, in the transition to a hydrogen economy in Canada, the major challenge is in the creation of sufficiently concentrated demand for hydrogen to make its production and distribution economically viable in the long term. David Layzell will talk about the work he has been doing with the Transition Accelerator to understand the magnitude of the opportunity and address challenges through the creation of hydrogen hubs where pilots and demonstration projects can support larger-scale commercialization in the creation of a hydrogen economy.

David Layzell, Ph.D., FRSC, Energy Systems Architect
The Transition Accelerator, Canadian Energy Systems Analysis Research (CESAR) Initiative, University of Calgary

David Layzell is a University of Calgary Professor and the Energy Systems Architect for the Transition Accelerator, a non-profit focused on the net-zero energy system transition in Canada. His work has been instrumental in identifying the opportunity and transition pathways for Canada to deploy a vibrant net-zero emission economy based on hydrogen and electricity production and use across Canada, while displacing traditional carbon-based energy carriers such as gasoline, diesel and natural gas.

Before launching the Canadian Energy System Analysis Research (CESAR) Initiative at the U of C in 2013, Layzell was Executive Director of the Institute for Sustainable Energy, Environment and Economy (ISEEE) at the U of C (2008-12), and the BIOCAP Canada Foundation at Queen’s University (1998-2008). As a Professor at Queen’s University, he founded a scientific instrumentation company called Qubit Systems Inc. and was elected ‘Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada’ (FRSC) for his research contributions.