US and Canada reveal details of new clean-energy action plan

24 Jul 2012

What’s next for the US and Canada in terms of their clean-energy alliance? A few days ago, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and Environment Canada announced what the two countries will be focusing on during the next phase to jointly advance clean-energy technologies.

According to the DOE, the US-Canada Clean Energy Dialogue (CED) Action Plan II will renew the commitment between the US and Canada to work together on carbon capture and storage technologies. Other key areas will apparently be focused on the building of more efficient smart electricity grids, as well as advancing clean energy R&D.

And the latest action plan also appears to place a greater emphasis on energy efficiency.

“This plan is ambitious and demonstrates our continued commitment to international collaboration to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy and ensure that both of our nations benefit from the tremendous opportunities in clean energy,” said US energy secretary Steven Chu in an official statement.

The CED between Canada and the US was first set up in 2009 by US President Barack Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

The North American Carbon Storage Atlas – the first atlas to map the potential carbon dioxide (CO2) storage capacity in North America – is one such output of the clean-energy alliance to date.

The DOE confirmed that new projects will work on increasing collaboration to ensure the “integrity” of permanent CO2 storage in geological formations. There will also be an initiative to clarify US and Canadian regulatory authorities for the deployment of offshore renewable energy and technologies, plus both countries will be exploring the future potential of power storage technologies.

Canadian and US flags image via Shutterstock

Carmel Doyle was a long-time reporter with Silicon Republic

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