Craig Atkinson

Today on my way to work I was thinking about the future and in which industry the next really big revolution will occur. The kind of thing like the printing press, the automobile, the personal computer, the telephone, etc. I admit it. Revolution is about money. But it’s also about change. And hopefully positive change at that.

The BC Technologies Industry Association has developed a Power Technology Alliance.

The idea that British Columbia can be a world leader in generating smart energy solutions and exporting those solutions is not a new one. Forming the alliance, however, was the first pivotal step in creating an encompassing vision and a bold plan to move forward by means of a strong collaborative effort.

Many are not aware of what a burgeoning sector this is in BC even though power technology employs over 3000 people and has generated revenues in excess of CDN $ 700 million.

It is estimated that over the next twenty years worldwide demand for clean energy products and services will be in the range of U.S $ 3.5 Trillion (Source: Climate Solutions).

Some examples of areas where companies are working today:

Sustainable Power generation ( e.g. wind, solar, geothermal, fuel cells etc)

Alternative fuels ( e.g. biomass, hydrogen, natural gas)

Enabling Technologies (e.g. smart grid, power measurement, power electronics)

Storage (e.g. batteries)

Demand Side management ( e.g. efficient lighting, urban and building design)

I am a bit of an idealist and I do believe the world is ripe for drastic change in the next two generations in the way we are treating our home. My optimism comes from my own youth and the knowledge through experience in the way that kids today are growing up with a deeper understanding that they must do more to take care of the world than previous generations. I believe this understanding is pretty deeply rooted into the behaviours and thinking of these young generations.

Let the environmental revolution begin. I’ve been thinking alot about these issues in the past few years. Eventually I can forsee a shift in my work from technology to sustainability, but for now I’m happy to be working doing something that I enjoy. I’m also happy to be working with AIESEC International on the Sustainability Drive Team responsible for creating the Energy & Environment Learning Network. It enables me to stay close to the issues that I care deeply about without getting lost in life.