Canada’s wind O&M innovation meeting ground
October 9, 2018
Canada’s wind energy operations and maintenance movers and shakers to gather in Toronto in January 2019.
This year the world passed 1-terrawatt of installed wind energy capacity with Canada coming in as the 9th largest contributor to that value. Hundreds of thousands of people are now employed in the wind industry globally, each contributing to the design, deployment, operation and maintenance of power facilities, and creating new methods that support and advance the effective and efficient operation of these facilities. From adaptation to universal learnings to leveraging existing expertise in a local workforce, operational improvements are being actively discussed and pursued by the wind industry across the country, overcoming narrow and broad challenges alike.
CanWEA’s 2019 O&M Summit – the largest annual wind operations event in Canada – is the meeting point for these problem solvers. With an expected attendance of over 300 wind energy professionals from across Canada and the United States, the CanWEA O&M Summit serves as a critical meeting ground where key stakeholders come together to learn from one another and discuss the latest opportunities and challenges facing this rapidly growing sector.
Among attendees are:
- Executives and decision makers who come to survey what the Canadian O&M sector has to offer, providing insight into contract negotiations or strategic investments that are moving their business forward.
- Specialists who share and collect new knowledge on a range of topics like improving supply chain logistics, blade repairs, and health and safety.
- Digitalization gurus who provide a window into ways to digest the world of options at their finger-tips such as artificial intelligence, work processes and augmented reality.
- And operations staff who ground these discussions in the reality of day-to-day tasks on-site.
Collaborative discussions like this naturally bring the best to the surface and CanWEA is keen to acknowledge Canada’s O&M leaders. As a result, the 2019 O&M Summit will also see awards provided to organizations recognized for their leadership by a panel of industry peers.
Operations and Maintenance Outstanding Achievement Award is to recognize an organization that has demonstrated innovation through an initiative that exemplifies an industry leading approach to wind power facility operations and maintenance. This CanWEA award is intended to honour organizations that have improved or contributed significantly to the improvement of the efficiency, profitability and reliability of wind farm operations in Canada.
Health and Safety Excellence Award will be presented to an organization whose progressive approach to a health and safety program, action or practice has directly improved the safety and well-being of wind power plant employees, contractors or the public and set an example for the wind energy industry in Canada.
Competition for these two awards is stiff as companies demonstrate through nominations that innovation is continuously at work in Canada.
Nominations for the 2019 O&M awards are now open! Download the nomination form for your organization or another company. The submission deadline is November 23rd, 2018. To learn more about the awards and past winners, check out canwea.ca/awards.
For the past 5 years, CanWEA’s O&M Summit has grown exponentially, exceeded expectations and provided a vital forum for Canada’s most engaged companies. Don’t miss your opportunity to be part of this important event – register today!
For more information on the program, exhibitor and sponsorship opportunities, and more, check out canwea.ca/events/canwea-operations-and-maintenance-summit-2019.We hope to see you there!
Operations and Maintenance Program Director at the Canadian Wind Energy Association