WATERLOO INSTITUTE FOR SUSTAINABLE ENERGY

COLLABORATIVE

ENERGY RESEARCH Sustainable Business Magazine talks to Mr. Zhewen Chen, Manager of Program Development and Partnerships at the Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Energy (WISE), about their renewable energy initiatives. Written by George Harris. The Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Energy (WISE), which was founded as recently as 2008 by Executive Director Professor Jatin Nathwani, Ontario Research Chair in Public Policy for Sustainable Energy, is the focal point for energy studies at the University of Waterloo. By no means the largest establishment of its kind, WISE may 24 | SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

well be one of the most ambitious. "The kind of research we’re looking at is really the notion of affordable energy access for humanity,” explains Mr. Zhewen Chen, the Manager of Program Development and Partnerships at WISE. “Our vision is simple: Clean energy, accessible energy, and affordable energy for all.”

Focusing its efforts on smart grid and microgrid technology, last year WISE was responsible for installing a supply of clean reliable energy to some of Canada's most remote regions, such as the Kasabonika Lake community. "In Canada approximately 200,000 people live in about 300 communities across the country in remote areas,”