Renewable Energy Transition Strategies – Practical Innovations for Urban Areas

The global transition from fossil fuels to renewable and clean energy is gaining momentum, and cities and urban areas are at the forefront of this movement. Local governments around the world have set ambitious 100% renewable energy targets and significant progress has been made towards these goals in leading jurisdictions. However, a full transition to clean and renewable energy is no easy task. It requires moving forward collaboratively with senior governments, utilities, other local governments, the private sector, and the public. City leaders need to be equipped with practical knowledge to work effectively in partnerships across sectors and different levels of decision-making.

By highlighting foundational first actions, this 30-hour online course will help provide the knowledge and perspective needed to confidently embark upon a city-level renewable energy transition. Drawing on the rich planning and policymaking experiences of cities in North America and Europe who are on leading pathways to 100% renewable energy, this interdisciplinary course conjoins case study learning with extensive academic and professional research literature review.

A range of interrelated topics are covered in the course, including the global context for renewable energy transitions, energy system literacy, energy efficiency in buildings, sustainable transportation, target setting, policymaking best practices, communicating with and engaging stakeholders, funding opportunities, and resources for continued learning.

This course is primarily aimed at those in local government, including staff and elected officials. However, individuals from senior levels of government, civil society organizations, utility companies, and the private sector will also find the course useful if their work concerns urban decarbonization.

Audience

This course is designed for local government staff, elected officials, researchers, and individuals from the private sector and civil society organizations concerned about their energy future. Why should you take this course?

Testimonials

It's cutting-edge, with the top instructors in a somewhat niche field in Canada. And the reading materials presented were well curated...
- NGO Utilities

Excellent for understanding basics of energy infrastructure, governance, funding and other implementation issues.
- Energy Consultant

The [on-line] format is perfect for someone with a full time career, looking to better understand how they can navigate their community towards RE.
- Environmental NGO Leader

Technical Requirements

Canvas

You’ll access the courses through Canvas, our learning management system, which is available through the SFU website. Canvas is extremely user-friendly—even if you’ve never studied online before. All you need is a computer with an internet connection and a headset. Additionally, we’re always here to help if you have questions.

You may log into Canvas beginning on the first day of each course. For a list of Canvas-supported operating systems and web browsers, visit our supported web browsers page. To learn more about Canvas, visit the SFU Canvas Student Guide.

Once you are registered, you will be given more specific information about how to log in to Canvas.