Project Overview:

The secured futures project is a PWRC endeavour lead by Nastaran Arianpoo and Andrew S. Wright. The project is developing an understanding of the complex interactions and trade-offs between food, water, energy, natural and cultural resources as the world transitions toward a low-carbon economic future.

Working in collaboration with the ΔE⁺ research group in the SFU School of Sustainable Energy Engineering the project is building tools that embrace these interconnected sectors so that proposed policy choices can be examined and their performance trade-offs evaluated. The goal is to provide decision support tools that enable policy architects to make informed decisions that enhance human well-being, environmental stewardship and climate stability.

The ΔE⁺ research group was recently awarded a SSHRC Knowledge Synthesis Grant to explore this area of inquiry. This knowledge synthesis grant will provide guidance to modellers to build better models that minimize the trade-offs while maximizing the benefits of such combined modelling approaches. Specific contributions of the work will include convening modellers meetings among international experts to discuss the best practices in modelling approaches, combining the information from these meetings together with a literature review to develop guidelines for model development and evaluations. These activities will build modelling capability to effectively influence policy in Canada and beyond.

CERG Involvement:

Our team are also contributing members of the SFU Clean Energy Research Group (CERG).  This multidisciplinary group lead by Professor Anil Hira in the Department of Political Science, seeks to develop renewable energy transition strategies for B.C. off-grid communities that are currently dependent upon diesel generators for electrical energy.

Recent CERG engagements were with the BC Utilities Commission in the form of the following report: Towards a Positive Sum Regulation of Indigenous Utilities in B.C.

Team: