Title:
The Evolution of Electricity
Abstract:
Society's prosperity rests on our effective use of energy. Just as the industrial revolution with its steam engine transformed life and the economy two centuries ago, so too did the introduction of electric utility services a hundred years ago. As an "energy currency" electricity is unique in its ability to connect diverse sources of energy to innumerable uses big and small. In our search for ways to reduce society's dependence on fossil fuels, electricity's future role will be shaped not only by its immense flexibility but also by limitations imposed by the laws of physics and the realities of economics.
Jan Carr will explore the role that electricity has played in the economic development of Ontario and Canada and he will highlight the current challenges as they relate to the environmental footprint of energy use.
Bio:
Presented by Jan Carr, former CEO, Ontario Power Authority.
Jan Carr was the Chief Executive Officer of the Ontario Power Authority from the time of its founding in January 2005 until September 2008. Prior to that, he was Vice Chair of the Ontario Energy Board during its transition from a government department to a self-funding independently operated tribunal.
Dr. Carr has more than 35 years of experience in the electricity sector as a professional engineer, holding senior positions in the design and planning of electricity transmission and distribution systems. He has worked on projects in many parts of the world, including Asia, Africa, Central America and the Caribbean. He has been a consultant to utilities, governments and other stakeholders on the financial, business, strategic and policy aspects of the electric power industry.
Dr. Carr is a member of the Board of the Alberta Electric System Operator which is responsible for long-range planning of the provincial system as well as its operation through a competitive wholesale electricity market. He has also served on the Board of Directors of both TransAlta Power, a publicly traded generation company, and Macquarie Canadian Infrastructure Management, a privately held infrastructure investment fund. He was a member of the Advisory Committee on Competition in Ontario’s Electricity System (the Macdonald Committee) and Chairman of the Electricity Task Force of the Toronto Board of Trade. He was a publicly elected Commissioner and Chairman of the municipally-owned electric utility serving the Town of Niagaraon-the-Lake and a board member and regional Chair of the Municipal Electric Association (today’s Electricity Distributors Association) in Ontario.
In 2007, he received a medal for Management in the Ontario Professional Engineers Awards.