QUEST Q&A
What is QUEST Canada?
QUEST Canada - Quality Urban Energy Systems of Tomorrow - is a national non-profit organization advancing education and research for integrated energy systems (linking energy with land-use, buildings, transportation, waste, water and wastewater at a community, neighbourhood or site level) to develop and support sustainable communities in Canada. QUEST does research, policy analysis, outreach, and capacity building to assist communities, utilities, and the broader community-building sector.
Who Makes Up QUEST Canada?
QUEST Canada is a collaborative network of organizations - from energy, technology and infrastructure industries, gas and electric utilities, all levels of government, civil society groups and community leaders, researchers and the consulting community - actively working to make Canada a world leader in the design, development and application of integrated energy solutions.
What is the QUEST Canada proposition?
QUEST Canada is responding to the national energy infrastructure and investment challenge faced by 5400 rural, remote and urban communities by advancing six energy decision-making principles as part of an integrated planning, development and servicing approach. The principles are:
- Improve efficiency - reduce the energy input required for a given level of service;
- Optimize "exergy" - avoid using high-quality energy in low-quality applications;
- Manage heat - capture all feasible thermal energy and use it, rather than exhaust it;
- Reduce waste - use all available resources, such as landfill gas, gas pressure drops and municipal, agricultural, industrial and forestry wastes;
- Use renewable resources - tap into local biomass, geothermal, solar and wind energy; and,
- Use grids (power, gas, heat) strategically - optimize use of grid energy as a resource to optimize the overall system and ensure reliability.
What is the Mission and Vision of QUEST?
To foster integrated, community-based approaches which address energy end-use and reduce related greenhouse gas and air pollutant emissions.
What is the QUEST Vision?
The QUEST mission is to mobilize community builders to create integrated energy solutions that are central to sustainable community development. The QUEST vision is that by 2035 every community in Canada is operating as an integrated energy system, and accordingly, all community development and redevelopment incorporates an integrated energy approach.
QUEST Canada is achieving the mission and vision by working with community builders to:
- Encourage a balanced and informative conversation about energy;
- Support the development of expertise and capacity across Canada for ICES;
- Prepare inclusive and independent applied research for the broader public interest; and,
- Create a collaborative framework for communities and key stakeholders to understand and to work on their energy futures.
How is QUEST Canada Governed?
QUEST Canada has established a formal governance model that entails a compact membership and board structure, and broader outreach provided through a National Advisory Committee (NAC) and Provincial and Territorial Caucuses. QUEST Canada Board of Directors and Officers include: Michael Harcourt, Chair and CEO; Ken Ogilvie, Vice-chair and Mike Cleland, Secretary/Treasurer.
The NAC is the principal focus of advice for QUEST. The NAC offers guidance for achieving the QUEST vision and advice to the Board of Directors and management of QUEST.
Provincial/Territorial caucuses implement the QUEST Canada vision relative to different provincial and territorial contexts. All caucuses adhere to a QUEST Canada Caucus Charter and a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with QUEST Canada concerning operations, fundraising, branding and other administrative matters.
What Are the 2012 Activities for QUEST Canada?
- Research and Education: expand integrated energy system business case work; investigate the financial performance of integrated energy system projects; identify and address barriers through workshops; engage researchers, educators and students through competitions and awards; and, work with QUEST caucuses to engage provincial agencies on energy matters.
- Partnerships and Engagement: formalize and expand QUEST caucuses; develop discussion paper series to further dialogue around such issues such as fuels, technology, and regulatory matters; establish the NAC; and, form a roundtable with professional associations on energy.
- Programs: QUEST International Conference and Tradeshow - Integrated Energy Systems: Smart Communities in Cold Climates November 18-20, 2012 in Winnipeg, MB; and, training workshops (energy literacy, mapping, planning and business cases).
QUEST Canada Core Funders
QUEST Q&A (610KB PDF)
