Natural Resources committee  Yes. I can give you a very quick answer. There is significant work being done to develop smarter ways of integrating electricity sources. One of the issues is that the smart grid means different things to different people. To some people, it's software to better manage it, and

Natural Resources committee  One of the most significant things holding back development of electricity is the long lead time for project approval. A hydro plant, if you talk to industry—the Canadian Hydropower Association, for example—takes significantly longer than putting in a gas plant. It could take up

Natural Resources committee  I'm sorry. That 10 years, I should clarify, includes construction. It does make developing hydro a long-term decision, though, when if you wanted to put electricity on the grid right away you could do it very quickly with gas. In terms of areas of the country, there are new proje

Natural Resources committee  There are still waterways. Generally, the most economical resources were used first, but that being said, there are still economical resources to be developed in Canada.

Natural Resources committee  As you mentioned, there are significant opportunities for Canadian companies, particularly from areas of strength for Canada. Hydro is one where there is a demand worldwide for it, and also long-distance transmission, which is the result of our large geography and the fact—

Natural Resources committee  We do have expertise that other countries don't have, and there is—

Natural Resources committee  There are a number of Canadian companies that export and provide consulting services and project management services overseas.

Natural Resources committee  Geothermal currently is in demonstration phases. There are no large commercial operations for the generation of electricity. In terms of the other example....

Natural Resources committee  In terms of marine, there have been a few pilot projects done by industry. The federal government is working toward developing a framework for managing Canadian offshore wind.

Natural Resources committee  They have significant potential. The issue is how the cost curves of all these various technologies evolve over time and whether they become cost-competitive. There's a competition among renewables themselves as well as against conventional sources of electricity generation such

Natural Resources committee  Generally, in terms of electricity, the costs in most applications are currently not competitive with other sources.

Natural Resources committee  There are some limited applications that would be sooner than that, but on a wide scale it is likely to remain small.

Natural Resources committee  Thank you for that question. Most of the support that Natural Resources Canada gives specifically towards renewable energy is through support to technology-demonstration projects, for example, integrating renewable intermittent wind and solar and other renewables into the grid. O

Natural Resources committee  It's a renewable source.

Natural Resources committee  It emits and it recaptures.