Article features in March 2008 Edition of The Source, Natural Resources Canada's internal newsletter.

By Terence Martin

The latest version of NRCan's RETScreen Clean Energy Project Analysis Software has been officially launched. RETScreen now includes new energy-efficiency models that can be used for residential, commercial and institutional buildings, and for industrial facilities and processes, and it's expected that a rapidly-growing user base will provide for increased savings in energy expenses, along with reduced harmful emissions.

"RETScreen is removing barriers to the implementation of renewable energy, cogeneration and energy efficiency projects, while allowing decision-makers, planners, engineers and investors in the public and private sectors to realize significant energy savings, which reduces greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions as well as costs," says Gregory J. Leng, Director, RETScreen International.

RETScreen has 141 000 users in over 220 countries – up from 100 000 a year ago – and is now available in 26 languages, with some 900 new users a week downloading the free software. With its potential for allowing savings in a full array of financially viable clean power, heating and cooling technologies as well as energy efficiency measures, the use of RETScreen is now applicable for most houses, buildings, factories and power plants around the world, which should allow the user base of professionals to grow even faster.

The latest release of the software was developed at the CANMET Energy Technology Centre-Varennes (CETC-Varennes) in partnership with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP) in Vienna, Austria. Together they have invested $1.8 million into the package over the past two years.

The official launch of this major new version of RETScreen was made on Parliament Hill by the Honourable Gary Lunn, Minister of Natural Resources, and by the Honourable John Baird, Minister of the Environment, at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bali, Indonesia, in December 2007.