RETScreen International Sets International Standard
Article featured in May 2005 Edition of The Source, NRCan's internal newsletter.
By Holly MacLeod
A cutting-edge software package created by CANMET Energy Technology Centre - Varennes (CETC-Varennes) is generating a lot of 'buzz' around the department for setting the international standard for project analysis software. The innovative software package is managed by a group called RETScreen International and is helping over 18,000 users in Canada evaluate the feasibility of wind farms, solar water heating systems, and other energy technologies.
International response has been strong, according to Gregory Leng, section head of RETScreen International. Last month, experts from all over the world attended a workshop held for the release of RETScreen in China. The workshop was organized by the Chinese government, the World Bank, and a Canadian company with a Canadian International Development Agency contract. The workshop was held for the release of the RETScreen photovoltaic model in a Chinese [Mandarin and Cantonese] format, which is just one illustration of the growing interest in the software.
"The China workshop is just one of many that we have done in Canada and overseas over the past few years," says Mr. Leng. According to Mr. Leng, RETScreen has more than 58,000 users from 206 countries around the world.
This number of users could increase soon, as a multilingual version of the RETScreen Combined Heat & Power Model is due out soon, capable of handling 21 languages. This will allow users to produce a report in, for example French, translate it with a simple click of the mouse, and e-mail it to a business partner in China or India.
"There is no other software tool like it in the world," says Mr. Leng of the multilingual version, which is currently under development.
This will have a major impact on how pre-feasibility studies are done, according to Mr. Leng. "Language is obviously a major issue for communications, and this multilingual version is going to dramatically improve how people prepare pre-feasibility studies and develop these potential projects around the world."
Given the important role that this multilingual version could play in clean-energy technology awareness, it is little wonder that RETScreen International has received such a high profile. The organization's partners at the United Nations, the World Bank and NASA are all excited about this new software, according to Mr. Leng.
Bringing clean-energy technology to the forefront of corporate affairs is one of the most important goals of RETScreen International. As the organization highlights, companies too often fail to appreciate the benefits of energy-efficient and renewable energy technologies until it is too late.
According to RETScreen International, "If clean energy technologies are not considered and put on the table up-front in the decision-making process, it is usually next to impossible for them to be considered in the program development or project implementation stages." This results in missed opportunities that would help groups and individuals meet energy needs in a way that is both sustainable and cost-effective.
To help companies meet these objectives, the software conducts analysis in five steps: energy model, cost analysis, greenhouse gas emissions analysis, financial summary (projection of cash flows), and sensitivity and risk analysis. It also includes several other features, including weather data, a training course, an engineering textbook, an online marketplace, and an Internet discussion forum.
To minimize employee travel, RETScreen International set up a network whereby they coach trainers in other countries. They also make heavy use of the Internet. "Most of our activity is Internet-based activity, so all of our software, training courses, everything is available on the Web," says Mr. Leng.
By Holly MacLeod
A cutting-edge software package created by CANMET Energy Technology Centre - Varennes (CETC-Varennes) is generating a lot of 'buzz' around the department for setting the international standard for project analysis software. The innovative software package is managed by a group called RETScreen International and is helping over 18,000 users in Canada evaluate the feasibility of wind farms, solar water heating systems, and other energy technologies.
International response has been strong, according to Gregory Leng, section head of RETScreen International. Last month, experts from all over the world attended a workshop held for the release of RETScreen in China. The workshop was organized by the Chinese government, the World Bank, and a Canadian company with a Canadian International Development Agency contract. The workshop was held for the release of the RETScreen photovoltaic model in a Chinese [Mandarin and Cantonese] format, which is just one illustration of the growing interest in the software.
"The China workshop is just one of many that we have done in Canada and overseas over the past few years," says Mr. Leng. According to Mr. Leng, RETScreen has more than 58,000 users from 206 countries around the world.
This number of users could increase soon, as a multilingual version of the RETScreen Combined Heat & Power Model is due out soon, capable of handling 21 languages. This will allow users to produce a report in, for example French, translate it with a simple click of the mouse, and e-mail it to a business partner in China or India.
"There is no other software tool like it in the world," says Mr. Leng of the multilingual version, which is currently under development.
This will have a major impact on how pre-feasibility studies are done, according to Mr. Leng. "Language is obviously a major issue for communications, and this multilingual version is going to dramatically improve how people prepare pre-feasibility studies and develop these potential projects around the world."
Given the important role that this multilingual version could play in clean-energy technology awareness, it is little wonder that RETScreen International has received such a high profile. The organization's partners at the United Nations, the World Bank and NASA are all excited about this new software, according to Mr. Leng.
Bringing clean-energy technology to the forefront of corporate affairs is one of the most important goals of RETScreen International. As the organization highlights, companies too often fail to appreciate the benefits of energy-efficient and renewable energy technologies until it is too late.
According to RETScreen International, "If clean energy technologies are not considered and put on the table up-front in the decision-making process, it is usually next to impossible for them to be considered in the program development or project implementation stages." This results in missed opportunities that would help groups and individuals meet energy needs in a way that is both sustainable and cost-effective.
To help companies meet these objectives, the software conducts analysis in five steps: energy model, cost analysis, greenhouse gas emissions analysis, financial summary (projection of cash flows), and sensitivity and risk analysis. It also includes several other features, including weather data, a training course, an engineering textbook, an online marketplace, and an Internet discussion forum.
To minimize employee travel, RETScreen International set up a network whereby they coach trainers in other countries. They also make heavy use of the Internet. "Most of our activity is Internet-based activity, so all of our software, training courses, everything is available on the Web," says Mr. Leng.
