Energy labs, centres and institutes
We know that technical solutions and evidence-based research serve as a foundation for strong policy and successful deployment. Through its research institutes and centres, we collaborate with partners from within our research community and across industry, municipal and Indigenous communities, as well as provincial, federal and international government, regulatory agencies and non-governmental organizations.
The Brilliant Energy Institute was launched in 2021 to provide scientific, evidence-based pathways to energy systems that address the challenge of climate change while they meet the needs of families, businesses and communities.
The institute draws on the depth of energy expertise at Ontario Tech and its partner organizations to inform governments, industry, communities and individuals on the complex choices necessary as we move through the energy transition.
The Clean Energy Research Lab (CERL) is a world-class facility where clean energy research is pioneered and can potentially uncover major breakthroughs to address climate change.
CERL’s mission is to move clean energy technologies from the laboratory to commercial and industrial applications. CERL researchers are working on the world's first lab-scale demonstration of a copper-chlorine cycle for thermochemical water splitting and nuclear hydrogen production.
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The IAEA Collaborating Centre at Ontario Tech is part of a global network of IAEA centres developed to promote the practical use of nuclear techniques and help the IAEA implement its program activities through designated Member State institutions. Focusing on research, development and training, the Collaborating Centres help to reach important targets of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
We are Canada’s first designated IAEA Collaborating Centre. Our work focuses on integrated energy systems and the role of advanced nuclear reactors, with specific focus on Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) as well as hybrid nuclear-renewable energy systems and their multipurpose applications.
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The Digital Life Institute examines the human and social dimensions of current and projected digital technologies.
When applied to the energy sector, this work can provide critical analysis built upon the work of scholars to address the social implications of the disruptive technological advancement that will occur in our rapidly evolving energy systems.
The institute positions the social and ethical analysis of technology at the forefront of our role as a leader advancing the strategic research mandate of “technology with a conscience” within the context of national and international research spheres. Its founding partners include University of Minnesota, Shizuoka University, and Temple University.
Centre for Small Modular Reactors. With Canada’s long-standing history of nuclear expertise and experience, as well as a robust and highly skilled supply chain, Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) present an important economic opportunity, to export Canadian expertise as a sought-after global partner that Ontario Tech’s Centre for SMRs is helping the country to realize.
ACE Climatic Wind Tunnel. A world-leading, multi-purpose facility, ACE houses one of the world’s most sophisticated climatic wind tunnels, climatic chambers, a climatic four-post shaker and a multi-axis shaker table. It has garnered $18 million in research and development funding with 125 different companies over the past five years. Each year more than 100 tours and 40 community/outreach events take place at ACE.
