More than 3,400 attendees and 225 exhibitors gathered at Electricity Transformation Canada 2026 (ETC), Oct. 19-21, in Toronto, Ontario. The event connected the leaders, businesses, Indigenous partners, regulators and investors shaping Canada’s clean energy sector at a time when national investment in generation, transmission and storage is set to grow significantly. With this year marking the largest event yet, the surge in attendance underscored the urgency to address a national commitment to double grid capacity by 2050. 

“Canadians want affordable electricity, and that’s what wind, solar and energy storage can help deliver,” says Vittoria Bellissimo, president and CEO of the Canadian Renewable Energy Association (CanREA). “This week’s conference showed an industry ready to build the affordable, reliable, clean power Canada needs, creating jobs, supporting Canadian businesses and strengthening our energy security.” 

The conference followed the release of CanREA’s “Clean Power Nation” report, which found that affordability is Canadians’ top priority when it comes to new electricity supply. With electricity demand growing, wind, solar and energy storage offer affordable, reliable, clean and quickly deployable solutions that can help keep costs down for Canadian families and businesses. Speakers at ETC emphasized that stable policies, effective regulations and timely procurement must be the foundation of Canada’s big buildout. 

ETC kicked off with a keynote conversation on the state of the global wind industry with Bellissimo and José Luis Blanco, CEO of the Nordex Group and Chair of WindEurope from 2023 to 2025. The program also featured Perry Bellegarde, former chief of the Assembly of First Nations, and Jigar Shah in conversation with Lindsay Patrick, Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer at RBC Capital Markets, who discussed the technological, policy and regulatory innovations critical to accelerating the energy transition. 

Other featured speakers included Annette Verschuren, founder and chair of NRStor; Carolyn Calwell, CEO of the Ontario Energy Board; and Jennifer Williams, president and CEO of Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro.

ETC shows continued growth

The show floor featured new exhibitors and innovations from companies in solar, wind and energy storage. The Indigenous Pavilion once again showcased the Indigenous-led projects and partnerships shaping the country’s clean energy transition. The Brazilian and Italian Pavilions, new to this year’s event, spotlighted companies from each country bringing their technology and expertise to Canada’s clean energy market.

The week opened with the second annual CanREA Awards, which recognize the projects, companies and people moving Canada’s clean power sector forward. This year’s winners span four provinces, from Saskatchewan to PEI. 

“The growth at ETC this year tells a clear story, that the people and companies expanding Canada’s clean energy industry want to be in the same room, solving problems together,” said Stephen Miner, President & CEO of RE+ Events. “We’re grateful to our attendees, exhibitors, sponsors and partners, and we can’t wait to be back in 2027.” 

Beyond the main stage, delegates chose from five conference streams covering everything from capital, procurement and Indigenous economic partnership to social licence, grid modernization and the supply chain behind Canada’s big build. In CanREA’s cross-country checkup, the association’s regional policy directors compared notes on procurement, policy and public opinion from coast to coast.  

ETC is a partnership between the Canadian Renewable Energy Association (CanREA), RE+ Events, and the Italian German Exhibition Company Canada. The event will return to the Enercare Centre in Toronto, October 25–27, 2027. For more information, visit electricity-transformation.ca. 

— Solar Builder magazine