Article featured in March 2007 Edition of The Source, Natural Resources Canada's internal newsletter.

By Terence Martin

The world-leading RETScreen software package developed by the CANMET Energy Technology Centre-Varennes (CETC-Varennes) recently passed the 100 000 user milestone. Demand for the software, which helps decision-makers plan for projects that use renewable energy and co-generation technologies, is still growing rapidly.

"The 100 000 user milestone is key for RETScreen," says Gregory J. Leng, Director, RETScreen International at CETC-Varennes. "With 90 percent market penetration in some countries, we've become the defacto world standard, and I think we've still just scratched the surface in terms of impact it will have."

A typical user of the RETScreen Clean Energy Project Analysis software is an engineer or architect involved in planning for an electrical utility, wind power project, cogeneration facility or green building. The software, which is available free of charge, provides risk and feasibility analysis and helps determine projected energy costs and savings. RETScreen (for Renewable-Energy and Energy-Efficient Technologies screening tool) is also used at over 120 universities worldwide, in environmental science, engineering, architectural and business programs, and can be found in public and private-sector research laboratories.

The latest version of the software works in 21 languages that cover about
two-thirds of the world's population. As the potential user base grows, it is expected that by the end of 2012, an estimated 300 000 planners, professionals and decision-makers will use RETScreen to plan for energy needs. And while not all projects eventually pan out, the money and resources saved can go towards another project down the road.

"In the past, people have spent a lot of money looking at the wrong projects," says Greg. "By the time they found the right project, their money was gone. With RETScreen, we're changing the way people assess energy projects and saving them a lot of money in the process."

To illustrate the savings RETScreen can bring, Greg used the example of a wind energy feasibility study that might have cost $50,000 in the past. Today, a wind farm study prepared by an expert using RETScreen could be done for as little as $500 with the software.

CETC-Varennes and the Office of Energy Efficiency (OEE) have been collaborating on a future version of RETScreen. Another partner is the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the United States, which has a full-time team collecting planetary climate information such as surface temperature data from satellites to be used directly within RETScreen. The data covers the entire surface of the planet and is used to help model energy demand, savings and/or production.

RETScreen's new and improved capabilities will accommodate a variety of heating and cooling technologies, clean power and energy efficiency measures. This will enhance its utility in buildings and industrial facilities projects and further increase its user base. The end result will be smarter, cleaner energy projects and reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

"The new version of RETScreen will essentially apply to every building and industrial facility in the world," says Greg. "You will be able to look at everything from solar capability for a home or cottage, to planning energy conservation measures for a big pulp and paper plant. We want planners, professionals and decision-makers at every level to be able to make better energy decisions, which will help expand markets and help the environment at the same time."