Collective Event
Proliferation of Renewables - A Climate Conversation
November 26, 2025, 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm
This event has been cancelled due to illness. Please stay tuned for a rescheduled event in the New Year.
This event is a part of our Climate Conversations, a series to provide informal opportunities to connect with colleagues on pressing climate topics, locally and globally. Registration is not required for this event. However, you can share your email at the bottom of this page to receive an email reminder for this event.
In a recent Climate Conversation, participants discussed how fossil fuel supply in Canada is shaping up under evolving mandates, and what supply side strategies can be used to foster an energy transition. In this Climate Conversation, the Climate Solutions Research Collective will examine strategies to create sustainable and equitable renewable energy projects as part of a renewable energy transition, looking at BC as an example.
With the increase in renewable energy projects, there are still key challenges in their widespread implementation. These barriers undermine the ambition towards lower emissions, and have implications with justice and community involvement. Join the Climate Conversation with Alexander Tavasoli (Mechanical Engineering) and Holly Caggiano (Community and Regional Planning) to examine the proliferation of renewables in BC including community renewable projects, and ways to work through challenges.
Presenters
Alexandra Tavasoli, Mechanical Engineering, Applied Science
Alex Tavasoli is an Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering. Her research group, the Laboratory of Future Industry (LoFI) studies the design and implementation of emerging sustainable manufacturing processes that make use of alternative or waste feedstocks and low-carbon energy. Prior to joining UBC, Alex’s work focused on passive systems that use solar energy to drive the capture and conversion of carbon dioxide into commodity chemicals. Since joining UBC, she has expanded her work to study battery recycling and sustainable textile production. She is also the Chair of the Board of Directors of Iron and Earth, a non-profit dedicated to supporting the energy transition through worker retraining programs. Alex is a member of the Solar Energy for Net Zero Research Excellence Cluster and an affiliate faculty member at the Centre for Climate Justice.
Holly Caggiano, Assistant Professor, School of Community and Regional Planning, Applied Science
Holly Caggiano is an Assistant Professor in the School of Community and Regional Planning, where she leads the Planning for Climate Equity (PLACE) lab. Her work explores social dimensions of climate change in the US and Canada, and currently focuses on planning for just energy transitions. Her interdisciplinary scholarship draws from various social science theories and methods, often community-engaged, and she prioritizes working collaboratively with people impacted by climate change and the plans and policies developed to mitigate its impacts.
Holly is an affiliate faculty member at the Centre for Climate Justice and the Clean Energy Research Centre and member of the Solar Energy for Net Zero Research Excellence Cluster