A traveling energy roadshow from the University of Alberta is stopping in Banff this week to give residents a hands-on look at emerging energy technologies and what they could mean for everyday life. Free sessions run Thursday evening and Saturday morning at the Banff Public Library, with a drop-in session Friday afternoon at the Biosphere Institute of the Bow Valley office.
The visit is part of the Future Energy Systems Forward Roadshow, a province-wide and national tour celebrating the work of a $75-million research program that wraps up in November 2026. Funded through the federal Canada First Research Excellence Fund, the program has involved more than 150 researchers and over 1,000 graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, and other highly qualified personnel studying the energy transition across more than 250 projects.
At the library, trained graduate students and post-doctoral fellows known as Energy Explorers will lead family-friendly demonstrations and interactive activities. A Thursday evening session runs from 7:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., a Saturday morning program called “Once Upon an Alphabet Special Edition” goes from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., and a second Saturday session called “Time to Explore” runs from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The Friday drop-in at the Biosphere office is open from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
The roadshow comes as Banff pushes toward its own ambitious energy goals. The town has committed to 100 percent renewable energy by 2050, with a 30 percent drop in emissions by 2030 and an 80 percent reduction by 2050 compared to 2016 levels. Since 2017, Future Energy Systems researchers have engaged more than 115,000 Albertans at public events, and organizers say the Banff stop is a chance for mountain residents to explore research-backed solutions relevant to their community.
