By: Geoff Cook (Bachelors of Environmental Studies Honours, York University)
RETScreen is an internationally respected, renewable energy installation and energy efficiency analysis tool that uses reliably maintained government databases in conjunction with carefully crafted models. This legitimate industry tool allows users to determine the financial, technical and placement feasibilities of clean energy projects, including the integrated and streamlined quantification of associated cost accounting and projected greenhouse gas emission reductions. Despite being available in 35 of the world’s most spoken languages — spanning a third of the world’s population — and as a no-charge download available on the Internet, the software holds some limitations that serve as a barrier to even greater user adoption and platform universality. The climate change crisis calls us to implement solutions that make the viability of our children’s future a certainty, a major step towards ensuring this is renewable energy. Wind-generated electricity has increased tenfold in the last six years in Canada alone, with growth in solar photovoltaics expected to soar in the next decade (Bastian, 2011). The challenges faced is how to put RETScreen into the hands of more individuals who are interested in being involved in this sector’s growth and starting their own renewable energy project business case. While adoption of renewable energy rapidly continues to grow internationally, another challenge is making the program an even more attractive and universal piece of software for professionals and non-professionals alike to interface with.
Figure 1. “Cumulative Growth of User Base.” (Natural Resources Canada, 2012).
RETScreen currently has a user base of more than 310,000 individual users in a numerous 222 countries around the world (Natural Resources Canada, 2012). Adoption of the software as a clean energy project decision tool has witnessed exponential growth since its release in 1998 (see Figure 1). In spite of this, RETScreen possess the potential to even further expand in adoption within both developing and established markets. Given the already relative ease of obtaining the Microsoft Excel-based program without any preconditions or capital cost required, how does natural Resources Canada — the developer of the convenient and cost-saving analysis software — grow the user base of the free, reputable, streamlined and integrated application among professionals, academics and casual renewable energy prospectors? One possible method would be to require manufacturers and retailers place a standardized symbol on all renewable energy equipment and technologies that includes the name, minimal visuals and a gateway (i.e. hyperlink) pointing towards downloading the program and its associated manual or sign-up for the nearby certified RETScreen training sessions (Canada only). This action may be furthered by convincing manufacturers to include basic information about RETScreen within the manuals and documents inside product packaging. By essentially bundling the software, albeit without a physical software media which reduces waste and cost, with the clean technologies, brand recognition of the program can be further established within the sector and propel it to potentially be the first-choice among professions and consumers alike. This option takes little or no investment from the developer and assists manufacturers with making their products more accessible to users and exemplifies a more standard-driven approach.
A second potential option towards expanding the international market use of RETScreen may be for Natural Resources Canada to form an official partnership with software and hardware developer powerhouses. Since RETScreen is contingent on Microsoft’s proprietary spreadsheet program Excel, the most reasonable entity to partner with would be the software developer. By signing a contract with Microsoft to bundle the rather data-light software plug-in — at 48 megabytes, less than downloading a digital music album — into future releases of Excel, all users of the software would already have access to RETScreen, and thus, may begin familiarizing themselves with the energy analysis tool and perhaps even begin performing energy efficiency performance analyses on their properties without the need of downloading the software. An important point would be prevent Microsoft, or any other private entities for that matter, to demand absorbing the RETScreen software as their own property and intellectual portfolio. Easier access through bundling with Microsoft Excel would provide a large jump in professional and consumer availability. The main question is where or not these individuals become part of the user base through use of RETScreen.
Figure 2. An example of what an updated RETScreen user interface could look like on an Apple iPad.
The last opportunity for growing the RETScreen’s ability to become the premier option as a renewable energy performance modeling software would be to address the software’s operative compatibility. Currently, the software is only compatible with Microsoft’s Windows operating systems and Microsoft’s Excel spreadsheet software. Natural Resources Canada should expand the universality of RETScreen by:
- Making a compatible version for Apple Mac OS, the second operating system of computers today,
- Develop a mobile version of the software which is easily capable of operating on today’s vast option of smartphones and tablets, and
- Updating the user interface of RETScreen to make it more appealing to use and recognize as a brand identity.
By fulfilling the three above prescriptions, RETScreen can further establish itself among a younger demographic more connected to their electronic devices, notably their mobile devices, and increase the universality across hardware and user demands.
Works Cited
Bastian, L. (2011). Canadian renewable energy poised for growth. Area Development Online. Retrieved from http://www.areadevelopment.com/Canada-Investment-Guide/LocationCanada2011/Canada-exploration-renewable-energy-resources779451.shtml
Natural Resources Canada. (2012, April 3). Retscreen international home. Retrieved from http://www.retscreen.net/ang/home.php
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