Transition Accelerator Reports

The Transition Accelerator is a pan-Canada, non-profit, charitable organization that was set up in 2019 with the generous support of charitable foundations including theEdmonton Community FoundationMcConnell Foundation and Ivey Foundation. CESAR was  actively involved in the effort, convinced of the importance of the Accelerator methodology in defining and advancing pathways for  a low carbon economy, and cognizant of the fact that credible and compelling pathways to sustainability would be different in various regions and sectors across Canada.

When establishing the Accelerator, we launched a Serial publication called the Transition Accelerator Reports. We plan to make these reports available here, as well as on the Transition Accelerator’s own website.


Volume 2 – Issue 5
November 2020 – Transition Accelerator Reports
By David B. Layzell, PhD, FRSC; Jessica Lof, MSc; Cameron Young, PEng, Jonathan Leary

This report from Alberta’s Industrial Heartland Hydrogen Task force assesses the market potential for hydrogen in Alberta and then focuses on one region of Alberta, the Industrial Heartland near Edmonton, to explore how a vibrant hydrogen economy could be built there.


Volume 2 – Issue 4
November 2020 – Transition Accelerator Reports
By Cameron Roberts, PhD; James Meadowcroft, PhD; David Layzell, PhD

This report examines the experience of an earlier transition in land transport that saw the rapid adoption of the automobile. It focuses on three important questions:

  • Why did Canadian mobility change during the first half of the twentieth century?
  • How did cars emerge relatively quickly as the dominant mode of transportation?
  • What lessons can we learn from this history to inform future sustainability transitions?

Volume 2 – Issue 3
September 2020 – Transition Accelerator Reports
David B. Layzell, PhD, FRSC; Cameron Young, PEng, MSc; Jessica Lof, MSc; Jonathan Leary; Song Sit, PEng, PhD

This white paper was prepared by The Transition Accelerator to provide techno-economic and environmental details, as well as a pan-Canadian perspective for the work of Alberta’s Industrial Heartland Hydrogen Task Force in assessing the ability of the Alberta Industrial Heartland region to contribute to the transition to a net-zero energy future. The Task Force report (to be released in Fall 2020) and this study are provided to inform decision makers in industry and government regarding the nature of a future, net-zero energy system and the important role for hydrogen in the energy transition.


Volume 2 – Issue 1
July 2020 – Transition Accelerator Reports
Jessica Lof, MSc; Catherine MacKinnon, BSc, PEng; Geoff Martin, BSc, MIM: David B. Layzell, PhD, FRSC

This report explores the fit of hydrogen fuel cell electric technology to meet the needs of the heavy-duty vehicle sector. It also assesses the deployment strategies and progress that has been made globally to gain insights that can be applied in a Canadian context.


Volume 1 – Issue 1
August 2019 – Transition Accelerator Reports
James Meadowcroft, PhD; David Layzell, PhD, FRSC; Normand Mousseau, PhD

The first of the Transition Accelerator Report summarizes the philosophy and methodology that will guide the first steps of the new organization.  It provides a blueprint for accelerating systems-level change in the Canadian economy through co-creating and then advancing credible, compelling and capable transition pathways that harness and direct disruptions in sectors and regions across the country.

Lire le rapport en français ici.