New Age Movement of Innovation

Technology has always been integral to the energy sector, but the leaps in technology can now radically help to evolve the energy economy.

Technology and innovation is not new to the energy sector, but the current increased focus is bringing with it new vigor to old practices. To the question “Why?” or maybe more accurately “Why now?” there are multiple answers: factors like consumer demand, social responsibility, increased efficiency that are instigating positive growth in the economy.

“Industry has always used new technologies,” explains Len Johnson, president of Advanced Flow Technologies (AFT). “There has traditionally been resistance to change, but, with the increase of younger workers entering the industry, the traditional barriers are becoming less important.”

The “changing of the guards,” so to speak, has marked a significant impact on the economy, both through industry diversity and the improvement of Alberta’s key industry—the energy sector. The status quo is no longer a satisfactory answer, especially when the cost/benefit factor is weighed.

“Certain sectors, like drilling and fracking, have been aggressively employing new technology. Drilling times and techniques have greatly improved over the last 20 years,” says Johnson. “The ability to drill vertically, and then begin to drill horizontally has revolutionized the industry. And now, with new fracking technologies, producers have access to oil and gas reserves which were previously inaccessible.”

The demand for new technologies and research in the energy sector is mounting. With reserves more difficult to reach and with emphasis to produce both more efficiently and responsibly, industry is benefiting from new innovation. The search for innovation is an ongoing process.

Innovate Calgary is a technology transfer company and commercialization centre that responds to the demands through the licensing of improved oil and gas technologies. It spurred the creation of nFluids Inc, a privately held University of Calgary s­pin-out, which developed a cutting-edge fluid additive. nFluids’s product has the potential to dramatically reduce fluid loss, providing a more efficient, environmentally friendly, cost-effective, and safer drilling operation.