The Hydrogen Horizon: Where We Are and Where We’re Headed

May 8, 2025 12:00 pm MT

Moderators:

Dan Wicklum

Speakers:

Zak Cunningham

Discussions around hydrogen’s role in our future economy often swing between promises of boundless opportunity and projections of impending collapse.

With such extremes of hype and skepticism clouding the view, it can be hard to see the reality on the ground.

On May 8, the Calgary Region Hydrogen Hub hosted our first webinar: a candid conversation on the real state of hydrogen, globally and within Alberta between CRH2 Lead Zak Cunningham and Dan Wicklum, CEO of the Transition Accelerator. The session unpacked recent high-profile failures and addressed media skepticism while spotlighting successful and emerging projects in Alberta’s hydrogen landscape, exploring why some major initiatives are stalling and what sound technical analysis can do to help address risks—along with sharing how the Calgary Region Hydrogen Hub’s goals and methodology can contribute to our practical path forward.

Moderators:

Dan Wicklum

CEO

Dr. Dan Wicklum has spent more than 25 years performing and managing research, driving innovation, and fostering collaboration between industry, government, academia, and civil society. He is the CEO of the Transition Accelerator, a pan-Canadian organization putting Canada on a path to a strong, competitive economy in a world driving to reduce emissions to carbon neutrality. Prior to joining the Transition Accelerator, Dan was the CEO of Canada’s Oil Sands Innovation Alliance, Executive Director of the Canadian Forest Innovation Council, and a senior manager at Environment and Climate Change Canada and at Natural Resources Canada. He was a Research Assistant Professor at the University of Montana, and holds a PhD in Aquatic Ecology from the University of Montana. His initial career was in professional football, as a linebacker for the Calgary Stampeders and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

speakers/panelists:

Zak Cunningham

Calgary Region Hydrogen Hub Lead, The Transition Accelerator

Zachary (Zak) Cunningham holds an MSc in Sustainable Energy Development from the University of Calgary, a B.Eng (Hons) in Petroleum Engineering, and a diploma in Petroleum Engineering Technology. Zak began his career in the oil and gas industry in the field, having spent extensive time on drilling and workover rigs in Western Canada and deepwater offshore in Malaysia in various roles, leading him to spend nearly a decade living overseas in Southeast Asia. Zak strongly connects with his Métis culture and the Métis community within Alberta and is particularly interested in sustainable energy development in remote Northern communities.

Reports

February 2023

Towards a Fuel Hydrogen Economy in the Calgary Region

This report explores the Calgary region’s potential to establish a hydrogen hub and link with other hubs to create transportation corridors, providing recommendations for how Calgary can take advantage of the opportunity.

Webinars

December 15, 2024

Towards a Hydrogen Economy in the Calgary Region

Led by Dr. David Layzell, this webinar explores the high-level lessons learned from those projects in the past four years, making a case for how the Calgary region is the next logical step in building an innovative, responsible, and prosperous hydrogen sector in Alberta.

The Hydrogen Horizon: Where We Are and Where We’re Headed

Moderators:

Speakers:

Moderators:

Dan Wicklum

speakers/panelists:

Zak Cunningham

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