Clean tech business and education hub planned for Georgetown, P.E.I. government announces
CBC
The government of P.E.I. is planning to build what it is calling a Clean Tech Park in Georgetown, P.E.I.
The $25-million park will be built in phases, and become a hub for business and education and would include a 44,000 square foot Clean Tech Learning and Innovation Centre as well as a 25 hectare business park.
Minister of Environment, Energy and Climate Action Steven Myers said clean tech can refer to many different things.
"It could be renewable energy, could be storage for renewable energy, it could be a solution for agriculture to help us meet our carbon free goals," he said.
"I think that is the importance of the announcement today is we're not just building industry, we are building an opportunity to be innovative."
Myers said the new Clean Tech Park will be the first of its kind in Canada.
And he said he hopes other provinces will look to P.E.I. for ideas on how to build clean tech initiatives of their own.
The park will also include an academy that will offer new programs developed by UPEI and Holland College.
Sandy MacDonald, president of Holland College, said the post-secondary school has been a "proud member" of the Georgetown community for 25 years.
"We are thrilled to work alongside [the] government, and UPEI to ensure students have ample opportunities to help build what's next," MacDonald said.
The college will offer a certificate in clean-tech leadership starting in the fall of 2023.
Greg Keefe, president of the University of Prince Edward Island, said the tech park provides a career development opportunity for students.
"They will get the chance to work within the private sector or in entrepreneurial settings," he said. "These types of work placements are so valuable."
Overall, the park is an important step for P.E.I. to move toward net zero, Keefe said.
