The Clean Energy Gap: Why Generation Alone Isn't Enough ft. Hassan Shahriar (ADAPTR Inc.)

For anyone curious about where renewable energy in Canada is headed — and how innovators are reshaping the grid to get us there — this conversation is essential listening. Hassan Shahriar, founder of ADAPTR, offers an insider’s look at how Canada’s energy transition is unfolding, the gaps still holding us back, and the bold solutions that could define the next decade.

ADAPTR is tackling one of the toughest challenges in the renewable sector: how to integrate clean energy sources like wind and solar into an aging power system built for a different era. In this interview, Hassan explains why smarter grids and better collaboration between utilities, generators, and consumers are key to unlocking real progress. He also shares what’s working — from pioneering projects across Canada to the shift toward more adaptable, holistic energy solutions — and what it takes to stay resilient while leading innovation in a rapidly changing industry.

Whether you’re an energy professional, a sustainability leader, or simply someone who wants to understand how the renewable future will actually work, Hassan’s story offers both clarity and inspiration about what it means to adapt, lead, and keep pushing the boundaries of what’s possible.

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Welcome back to The Resilience Report. This is going to be a special episode because it's the very first time that we have a repeat guest on. You might be familiar with our next guest who joined us, I think it was our second or third episode of the Resilience Report. I definitely invite you to go and look back at those episodes, but this guest has some exciting news to share with us. So, with that, Hassan, welcome back to The Resilience Report.

Thank you, Lauren, and happy to be the repeat invitee to your initiative. No, I mean, it was 2 years ago, I had a little bit less white hair, but, yeah, good to be here. 

Excellent. Well, I definitely encourage our listeners to go listen back to that first episode, but for those who have yet to have the opportunity, let's maybe start at the top by explaining what you were doing with ADAPTR, your organization. At a very high level, so we do have listeners from all different backgrounds, all with that kind of theme and interest of sustainability and business, but maybe less familiar with the renewables space. So, if you could provide that high-level introduction, and then I would love to dive into what's changed since then.

Absolutely. So, maybe just for your audience, I've been… I know Lauren from our time in ENERCON, which is a company that produces wind turbines. So both of us were in the renewable energy space, I've been in the renewable energy space for 15 years, and so the perspectives I bring today and that I'm going to share with you is with that background. With that, let's say, deep involvement in large-scale renewable energy projects. 

In terms of what to expect today in the discussions, it's really about how the energy landscape is evolving. Renewables have gone from an idea to an actual solution, and then from an actual solution to an underpinning solution. And so this evolution is happening right before our eyes, right? But like with every evolution. you know, hiccups and progress, and, you know, a couple of steps forward, one step backward. So these are some of the things that, you know, I haven't had the privilege, I would say, to experience. It's always challenging, but it's also a privilege. Those are the insights that I would be sharing as part of the conversation.

And to maybe just give a high-level overview as to what does ADAPTR offer to that renewable space? Because it is a pretty special angle, I think, when we think of renewables. Most people think, to your point, of ENERCON, which was that wind turbine company. There's also solar, hydro. So where does Adapter fit into that ecosystem?

So let me try to frame that, from a… A perspective of history. The power system has been in place for over 150 years, close to 150 years. You know, we started off with, you know, Edison building his power plant, coal-fired steam dynamo to power light bulbs in New York, right? That was really the birth of the electricity system, and I'm going to talk about electricity system. There was no such thing at that time, or no such labels that we take for granted today. There was no defined buckets for consumers. There was no defined buckets for generators. There was no defined buckets for electric utilities, right? Those buckets actually only came into being maybe 50, 60 years later.

So… One of the things that we are… what's happening now is that we have buckets of… Generators, utilities, consumers. But those labels may not be validated. So we now have things like prosumers, you know, utilities that are also generating electricity, so buckets are changing. Now, when these changes are happening. And these buckets are kind of melting into each other. We have a lot of friction. We have a lot of friction. We have a lot of overlap, people are trying to figure out how are the different buckets going to work with each other. How will somebody who is actually a homeowner, a consumer, now putting up solar panels, becoming a prosumer, really interface with the distributor and the utilities? And how does that little nugget fit into the whole complexity that is our electricity system, right? So as these buckets are melding into each other, they're causing friction, uncertainties, challenges, and so the whole purpose of ADAPTR is really to help these labels that we take, that are evolving, to be more streamlined with one another. So that we don't have friction, so that as we go from the labels of the past, the labels of the future can be achieved in a more smooth manner. So ADAPTR really is about helping all the key stakeholders, the utilities, the generators, and the consumers, to a… to have electrification, to be able to access energy in the future that they need in a more streamlined way. And that's what we're trying to do.

It's been interesting over the past couple of years and speaking to different guests, some of them are talking about brand-new technology that takes so much time to build trust, and sometimes they'll use renewable energy as a proven technology of a technology that has been around a long time. That said, I know that you've been a big proponent of still trying to find innovation in this space, and ADAPTR certainly seems to be at the forefront of that. So, can you speak to maybe what that innovation looks like? We can speak specifically within the wind energy sector, or it can be renewables in general. But while it's a tried and true industry, it certainly seems like there's an opportunity for innovation. That's where you're diving in. So if you could share more about that, that would be great.

Yeah, no, absolutely. So, wind energy is a proven technology. Solar energy is a proven technology. We now have, validated, made it most… really the most efficient way we can, generate electricity, on the planet is with solar and wind. Now, the challenge really now is, how do you… and this is going back to the same concept of the buckets are melding into each other, right? So, we now have the most efficient way we can extract electricity from renewable resources like the sun and the wind. How do we reliably integrate that into the power system? How do we make sure it is available when people need it? How do we make sure the systems of the past can accommodate these types of generation of the present and in the future? Right? So, the innovation that really is coming up right now is in the integration aspect of these type of solutions, okay? And so, you know, from going one level into the detail, the innovation is really in the power system right now. It's how you deliver energy. We have figured out how to transition energy from a generation standpoint. the main thing right now is how do we do energy delivery transition? How do you… convey the electrons from when it's produced to when it is consumed, and that is where  ADAPTR-specific technology is… that's what our focus is from a technology front. And so there's a lot to be done there, right? So one of the umbrellas that you can throw on there is smart grid. Smart Grid is a bucket where different types of technologies are helping to adapt the power system to the different types of generators and consumers that are coming up. So that is one example. 

Specifically with ADAPTR, the thought process is really pretty, simple, is, we, we have been in the past really replacing the grid to connect renewables. So, through grid upgrades, line upgrades, to connect renewables. I think I might have used this analogy in our first round. It's like, you go to Europe. You have your 2-pin plug, and you have those flat-pin outlets in the UK. It's like changing out the outlet to plug in your 2-pin plug. That's stupid. Right? That's stupid. You'd never do that. You have your travel adapter. And so, we try to envision, why can't we have something for the grid? Why can't we have a grid adapter? And that is really the technology that we have been working on over the past couple of years and longer, to bring it to that stage where We can now… incorporate different types of renewables and distributed energy resources without having to completely replace and discard grid assets that have remaining life. So that's, kind of like the thought process and more specific example.

And would you say that that is… continues to be the biggest… gap for, if you will, for renewables in Canada? Is it that integration piece, or do you see other areas where, across the country, we really have additional steps to take in order to get to that next level with renewable energy?

Yeah, no, that's a very good question. So, one of the other things that I've seen in our system, in our sector, because of the complexity of the power system. Because of the competing, nature of the entities within our power system. Because of the competing messaging driven by policies and politics. We are now at, and this is one of the main reasons why we are doing what we're doing at ADAPTR, is that we are now faced with trying to solve problems in silos. Now, if you try to solve problems in silos, you will continue to have frictions across the board. So, in terms of whether this type of technology is it, no. There needs to be so many other tools in the toolbox, that should be geared towards not just problem solving in silos, like. there shouldn't be one widget that solves one problem, and that is it, right? You have to keep in mind, that solution may have a knock-on effect with so many other… in so many other areas. So you might solve that thing, but you might create a whole bunch of problems in other areas. The idea here is, what kind of technologies should we be focused on that will allow for holistic problem solving? Grid adapter is one flavor of that holistic problem solving. It is not necessarily solving for renewables, but it's also solving for other challenges that other generators or other consumers may be facing. So I think that is the main differentiator for… from our perspective, is we have to think holistically. It's no longer possible to solve in silos, and we will get lost within the complexity of our power system.

There's certainly that interdependence from a technology standpoint that you're talking about, but there's also… I don't think most people realize how interconnected it is from a stakeholder perspective, too, when you're trying to bring new renewable projects into play. You're not just dealing with one stakeholder, let's say a utility company or the grid provider, you're really thinking all of these different players. Can you talk a little bit more about this for people who are not deep in the industry, of maybe the importance of those different stakeholder and community engagement pieces when you're trying to achieve progress in the sector?

Yeah, and and I think this is where the competing message is taking root. In today's world, I don't think it is enough to simply talk about the sustainable aspect of renewables. It may also be the wrong focus. For renewables going forward. At the end of the day, what is the common theme that everybody can agree to? And I believe that common theme is we are… we are, at the end of the day a provider of energy. and electricity. So we must cater to the needs of the energy consumers. Edison built his… grid, And his coal-fired generator, to supply electricity. He didn't build a coal-fired generator for the Purposes of a coal-fired generator. We wanted to solve the problem for the consumer. Right. So, our goal should be, how can we solve the electricity needs for the consumer? And can we do it in a fashion that is resilient, reliable, cost-effective, and if it's green, perfect. So, I think that is… that is very important to have that common message. When you have that common message, then it is easier to bring the different stakeholders to a common understanding. And I think that is the most thing… that is the… that is one of the things that, you know, from my perspective, is what we should pursue. Is that connect on a common message, and then go from there.

Definitely focusing on the pain points and how you solve them seems to absolutely be the right way to bridge the gap. You're not relying on maybe more altruistic, decisions there, but at the end of the day, Canada needs energy, and especially in all of these different regions. I am curious as well, because you have not only founded ADAPTR and are leading that organization, which is a for-profit side, but then you also are leading a co-op program through Windshare. Maybe if you could speak a little bit to that program, and then also, I'm very curious as to how do those two different profiles overlap? Because sometimes we think the way we behave in a for-profit model is necessarily very different than it would be in a for-profit. So, curious to know where you've been able to lean on some of the learnings from both sides of that experience.

So for the audience, Windshare is the owner of the turbine in, the city of Toronto. In downtown Toronto, there is actually a wind turbine. And, that is one of the first wind turbines, and I think the first urban wind turbine in all of North America. The project was initiated and developed by members of the public, they formed a cooperative, went through the whole process of putting a project together, and made it successful in terms of putting it up in 2003. Now, the co-op model for project development is important, but I think we have to be practical about how viable it is from a commercial standpoint. This project was deployed in 2003, before any of the streamlined, structured, renewable project development really took root here in Canada. Now, we have very specialized part producers, independent power producers, generators, entire organizations that are streamlined to design, originate, design, develop, build, finance, operate large-scale renewable energy projects at price points that are the best that you can get for energy. Is there any competition between such a streamlined operation versus citizens putting in their personal time and effort every now and then to… with their lack of, maybe, lack of, knowledge on certain areas, it is not… it is… it is… it is difficult. It's almost… very challenging, right? So, for this particular project, the Windshare project, I think the main important part there is that It is doable. Right? And there is support for it. And it does bring, generate energy at a local network, so this wind turbine is actually generating energy within a… within the grounds of, Exhibition Place, which is a large, event stadium. And it is important to be able to generate local electricity, because it relieves the grid pressure. From congestion, right? 

So I think there is a role for co-ops to support and promote projects like that for local generation. Absolutely, because the large projects, they need the big areas, they need the big sites, but for the local generation, you need people support. And I think, the co-ops also are going to evolve from what they tried to do in the past, which is try to figure out and solve everything and build projects by themselves, to maybe, approaches that, no, we need to generate here, so I'm happy to support local generation, to maybe pay for local generation, just like we do for groceries, right? Sometimes we want local, produce at our farmer's market. Rather than something that is shipped from across the planet, right? So I think that methodology, as it relates to food, can transition as it relates to energy.

For our listeners who are tuning in, who are maybe interested in really pursuing sustainability within business, because again, most of the profiles, I would say, are either young professionals starting out their career, or we actually have quite a few people who are trying to pivot more into values-aligned work. For leaders and maybe even entrepreneurs who are trying to go deeper into the sustainability space, do you have any recommendations? I mean, you mentioned at the top for renewables, maybe it's less… just focus on the environmental side, but trying to… trying to figure out how you solve the problems of your customers. I'm wondering if it's leaning into that, or if you have any other advice for how to effectively weave it in, especially at this time.

Adaptation. Because of the competing nature in energy. And the fact where we are in terms of climate change. We now have to consider adaptation. We may not be able to stop the train. Or the train wreck. So we have to figure out ways to adapt. So, I think sustainability is important. But at the same time, one of the sectors that will be severely impacted is the insurance sector. And when the insurance sector gets impacted, it will have a knock-on effect for everyone. Everyone, businesses, government. People everywhere. And so you have to think in… think in that perspective, that what will the insurance sector do, knowing that they are now exposed to higher risk as it relates to climate? They will support entities that are adapting. And so, not just sustainability, but the ability to adapt, the ability to mitigate, the ability to be resilient is going to be important. And organizations that can show that to the insurance provider will matter in the future. It is not about… no longer about, an idealistic point of view of saving the environment. No, now it is, if you don't do it, you might be out of business, or you might not be able to bear the costs for insurance in some form or fashion. As an example, I'm just using insurance as an example. There are many other areas. 

So, for folks that are… young folks that are looking at sustainability, think of… think of, hey, look, it's no longer about sustainability, it's about, predicting, the… key challenges that may come up from the environmental impact translating into an economic impact, translating into a viability impact of your business or prosperity of your community, whatever those dots are. Figure out how to connect them. And that should be a driver, right? Sustainable aspect is just… will come out naturally when you try to solve that problem.

It's so interesting that you mention that, because I was speaking to a few sustainability leaders that I know, and they were saying how, even just a few years ago, when you were doing a risk analysis for certain third-party sustainability ratings, it was very much just the sustainability teams doing the risk analysis. And now, you're able to partner with insurance companies to look at what are the environmental impacts on your risks and opportunities as a business, which, again, a couple of years ago, it was just sustainability professionals doing it. Now, the insurance companies are providing the service to support you in doing the analysis of what it would take to be resilient as a business, so… Great idea from even a business or a job opportunity perspective. 

If you were to go back to young Hassan starting out your career in renewables, would you have any advice now, looking back on your journey, that you would kind of guide yourself towards in stepping into this industry?

It's so different now, right? So… I… I probably couldn't change anything in my journey. Because it was a function of the environment at that point in time. And so… Actually, yeah, I wouldn't be changing anything, to be honest. Everything that I've gone through has had a purpose, has had meaning to where I am today. So then, the main question I ask myself is, well, what is it that is around me today that will give me purpose for tomorrow? So, I think, you know, if folks are starting off in the sector, it's to, again, look at your environment. And there's no bad decisions. You will do what you will do. You will also think that I could have done better or different, but no, at that point in time, it's a function of all the factors, all the environment that drove you to that decision. I think the main thing is to keep getting better, if you can. That's a very vague answer. That's all I can say.

But you're right, it has changed so much. Like, even since you and I met, I guess, coming up on 10 years ago or so, like, so much has changed since then. I am curious, too, because you've had experience in the for-profit, the non-profit, like we talked about, for larger companies, and then you set out on your own with ADAPTR. Are there any… learnings that you've picked up along those different areas that you now continue to apply in leading your own team. So, maybe it's anecdotes that you learned from the larger organizations or that community engagement. I'm just curious if you've kind of developed your own… Set of core, kind of, principles that have brought you through that whole time.

Yeah, so, there's just so much learning, and yes, so one thing I can tell you is that we learned the most when we are exposed to the greatest uncertainties. So the first thing I learned was… Getting out of your comfort zone was an important step. Hard to do. But it's an important step. I've learned a lot of things from a lot of people. I learned a lot of things from my mother. She's always mentioned a bunch of things to me over the years, so one of the things she, she mentioned once, and I'm gonna share this, and I might have shared this on LinkedIn is the importance of being fair and just. Doesn't matter with who, what, where, how, when. She said, and we were speaking in Bengali, but I'm paraphrasing. She said, those who… those of us who are naturally just will naturally command loyalty. So… And it struck me because… One of the most important things I've seen in many, you know, people that have led teams is they are always fair. They're always just. They are always… they have one North Star. There's no… nothing else, right? And I think that is an important thing that… that you can only learn. Through practice. So that's one thing. And the other thing is, Don't have a startup when you're starting to raise a family. That is… One of the most stressful things, it still is, but, it's, it's tough. 

We thank your family for… for the support and grace during that time.

Yeah, suffering through me, basically.

I am… Also very curious, if you look back. On your trajectory, and it could even be more recent, but has there been a moment in time where you really we're able to reflect and think, okay, I've really had a difference through my work, I've made an impact.

I think we make impacts at varying scales all over the place. Right. daily impacts. impacts on… Whoever we work with, impacts in our community, It's larger scale. Yes, I… I think… I think the main impact I, I think of is, I'm not gonna… I'm gonna share the… probably it's a more personal take on the impact. I think the biggest impact, one of the biggest impact was on approaching problems that I do right now, or just even thinking about different things, so… Don't blame myself as much for failures. Actually, it's more like, good job you failed. because you tried. So, I think that is one of the biggest impact, and this was not easy, it took a lot of time, it took a lot of getting used to, but to be able to be comfortable with that thought process. Yeah, you failed. I thought, absolutely, that's actually good. I think that was… that is one impact.

Definitely agree with that. You either win or you learn, and as long as you're learning through some of those failures it's huge. Another way I think we can all learn is through different podcasts or books, and I know when you and I caught up the other day in person, we were kind of chatting about what our favorite books or podcasts are. Are there any that you find, whether it's with regards to entrepreneurship or sustainability more broadly, that you feel Are great tools, and that you might recommend to our listeners as well.

Which book did I mention when we were talking? I forget.

I think you had actually mentioned a couple of YouTube channels that you liked watching, so it could be also a YouTube channel. I think that's where we got pretty deep.

Yes! 3Blue1Brown! Grant, who's, who, explains math. So it's a maths channel, it's a channel about mathematics, problems in mathematics, you know, it goes into details in depth, like how does holography work, he goes into what is a general purpose transformer, GPTs, like, for AI and so on and so forth. So, I think that that channel, to me, is great. People who are able to explain complex things in manners that are digestible by a non-technical audience is… they are godsend. So, I always recommend 

There's obviously Veritasium, Greg does a great job, so that's another one. 

And then you also mentioned the source of inspiration is your mom. Are there other people maybe along your journey that have helped shape your career specifically, and it could even be mentors that you don't know, but folks that have helped guide you along the way, especially, I think, carving out your own path in the renewable sector.

I've been privileged with experiences: through ENERCON, outside of ENERCON. All the people in the sector who've, who've encouraged me through my initiation of ADAPTR back in those days. For the journey that I had to date. It's not necessarily about mentorship, it's about… it has been about that encouragement of keep going.

And that matters a lot. That matters a lot in moments of uncertainty. And I wouldn't do justice by naming any names, so there's a lot of folks who said keep going. And that… is as, I think, from… from a mentorship perspective, that's… That's what you want to hear, at times. It's like, don't worry about it. Keep going. 

It's a good reminder, too, for all of us who have entrepreneur friends, that sometimes we take it for granted that you guys are just… keep on… keep on keeping on, and that you're kind of self-motivated, which I know so many entrepreneurs are, but that it probably also is great to hear support from your peers, just to keep.

Oh, absolutely, yes! Give us some love, guys! I have a few friends who are also entrepreneurs, and, you know, we joke around, it's like, this must be some kind of a disease in our minds, because who in their right mind would subject, you know, your well-being through all of the things that we do or have to do? But no, I mean, there's no other way we would do it, so it's gotta be some kind of, Outside. Yeah, some kind of, it's not a disease, but some kind of, something.

Well, you did mention that, you know, you started ADAPTR while starting a family, so I'm sure, any entrepreneur who's going through that definitely can… probably nodding along, thinking of how challenging that can be. I'm curious as to how did you keep on refueling your commitment to starting this organization, to trying to make an impact? Was it just focusing on your why behind it, or did you have other tools in your toolbox to kind of keep on coming back to the work?

Just because it needs to be done. The problem that I was seeing at that point that I still see now. Is… is a big one. And it's a complicated one. It's not gonna be solved by any one person. It's not gonna be solved just by ADAPTR itself, but by God, we gotta try, right? And so, just that perspective, was what kept at least me going, keeps our team going. You know, over the past few years, we've… we've… we… when we look at it, Oh. I guess I'll talk about ADAPTR a little bit. We've been fortunate. and privilege to be at the front end of a lot of firsts in Canada. We've been the supplier of the first multi-renewable microgrid control system in Newfoundland. We've been at the forefront of a new way of designing microgrids. We are at the forefront of a hybrid renewable system in a weak grid network that has not been done in Canada. We just passed the grid adapter technology to a stage where, you know, the federal government, the ENERCAN for Smart Grid, identified this technology as one of the ones to back. So… We've… and we're working on projects with large industrial entities on not just… remember I was talking about the different buckets and how they're evolving and melding? Large industrial entities also have something to add in terms of the grid evolution. So, there's so many firsts that we are pushing the boundaries on, and so this keeps our team just, like, every now and then, like, now we are, like, think back. That was important. So we have to keep pushing. 

To that end, there's so many exciting things going on with ADAPTR right now. Maybe, could you let us in on… maybe one or two projects that you're working on right now that you're super excited about, and then I also want to really drive our listeners to go check out your website and your social media channels so they can let us know where to go as well.

Well, I mean, we're not good at social media. We're in the power system space. We have to get better at it. See, one of the things that we have to get better is communication and messaging, and this is one of the… And so, by the way, for your audience, there might be a video… there is actually going to be a video, hopefully, by the time this goes up, on why ADAPTR exists. It will be part of a series focusing on key areas of our energy system and energy landscape. With the idea, with the ultimate vision of, well, can't we have energy anywhere or everywhere? Right? Why can't we do it? Why can't we have… energy way… somewhere that is not even connected, and so on and so forth. So, why can't we do that, right? We'll have to figure that out. And so, this is part of that series, so that's one initiative on the communication front. 

In terms of website, I think, yeah, you can go check it out. Absolutely, there's some insights over there on what we are doing. The main project really is about the grid adapter and its versatility on how it can help utilities, commercial, industrial consumers. Generators of today and tomorrow. But… more interestingly, I think the trajectory that we're building with our innovation is that we want to make sure that all these buckets that we have created, because of the available technologies of the past are able to not only seamlessly integrate with each other, but elevate to another level. Of unconstrained electrification. How would that look like? And this is a vision that is about, well should electricity simply be limited by the poles and wires of today? And I think that is the new frontier. And so, those are the things that we are focused on.

Well, we'll be sure to link the video. I might have seen a sneak peek, so we'll be sure to link the videos to this episode as well, so you can check out the show notes. And then, Hassan, I would love to ask you, as our final question, the same question I asked you two years ago, so I'll compare notes after this, but…

Oh, no!

What do you think it will take for businesses and leaders to be resilient going forward?

Persistence. The message still stays the same. Persistence, one of the most important qualities that businesses must have. Whoever is persistent will survive, will be able to adapt.

Well, thank you so much for being so persistent over the past couple of years, and for being, like I said at the top, our very first repeat guest, so thank you so much, Hassan.

Thank you, Lauren, for actually giving me this honor of being your first repeat guest. In your… in your show. Really happy to see how it has progressed over the… Over the years.