A startup redefining the future of clean energy is planting roots in Calgary. Serenity Power — a company advancing solid oxide fuel cell technology — has chosen the Blue Sky City as its launchpad for growth.
The move to Calgary comes fresh off winning the $100,000 Black Entrepreneur Investment Prize at Startupfest in Montreal, winning another $100,000 from The Firehood at Elevate Festival in Toronto and participating in the Plug and Play Sustainability program in Alberta. Drawn by the opportunities for industry collaboration in the city, Serenity is setting up its office at Plug and Play Calgary, with research and development initiatives hosted at the University of Calgary’s Aerospace Innovation Hub by Innovate Calgary.
The female-founded company expects to create up to 20 new jobs locally in research and development, engineering, operations and business development over the next three years, with future plans for a small-scale manufacturing facility in the Calgary region.
Startups chase possibilities to grow in the Blue Sky City
The arrival of Serenity reinforces Calgary’s vision through Uplook: An Action Plan for Our Economy — to be the destination of choice in Canada for innovators solving global challenges.
“Calgary is the heart of Canada’s energy transition, and companies like Serenity Power bring the innovation and talent to help us tackle global challenges,” said Brad Parry, President & CEO, Calgary Economic Development.
“Choosing Calgary means choosing collaboration, world-class talent and joining an ecosystem that’s shaping the future of clean energy. Here, blue sky thinking isn’t just welcome — it’s what sets us apart.”
Why Serenity Power chose Calgary
For Serenity Power, Calgary offered more than a new start — it offered alignment with its mission. Aleisha Cerny, CEO of Serenity Power, shared how the company was drawn by Calgary’s deep industry collaboration, an entrepreneurial culture and committed to investing in the future of clean energy.
“When my COO, Yvonne Liu, and I visited Calgary for the first time in May, we made sure to jam-pack our schedule with meetings with potential customers, partners and other founders to better learn about Alberta’s energy industry,” said Serenity Power CEO and co-founder Aleisha Cerny.
”From that one week, it was clear that Calgary was the perfect setting — a city that truly celebrates collaboration and innovation. We turned to each other and both said, ‘We need to be here.’”
Serenity Power CEO Aleisha Cerny works in a lab. Photo: Serenity Power
In helping Serenity Power land in Calgary, Calgary Economic Development provided introductions, funding information and logistical support to help steer the company’s decision.
As Calgary builds new networks of collaboration across cleantech and other high-potential growth sectors through Calgary's Innovation Strategy, Serenity is poised to benefit from the city’s growing web of research institutions, accelerators and investors. These connections will not only help the company accelerate growth and scale its technology but also advance solutions that strengthen Calgary’s role in the global energy transition.
The company’s arrival builds on recent milestones like the launch of the Calgary Region Hydrogen Hub and the expansion of the ETC Foundation, which are strengthening the city’s energy innovation ecosystem capacity.
A catalyst for the energy transition
According to the Alberta Energy Transition Study (AETS), Alberta could see up to 170,000 jobs in cleantech and a $61-billion GDP contribution by 2050 with the right investment in subsectors including electrification, energy efficiency and hydrogen production.
Serenity Power is an innovator in solid oxide fuel cell technology — systems that convert fuels like hydrogen or natural gas into clean, efficient electricity, with a vision to support many industries with clean, affordable off-grid power and communities reliant on diesel. Their work directly aligns with the priority subsectors set out in the AETS, advancing both electrification and low-carbon hydrogen solutions.
Calgary — home to Canada’s largest concentration of cleantech companies — is where the expertise of energy meets the ambition of visionaries to create solutions for a net-zero future.
By joining this ecosystem, Serenity will be able to collaborate with global energy leaders, leverage world-class research facilities and contribute to the province’s growing cleantech subsectors identified in the study.
With Serenity on board, Calgary isn’t just embracing the energy transition — it’s shaping it. From breakthrough research to real-world solutions, the Blue Sky City is proving that the path to a net-zero future runs through Calgary.
Through Uplook: An Action Plan for Our Economy, Calgary is charting a bold course — one where innovators like Serenity Power can scale, diversify our economy and shape a cleaner energy future.