Renewable Energy Sources in Canada

Renewable energy sources in Canada are natural resources that can be used to generate clean electricity without harming the environment. Some common renewable energy sources in Canada include:

1. Hydroelectricity

Canada mostly uses water to make electricity. They have big stations that turn water into power with about 81 gigawatts of power installed. In 2019 these stations made around 400 terawatt-hours of electricity. Some provinces like Manitoba, British Columbia, Newfoundland and Labrador, Yukon, and Quebec use water for more than 90% of their electricity. In 2014 Canada had 542 of these stations making 78,359 megawatts. Quebec makes about half of all the water power in Canada. But there are problems if these projects are not planned well, like water not moving, fish having trouble moving, people being forced to leave their homes, and animals losing their homes. Despite these issues, water power has grown a lot between 2005 and 2019, more than wind and solar power combined.

2. Solar Power

Solar power in Canada is getting more popular, but it is still small compared to other types of renewable energy. In 2016 Canada had 2662 megawatts of solar power installed, but it is only about 0.51% of all the renewable energy used in the country. The best places for solar panels are in the southern parts of Canada, like in Saskatchewan, Alberta, Manitoba, and Ontario, where there is more sunlight. Solar energy is good because it doesn’t produce harmful gases, and the equipment lasts a long time. But it also has some problems, like needing a lot of space, and it can’t store energy for a long time. Despite this, Canada wants to increase solar power and aims to have it make up 1.2% of all electricity by 2040.

3. Wind Power

Wind power is becoming more important in Canada making up about 4.6% of all the renewable energy used in the country. Canada has lots of places with good wind for making energy, and it already has over 12,000 megawatts of wind power installed. Wind power is good because it doesn’t make greenhouse gases, and there’s no cost for the fuel. But using wind power in far-off places can be hard because it costs a lot to set up and keep running, and it needs special equipment to get the power to where it’s needed. It costs about 13 cents per kilowatt-hour to make wind power. Some people want Canada to make even more wind power and aim to have enough to meet 20% of the country’s energy needs by 2025. But right now, Canada needs to build a lot more wind farms every year if it wants to reach its goal of having “net-zero” greenhouse gases by 2050.

4. Geothermal

Low temperature geothermal resources can be used to heat homes, but to make electricity with geothermal energy, you need very high temperatures, above 150°C. The best places for this are in Western and Northern Canada. Although it is inexpensive to operate and maintain, setting up the equipment requires a lot of upfront investment. Most of the potential sites with the right high temperatures in Canada either don’t have the right kind of underground water or are located in remote areas without access to the power grid. Currently, Canada has 167 megawatts of capacity for heating, but as of 2018, there are no geothermal power plants generating electricity in the country.

5. Bio-energy

Bioenergy is another type of renewable energy that comes from organic materials called biomass. Biomass can be in different forms like wood, waste from cities, manure, agricultural leftovers, and more. But the most common biomass used is wood. Wood waste is burned to create heat for factories make steam to generate electricity and warm water and buildings.

Canada is lucky because it has a lot of biomass available mainly from the forestry industry. This type of renewable energy has been growing in Canada creating new jobs to replace the ones lost in traditional forest-related jobs.

The decline in the paper and pulp industry over the past two decades, bioenergy has become really important in Canada’s renewable energy scene. In 2014, Canada had 70 bioenergy power plants producing a total of 2,043 megawatts of power mostly from wood biomass. These plants produced 8.7 gigawatt-hours of electricity especially in places where there are still a lot of forestry industries like British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec, Alberta, and New Brunswick.

6. Ocean power

Ocean power also known as marine energy or ocean energy, refers to the energy derived from the ocean’s natural resources, such as tides, waves, currents, and temperature differences. It is becoming more popular as new technologies are developed, especially with lessons learned from offshore oil and gas industries. These technologies are getting better and cheaper making ocean energy a real possibility for generating electricity.

There are different ways to harness ocean energy, like using the temperature difference in the water, capturing energy from ocean currents, waves, tides, and even the saltiness of the water. One method being tested is using turbines that move with tidal cycles to generate electricity. These turbines are placed underwater and connected to generators that produce power.

Canada has a lot of potential for ocean energy, especially in places like the Bay of Fundy, which has the highest tides in the world. There have been ideas for tidal power plants in Canada since the 1960s, but now there is renewed interest because of the need for more clean energy. However, there are concerns about how these projects might affect the environment, so careful planning is needed.

One example of a tidal power station in Canada is the Annapolis Royal tidal power station in Nova Scotia, which was built in 1986 but was shut down in 2019 due to problems with its equipment and the impact on wildlife. Despite these challenges, there are still many potential sites for tidal power plants in Canada, and researchers are working on making the technology better and safer.

Renewable Energy Initiatives in Canada: Renewable energy initiatives in Canada aim to increase the country’s use of clean energy sources like wind, solar, hydroelectric, and biomass. These initiatives focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, promoting sustainable energy development, and creating jobs in the renewable energy sector.

These efforts contribute to Canada’s commitment to combat climate change and transition to a low-carbon economy. Let us learn more!