Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
resources lies with the provinces. In other words, Canada does not really
have one national electricity grid, but rather, 10 provincial grids that have
been loosely, and in many cases inadequately, interconnected. his also sug-
gests that Canada does not have a national electricity generation strategy;
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rather, it muddles through with an amalgamation of strategic decisions
made at provincial levels.
Provincial electricity systems are largely inluenced by provincial resource
proiles. Table 8.2 (next page) demonstrates just how disparate electric-
ity generation proiles of each province really are. As the table indicates,
there are four provinces and one territory—Newfoundland and Labrador,
Québec, Manitoba, British Columbia, and the Yukon—where hydropower
provides 89% or more of the province's electricity. For these regions, the
carbon footprint associated with electricity generation is low; therefore,
there is no imperative to embrace wind power to mitigate CO
2
emissions
associated with electricity. Conversely, four other provinces—Nova Scotia
(89%), New Brunswick (49%), Saskatchewan (69%), and Alberta (74%)—
generate the majority of electricity through fossil fuel thermal generation
systems (coal, oil, and natural gas). hese provinces do not have suicient
hydropower capacity of satisfy electricity demand. Moreover, three of these
provinces (Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Nova Scotia) possess a wealth of
fossil fuel reserves. hese three provinces view fossil fuels as cheap sources
of domestic energy, which bolster the provincial economy and fortify pro-
vincial energy security. Last but not least, Canada's largest provincial econ-
omy, Ontario, cannot satisfy its robust demand through provincial energy
resources and so has embarked on an ambitious nuclear power development
program, which currently provides about 50% of the province's electricity
and constitutes 95% of the nation's installed nuclear power capacity.
he disparate electricity generation proiles of the provinces hold prom-
ise for a transition to cleaner electricity generation technologies; however,
the challenge lies in incentivizing hydropower rich provinces to share the
bounty of this peak power source and bolster interprovincial connections
to develop a more resilient power grid. As it stands now, provincial utilities
dominate electricity generation in Canada. As Figure 8.1 outlines, electric-
ity generation is dominated by private irms in only three provinces (Prince
Edward Island, Nova Scotia, and Alberta). In the rest of the provinces and
territories, public-owned utilities dominate. If it is true that it is easier to
encourage collaboration between public organizations, there is scope for
these provinces to conlate strategies to enhance national energy security,
lower the electricity carbon footprint and better exploit wind power poten-
tial. Until collaboration improves, success or failure of wind power difusion
in Canada will depend predominantly on provincial initiatives.
