Canada - the first Sustainable Energy Superpower?
By Dr. Clement W. Bowman
The collision between energy and the environment is the dominant issue facing our planet this century. The world needs a Sustainable Energy Superpower to lead in addressing this society-changing challenge.
Few nations are in a better position than Canada to provide this level of leadership. It has unequalled energy resources in fossil fuels and has leading-edge technology in both hydroelectric and nuclear power generation. Canada is an early player in the emerging hydrogen economy. It is the lowest-cost producer of hydrogen from natural gas and uses it in upgrading the hydrogen-deficient bitumen from massive oil sands deposits.
Attaining the status of Sustainable Energy Superpower will require dramatic new efforts to make the shift to a higher level of renewable energy and to overcome the environmental penalties embedded in current energy processes. This is not a job for traditional undertakings of the private or public sectors. Transformational changes will not be made through the efforts of individual companies or governments acting alone. New types of public policies and risk taking will be needed.
What are the design specifications for a Sustainable Energy Superpower? Energy experts, politicians and citizens will have varying views on an appropriate definition. But it will be engineers who will be called upon to provide the technologies needed to meet the design specifications that are set.
There are a myriad of energy sources, conversion processes and energy carriers to use as the framework for an energy superpower engine. Selecting from these options will be critical to success – since there will only be a few pathways in the maze that will lead to success. Over one hundred experts have recently pooled their knowledge and ideas as part of the Energy Pathways Project which has led to the recommendation that Canada initiate three major energy initiatives to serve as the backbone for a national effort:
- Gasification of fossil fuels and biomass (to produce hydrogen, electricity and other value-added products)
- Greenhouse gas emission reduction (carbon dioxide capture, followed by transportation, long-term storage and/or use)
- Upgrades to electrical infrastructure (with improved local access for wind, solar and other distributed renewable energy sources, capacity for energy storage and consideration of the development of a national high-voltage grid).
These three areas represent an integrated approach to sustainable energy development and will require a dedicated commitment by all stakeholders. It has been recommended that these initiatives be funded for a 10-year period, and be managed by a national cross-sectoral board that should set objectives, allocate resources and track performance. The board’s mandate should include Lifecycle Assessments of both net energy gain and net environmental impacts for each energy initiative. |
Approximately 75% of Canada’s domestic energy use is now derived from carbon-based fuels. This is lower than in many other industrialized countries due to the contributions from hydro and nuclear.
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Technology currently being developed could reduce this proportion to 50% in the next 20-30 years. In the long term, our energy use derived from carbon-based fuels could be much lower, depending on the combined effects of various factors discussed in this article. A much more detailed analysis is made in the Energy Pathways Report by the Canadian Academy of Engineering.
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These three initiatives, added to existing energy technology development efforts, would put Canada, or any other nation making similar commitments, on the path to becoming the first Sustainable Energy Superpower.
Dr. Bowman has 30 years experience in the Canadian energy sector including positions as Vice President, Esso Petroleum Canada and Founding Chairman, Alberta Oil Sands Technology and Research Authority. He recently acted as Chair of the Task Force for the Canadian Academy of Engineering’s Energy Pathways Project. This project was partially funded by Hatch.
For further information, please contact:
 Clement Bowman,
C. M., PhD, P. Eng. F.C.A.E.
ProGrid Evaluation Solutions
clem@clembowman.info
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