RENEWABLES ...more than just wind + solarEnergy is important. We cannot survive without it (there is growing evidence that we may not be able to survive with it) so follow the Rule of 3C: Conserve / Convert / Clean (don't waste / be efficient / use renewable energy to supply the reduced demand). Most people know that wind + solar are renewable energies; so are hydro, biomass, tidal and wave. Many other technologies are trying to label themselves as green, but true renewable energies have lower GHG emissions than coal or natural gas, and are more sustainable than nuclear. That is why renewables are accepted as the clean energy of our future. In 2020, Canada generated 635 billion kWh (635 TWh) of electricity, of which 2/3 (421 billion kWh) was produced from renewables = 60% from hydro, 6% wind and 0.4% from solar. (source: Canada Energy Regulator) But renewables are more than just wind + solar. In 2020, homes and offices in Canada consumed 735 billion kWh (2,640 PJ) of energy, of which 3/4 (550 billion kWh) was thermal energy for space heating, cooling and water heating. (source: Natural Resources Canada) If heat pumps produced that 550 billion kWh of thermal energy, it would be 100% renewable energy from the ground or air, and would surpass the 420 billion kWh of renewable electricity produced from hydro, wind + solar. Their thermal energy is stored in the ground - so no batteries required, their capacity factor can reach 100%, and they would reduce GHG emissions by 87 billion kg (87 Mt) a year. Heat pumps require electricity to operate, but all their space conditioning output is renewable energy. The US Department of Energy has ruled that ground source heat pumps are a renewable energy technology (Consolidated Appropriations Act 2021) ... and Canada must follow suit. Renewables are more than just wind + solar. related sites: NetZeroPLUS / Caution / GreenApps
this is the former site of the canadian association for renewable energies (we c.a.r.e.) |