By Mieke Lek

Renewable energy is an initiative most climate change advocates can rally behind as it ensures a stronger and healthier future. It is greatly beneficial in the short term, as it provides rapid environmental improvements, great investment opportunities, and a plethora of job opportunities. These renewable energy benefits are happening right now, with projections of greater success in the coming years!

Background

Renewable energy is energy that can be replenished faster than it is consumed, making it a crucial component in sustainable energy systems of the future. Canada is one of the top producers of renewable energy in the world [7]. Some sources of renewable energy that we use in Canada are hydroelectric, biomass, wind, solar, geothermal, and tidal. Currently, 18.9% of Canada’s primary energy supply are renewable energy sources [5]. However, about 60% of Canada’s total energy generation comes from hydroelectric plants [5], [7], [9], since our vast rivers provide appropriate sites for hydroelectric dams. Most Canadian provinces rely on hydroelectricity for their power, with the exceptions being Alberta and Saskatchewan [7].

Total renewable energy generated in Canada in 2018. Original image can be found here. [8]

Environmental Preservation

With the rise of renewable energy, we are able to create positive impacts on the environment such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Renewable energy generation emits fewer greenhouse gasses than fossil fuels [4]. However, Canada could improve by reducing the export of the coal, gas, and oil we do produce, since Canada does still export a lot of fossil fuels to other countries. In fact, 25% of Canada’s emissions are from the process of mining and exporting fossil fuels to other countries; this percentage does not even include the fossil fuels used to generate electricity within Canada [9]. With the implementation of renewable energy, carbon emissions created by electricity generation in Canada have decreased by 42% since 2000 [4]. While this is a great decrease, Canada’s overall greenhouse gas emissions have stayed approximately the same at 729 megatonnes in 2019, so Canada still has a lot of work to do overall when it comes to emissions [10].

Another environmental impact lessened by the implementation of renewable energy is habitat destruction. Increasing rates of fossil fuel emissions can contribute to many natural disasters as well as global warming, and if this trend continues there will be a lasting detriment on the world. Fossil fuel extraction also damages habitats through spillage of oil by-products from Alberta’s oil sands. However, increasing our usage of renewable energy sources slows these climate change effects and poses less of a threat to the physical environment, and with its growth we can phase out fossil fuels [6]. Thankfully, fossil fuel companies such as Suncor are preparing for such changes and investing in wind farms, to prepare for the eventual phase-out of oil production.

Economic Benefits

Renewable energy tends to be cheaper than the implementation of fossil fuels. In fact, fossil fuels are arguably a dying industry here in Canada [6]. All renewable energy sources are declining in cost per kWh [3]. For example, since 2008, the cost of wind power decreased by 41%, and the cost of solar power decreased by 64%. The building and maintenance costs for both wind and solar farms are much less than that of a fossil fuel plant, whether it be coal, oil, or gas [1]. With renewable energy, the cost of cleaning up environmental disasters is also much lower since renewable energy accidents do not cause as much damage as accidents in the fossil fuel industry [4].

Renewable energy also provides more job opportunities, both in the short term and the long term. Jobs surrounding construction, operation, and maintenance are created with the rise of renewable energy. Not only that, but it provides secondary jobs such as transportation [2], [6] as well as expanding the energy storage grid with microgrid technology (which are further discussed here) [9]. Currently, our clean energy sector provides over 298,000 jobs [2], about 50% more jobs than the fossil fuel industry [3], and that number continues to rise as demand for cleaner energy solutions grows [2] [9].

There are also plenty of investment opportunities in renewable energy right now! In fact, renewable energy has twice as many investment opportunities than fossil fuels here in Canada [2] [3]. As of 2017, there has been $35 billion invested in various clean energy initiatives [3]. With the United States sourcing renewable energy from Canada as part of their own Clean Power Plan, the Canadian economy will be further supplemented by American investments [9]. When building renewable energy plants such as wind farms, a lot of the materials are sourced from within Canada, providing more money to the Canadian economy and investing in Canadian materials [2].

While it may not seem like implementing renewable energy impacts us in the present, there are actually many opportunities it provides to benefit us right now. Having a clean and healthy environment is something most Canadians strive for. However, there is more incentive for jobs, investments, and overseen costs that can make a difference for our society right now. The growth of renewable energy is crucial for not only a healthier future, but also a healthier present.

References

[1] G. Forman, “Why investing in renewable energy is a smart move for Ontario.” David Suzuki Foundation. [Online]. Available: https://davidsuzuki.org/expert-article/why-investing-in-renewable-energy-is-a-smart-move-for-ontario. [Retrieved November 28, 2020].

[2] “Social & Economic Benefits.” Canwea. [Online]. Available: https://canwea.ca/wind-facts/social-economic-benefits/#:~:text=Creating%20jobs%20in%20a%20homegrown%20industry&text=What's%20more%2C%20it's%20growing%20in,of%20the%20sector's%20GDP%20contribution. [Retrieved November 28, 2020].

[3] D. Marshall, “Cleaner, cheaper and growing: renewables are ready. Canadian policy isn’t.” Environmental Defence. [Online]. Available: https://environmentaldefence.ca/2019/06/06/cleaner-cheaper-growing-renewables-ready-canadian-policy-isnt/. [Retrieved November 28, 2020].

[4] Canada Action, “Climate Action & Renewables in Canada: 60+ Statistics.” Canada Action. [Online]. Available: https://www.canadaaction.ca/canadian_renewable_energy_climate_action_statistics. [Retrieved November 28, 2020].

[5] “About Renewable Energy.” Government of Canada. [Online]. Available: https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/our-natural-resources/energy-sources-distribution/renewable-energy/about-renewable-energy/7295. [Retrieved November 28, 2020].

[6] R. Galvez, “RENEWABLE ENERGY AN ENVIRONMENTAL AND ECONOMIC IMPERATIVE: SENATOR GALVEZ.” Parliament of Canada. [Online]. Available: https://sencanada.ca/en/sencaplus/opinion/renewable-energy-an-environmental-and-economic-imperative-senator-galvez/. [Retrieved November 28, 2020].

[7] “Canada - Power Generation and Renewable Energy.” Privacy Shield Framework. [Online]. Available: https://www.privacyshield.gov/article?id=Canada-Power-Generation-and-Renewable-Energy. [Retrieved November 28, 2020].

[8] “Renewable energy facts.” Government of Canada. [Online]. Available: https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/science-data/data-analysis/energy-data-analysis/energy-facts/renewable-energy-facts/20069. [Retrieved November 28, 2020].

[9] “Canada’s Advantage: A Vision for Renewable Electricity in Canada.” Canadian Council on TRenewable Energy. [Online]. Available: https://renewableelectricity.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/CAN_16_VisionReport.pdf. [Retrieved November 28, 2020].

[10] “Greenhouse gas emissions.” Government of Canada. [Online]. Available: https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/environmental-indicators/greenhouse-gas-emissions.html. [Retrieved November 28, 2020].

Energy and Society: The Benefits of Renewable Energy in Canada