Written By Mieke Lek
Edited By Theodore Collins
Phasing out fossil fuels in North America is one of the crucial steps in developing a net-zero economy by 2050. With energy demand only expected to rise, energy production from renewable resources is going to be much more heavily dependent upon. There are some challenges that come with this, however: renewable energy is subject to much more constraints. One of the main and most pressing of these constraints is location.
One of the few benefits of fossil fuel plants is that they can be placed in essentially any community, no matter the size. However, renewable energy sources such as hydro, wind, or solar power, have specific areas where they would run optimally. For example, a solar farm would not operate very well in Alaska, and a hydroelectric dam can only be placed in water. This means that energy transmission needs to be optimized for the integration of more renewable energy in our electricity grid. While we currently have functional grids in North America, a lot of them are reaching the end of their life and we need to find viable ways for them to keep up with energy demand [1].
A lot of energy generated here in North America is shared between Canada and the US, between five main interconnected energy grids. These grids tend to work independently; however if one fails, they are able to “borrow” energy from the neighboring interconnections [2].
A map of the interconnected grids in the US and Canada. [2]
Thankfully, Canada has already begun to invest in updating its energy grids for modern needs: phasing out fossil fuels, and developing a more robust grid that can withstand not only worsening climate factors but also increased energy transmission. They have invested $55 billion CAD thus far, with job growth expected to rise in the industry through to 2030 [1].
The US energy grid is also in need of repair: some are well past their service life, transmitting much more energy than designed. Not only can this cause more extreme outages across the US, it already has [4]. Back in February 2021, a winter storm swept through Texas and caused some major power outages due to the grid (and some power plants) failing. This caused many Texans to endure cold temperatures without electricity or heating, and many in the state died due to these conditions [2]. Along with this, the US is aiming to reach a carbon-free energy sector by 2035, but that just will not be possible if the grid is not updated [4]. Thankfully, the US is also investing in their grid, with almost $300 billion USD invested in 2021. [3].
While Canada and the US are making strides to repair and invest in their energy grid, it is important to keep in mind the growth in energy demand as well as the need for renewable power if we are ever going to have a net-zero economy.
Inspiration for this article can be found here! :)
References
[1] “Canada undertakes upgrading its aging electrical grid,” WEDC, Aug-2017. [Online]. Available: https://wedc.org/export/market-intelligence/posts/canada-undertakes-upgrading-aging-electrical-grid/. [Accessed: 19-Feb-2022].
[2] E. Chung, “What caused the deadly power outages in Texas and how Canada's grid compares,” CBC News, 20-Feb-2021. [Online]. Available: https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/power-outages-texas-canada-1.5920833. [Accessed: 19-Feb-2022].
[3] IEA, “Executive summary – world energy investment 2021 – analysis,” IEA, 2021. [Online]. Available: https://www.iea.org/reports/world-energy-investment-2021/executive-summary. [Accessed: 19-Feb-2022].
[4] “Reimagining and Rebuilding America's Energy Grid,” Energy.gov, 10-Jun-2021. [Online]. Available: https://www.energy.gov/articles/reimagining-and-rebuilding-americas-energy-grid. [Accessed: 19-Feb-2022].