The rise of wind and photo voltaic around the globe is unprecedented. The Worldwide Power Company’s 2024 World Power Outlook described renewables increasing at document tempo, led by photo voltaic, and producing slightly below half of the world’s electrical energy in 2030, forward of energy from fossil fuels. On the identical time, demand for fossil fuels is projected to peak by the top of the last decade.
Canada’s hydropower-rich grid is 85% non-emitting with wind and photo voltaic at present making up 7% of the nation’s whole electrical energy technology, nevertheless research point out that Canadian energy demand may double between now and 2050. In the meantime, the Canada Power Regulator tasks that the share of wind and photo voltaic would rise to between 33% and 37% of electrical energy technology in a net-zero 2050. To fulfill this problem, the federal authorities has proposed the Clear Electrical energy Laws to assist be certain that Canada’s energy system stays each clear and inexpensive within the years forward.
The next breaks down among the frequent misconceptions about the usage of wind and photo voltaic in Canada and around the globe.
Fable: Renewables can contribute solely a small share of grid electrical energy as a result of they solely work when the wind blows and the solar shines.
Reality: There are various options out there to enrich wind and photo voltaic, which already make up greater than 60% of electrical energy technology in some international locations.
- It’s true that wind and photo voltaic are variable assets that present most energy to the grid when the solar shines or the wind blows. Nonetheless, options are out there to enrich these assets, from grid-scale storage to raised interconnections to demand-side measures.
- A have a look at different international locations around the globe gives loads of examples of present wind and photo voltaic shares which can be a lot larger than Canada’s at the moment, together with Denmark (67% in 2023), round 40% in Germany and the Netherlands, 28% in Australia, and the U.Ok. (34%).
- Wind and photo voltaic generated extra energy than fossil fuels within the EU within the first half of 2024, making up about 30% of the bloc’s whole technology.
- South of the border, the U.S. had a share of 16% in 2022, though with nice state-level variation. Over a 3rd of all U.S. states (18) generated greater than 20% of electrical energy from wind and photo voltaic in that yr. The U.S. states with the best shares had been Iowa (63%) and South Dakota (55%). Others with comparatively excessive shares embrace main states like California (34%) and Texas (26%).
Fable: Renewables are costly, and the price of vitality storage required to help renewables is prohibitive.
Reality: Renewables are among the many least expensive sorts of energy technology out there and are price aggressive in Canada even with the prices of storage included.
- A Clear Power Canada report, A Renewables Powerhouse, discovered that electrical energy from wind and photo voltaic is already cost-competitive with pure gasoline technology in Ontario and Alberta (the 2 provinces studied), with much more price reductions on the horizon.
- When Canada’s carbon worth is added to the equation, each wind and photo voltaic are considerably cheaper than pure gasoline already at the moment.
- Even when the prices of battery storage are included, each wind and photo voltaic are cost-competitive in lots of situations within the two provinces studied.
- Analyses for the U.S. from Lazard and the Power Info Administration present related outcomes. Each discover wind and photo voltaic to be cost-competitive with pure gas-fired electrical energy within the U.S. even with out a carbon worth. As well as, estimates present that wind and photo voltaic plus storage might be cost-competitive with natural-gas-fired electrical energy.
Fable: Electrical energy from renewables is just not clear when you think about the assets required to provide photo voltaic panels and wind generators.
Reality: Wind and photo voltaic have a lot decrease life cycle emissions than fossil-fuel-fired technology.
- The greenhouse gasoline emissions of electrical energy technology from renewables like wind and photo voltaic are significantly decrease than energy from pure gasoline and coal.
- A U.S. Nationwide Renewable Power Laboratory assessment confirmed that whole life-cycle greenhouse gasoline emissions from photo voltaic, wind, and nuclear (from manufacture to disposal) are significantly decrease and fewer variable than these from pure gasoline and coal. Particularly, the median whole life-cycle emissions from pure gasoline energy is sort of 40 occasions that of wind and greater than 10 occasions that of photo voltaic.
Fable: Renewables are usually not clear while you account for the tools waste they generate at their finish of life.
Reality: Renewables generate considerably much less waste than fossil fuels.
- Analysis that particularly checked out waste from photo voltaic panels reveals that 35 years of worldwide projected cumulative photo voltaic panel waste is dwarfed by the waste generated by fossil gas vitality and different frequent waste streams.
- For instance, if there was no transition to renewable vitality sources, coal ash and oily sludge waste generated from fossil gas vitality can be 300 to 800 occasions and two to 5 occasions bigger, respectively, than photo voltaic panel waste by 2050.
- Though some 85% to 90% of the mass of a wind turbine and photo voltaic panel might be reused or recycled, most is at present directed to landfills or is being saved pending future recycling choices, in response to a 2021 report.
- Quite a few coverage instruments can be found to reduce waste technology and encourage circularity of supplies from renewables tools. Certainly, some provinces, like B.C. and Alberta, have already begun advancing recycling efforts.
- Analysts anticipate rising vitality prices, improved recycling expertise, and authorities regulation to extend recycling charges. In reality, the recycling marketplace for photo voltaic panels alone is projected to be price US$2.7 billion globally by 2030, up from solely US$170 million final yr.
Fable: Renewables may match elsewhere however are usually not suited to Canada
Reality: Canada has among the finest renewable energy technology potential on this planet
- A 2021 examine analyzed the power of photo voltaic and wind to satisfy electrical energy demand in over 40 international locations and ranked Canada second.
- Earlier evaluation equally discovered vital potential for wind and photo voltaic throughout Canada. Highlights embrace on-shore wind potential in Newfoundland and Labrador and Saskatchewan, off-shore wind potential in B.C. and Ontario, and photo voltaic potential in Ontario and the Prairies.
- Atlantic Canada is dwelling to among the finest wind energy assets on this planet, with a examine declaring that “offshore wind could possibly be for Atlantic Canada what oil was to Texas or hydro energy to Quebec.”
- In keeping with the federal authorities, elements of southern Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba have been proven to have excessive solar energy potential.
- In reality, Canada’s hydro-dominated electrical energy community is well-suited to enrich the combination of great shares of wind and photo voltaic. Evaluation from 2022 discovered that Canada may see wind and photo voltaic attain a penetration fee of 54% throughout the nation on common, with even larger charges potential when including demand-side measures.
- Moreover, Canada has “large potential for pumped-storage hydropower,” which may retailer energy generated from wind and photo voltaic, with greater than 8,000 GW recognized at virtually 1,200 websites, in accordance to WaterPower Canada.
