Canada will have to make aggressive changes to its electrical systems to meet the increased demand driven in part by the entry of electric vehicles, according to a new report.
A report released by the Canadian Climate Institute on Wednesday said significant changes were needed in every aspect of provincial and territorial power generation and distribution systems to meet future demand. Failure to do so can have consequences ranging from non-compliance with our climate goals to disruptions.
“There may be challenges to reliability,” said Caroline Lee, one of the report’s authors and a senior researcher at the institute that studies climate policy. “This means interruptions and certain technical problems in our networks.”
The Liberal government is committed to aligning Canada’s electricity system with the country’s climate goals.
But as other reports warn, more electricity generation capacity will be needed in the future to displace existing fossil fuel production and respond to growing demand, while achieving zero targets. The federal government has set a deadline of 2035 to achieve net zero electricity production. All sales of new cars will have to be zero emissions by the same time.
The institute’s report – called The Big Switch, Canada’s Powering Net Zero Future – relies on numerous studies showing that demand will double or triple compared to today by 2050. Up to 75% of this extra power will have to come from the wind and sunny if Canada wants to achieve its climate goals.
Caroline Lee is a senior researcher at the Canadian Climate Institute and one of the authors of a report called The Big Switch, Powering Canadian Net Zero Future. (Michael Cole / CBC)
But not only the amount of electricity needs to increase; Wednesday’s report found that Canada’s electrical systems will also need more battery storage and will be agile enough to adjust to demand peaks as both vehicles and many home heating systems move to electric.
If we see more people using electric vehicles, if we see more people switching to electric heat pumps – and yet the systems are not well equipped to manage this increased demand, as well as the timing of this demand – then there may be to have some real problems, “Lee said.
Some early adopters know some of these problems first hand. Kim Nelson, a professor of film in Windsor, Ont., And her family can’t upgrade to a faster charger for their Chevy Volt because their street won’t be able to handle the extra load if their and other households also upgrade.
Therefore, it uses a slower level 1 charger. If the car battery is ever depleted, it takes about three days to return to full charge. Nelson, who loves her electric car, has found a solution. But she acknowledges that poor charging infrastructure could prevent others from wanting to give up their gas consumers.
She says different levels of government have a role to play in updating the country’s energy infrastructure and making sure neighborhoods can support fast charging of vehicles like hers in almost every lane.
“We will really rely on the government and make legislative choices to prioritize the transition to electricity and green energy, which is vital,” Nelson said. “We are stuck until these upgrades are made.
Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson says the government is investing in clean energy production, citing the 2022 federal budget, which proposes investing $ 677 million over five years. (Jeff Mackintosh / Canadian Press)
“So let’s hope the government takes the initiative.”
Electricity generation has traditionally been a provincial jurisdiction, but the report says the federal government must adopt a “broad policy framework” in which the provinces and territories can operate.
He recommended that Ottawa increase the price of carbon for the sector and ban the construction of gas-fired power plants.
In its report, the institute also called on all levels of government not to burden taxpayers with spending to help the sector reach zero, saying governments must bear these costs.
In addition, the report states that Ottawa must use its money and ability to receive prime ministers in one room to promote sector-wide cooperation.
“Because the provinces act alone, there is a risk of slow and uncoordinated action,” Lee said. “So we see a strong federal role working in a coordinated way with the provinces to make sure everyone is moving in the same direction towards net zero.”
Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson says the federal government is working to bring provincial and territorial leaders closer together. Wilkinson also cites the federal budget for 2022, which proposes investing $ 677 million over five years in clean electricity production. Some of that money goes, Wilkinson said, to help regions share their abundance of renewable energy with places where there is a “shortage.”
Wilkinson says the Atlantic Circle – a project that will bring energy from Newfoundland and Quebec to New Brunswick and Nova Scotia – is a priority for him.
“The federal government has a big role to play – to respect provincial jurisdiction, but it is really looking to help us build the electricity system we will need for the future,” Wilkinson said.
Add Comment