RC110 JanFeb 2024 - Magazine - Page 20
We asked recent ReNew Canada webinar attendees about the
Canada’s energy transition. Here’s what they had to say:
In addition
to the shift
from fossil fuels
to zero-carbon
energy sources,
what is the most
important goal?
Energy demand
reduction and
energy efficiency
strategies
50%
17%
33%
Minimization
of negative
consequences to
people, environment
and economy
Decarbonization of
supply chains and nonenergy processes
Renewables
50%
Which area is
most important
in the energy
transition?
17%
33%
Buildings
(net-zero
carbon)
Grid modernization
Will Canada meet its goal of achieving
net-zero GHG emissions by 2050?
83% NO 17% YES
20 RENEW CANADA – JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024
To watch a replay of the entire discussion, visit:
https://www.crowdcast.io/c/canadas-energy-transition
RENEWCANADA.NET
CITY OF EDMONTON
MAKING THE TRANSITION
ReNew Canada: What are some of the opportunities and
the challenges involved in the energy transition?
TODD ERNST: One challenge is around new emerging alternative fuels like hydrogen. It’s the chicken and the egg
between supply and demand and trying to keep those
balanced in the early stages so that folks are comfortable with bringing new assets online, whether it’s on the
demand or the supply side. The GTAA was a very early
adopter of EV chargers and in the very, very early days,
we built it, and it didn’t come right away, it took a little
while, but now people are begging for more EV chargers,
and it has actually bene昀椀ted us to the point where we
need to pick up the pace again. So, I anticipate similar is
going to happen with things like hydrogen and sustainable aviation fuels.
MARIE-JOSE CROONEN: We need to understand where everyone
is on this energy transition journey. At AECOM we recently surveyed our client base and that’s helped us learn
from di昀昀erent industries and geographies, as we collaborate, and break down boundaries we start to think about
the energy transition as something that concerns everybody. So, if it is a joint issue, we’re going to engage more
brain power and more people with diverging perspectives and hopefully come up with a future solution that’s
going to work. But it’s a process, and we can’t be insular
about this issue. We must go outside of our own boundaries and collaborate and focus on what climate change is
doing to our society and to people in the long run.
WILLIAM SMITH: I’d like to pick up on alternative fuels. We
use hydrogen as the example. Today, we produce lots of
hydrogen by burning natural gas to produce heat and
we break natural gas into its constituents so we can have
some hydrogen. We could do better if we want hydrogen.
Of course, there’s the whole issue of how we distribute it.
And our system can, in high temperature, steam electrolysis deliver
hydrogen without burning it so we can sell it. Alternative fuels is a
real opportunity for Canada and for the rest of the world. Looking
at a way we locate systems that are bigger energy users is important
and an opportunity. For example, perhaps Todd and the GTAA want
to put a data centre on site and sell power to them because these
data centres are getting enormous and the demand for clean power
is unbelievable.
CAROLYN BOWEN: I think there is an amazing world of opportunities along
with many challenges in the energy transition. In Calgary we’ve had
our largest growth ever in the last year and we’re anticipating more
growth year over year possibly reaching two million by 2040. This
forecasted growth can be an opportunity and a challenge. I think
opportunities for that economic development, creating a resilient
economy, bringing new skills, new people, and building a sustainable
economy through collaboration, connections, and learning from each
other and working in a totally di昀昀erent way than we have been in the
past. Some of the challenges include accommodating a growing city
and an increasing population with housing and infrastructure while
reducing emissions and climate risk, alignment of policy and regulatory measures with all orders of government and the energy transition
not keeping pace with the growing urgency for change.
