Canada’s abundant renewable electricity resources offer the country a competitive advantage in global efforts to cut carbon pollution and deliver clean growth, and can power the country’s economy as it shifts from fossil fuels to clean energy. That’s the core message in the vision laid out by the Canadian Council on Renewable Electricity.
To deliver on Canada’s potential to harness the environmental and economic benefits of renewable electricity, the report, Canada’s Advantage: A Vision for Renewable Electricity in Canada, offers the following recommendations:
- Aim for a zero-carbon electricity grid by 2050. Implement policies to phase-out practically all emitting generation sources by 2050 and ensure the sustained growth of the share of generation produced by renewable sources.
- Shifting from fossil fuels to clean electricity. Commit to increasing the use of electricity in our energy system to over 50% of all energy used in Canada by 2050, by shifting from fossil fuels to clean electricity for buildings, transportation and industry.
- A renewable energy export strategy. Prioritize the development of a renewable energy export strategy, including work on streamlining of cross-border transmission projects, and efforts to increase the export of renewable electricity technologies and services.
“Canada’s strategy for cutting carbon pollution and delivering clean growth is taking shape, and the formula is clear: waste less energy, maximize our use of renewable sources of electricity, and use electricity as the preferred source of energy to power everything from buildings to industry to transportation,” said Robert Hornung, President, Canadian Wind Energy Association.
Elisa Obermann, Executive Director, Marine Renewables Canada, added: “Different sources of renewable electricity have different attributes that, when put together, can complement each other to ensure we have clean, reliable and affordable electricity across Canada.”
Key report findings:
- Renewable energy sources such as sun, wind, and water currently meet 65% of Canada’s electricity needs.
- Canada has the cleanest, most renewable electricity generation system in the G7, and the fourth largest renewable energy capacity in the world.
- The federal government’s recently released Mid-Century Long-Term Low-Greenhouse Gas Development Strategy includes, as ‘building blocks,’ increased electrification of all end-use application that currently rely on fossil fuels, continued decarbonization of the electricity sector, and increased interprovincial and intercontinental cooperation on electricity.
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