A study released by the David Suzuki Foundation has revealed that Canada could actually hit its zero-emission targets without the need for nuclear energy by 2035.
The report details several adjustments that will need to be made in order for Canada to achieve its goal by this time period. An overhaul of the country’s electricity sector will need to be made, which will include a substantial amount of investment into energy efficiency, technology improvements and interprovincial transmission, alongside the construction of more than 50,000 megawatts of new solar and wind energy every five years lasting up until 2050.
Both of these factors will help Canada to build flexible and reliable grid operations, which will help give both businesses and consumers access to more efficient energy when compared to fossil fuels. Likewise, installing such a vast amount of solar and wind energy will help to lower the country’s overall carbon emissions.
The model also cuts out the use of nuclear and fossil gas, two sources which have been considered to be ‘potentially dangerous’. It argues that wind and solar are cheaper and proven technologies in comparison to nuclear and fossil.
Already, other countries in the world have introduced various laws in regard to renewable energy. Germany has just set laws for 100% renewable energy, while Europe has introduced a law that will make it mandatory for solar panels to be installed on all new residential and commercial buildings. The report even references Germany to set an example of what is possible, stating that “By early 2022, with only one-fifteenth the surface area of Canada’s provinces, Germany had installed 28,000 onshore wind turbines, reaching a total wind capacity of about 56 gigawatts. By 2025, the country expects to be adding 10 GW of wind annually”. These figures match the rate of deployment that has been detailed in the report.