July 2010 News Update |
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Central Canada is blistering under a heat wave and Western Canada is freezing through July (okay, it might just be a little chillier than usual). Either way: Canadians are using energy to stay temperate. Natural gas is the country's leading source of heating and cooling, so even when the weather's hot demand is strong; natural gas is an important fuel in electricity generation.
In our last Energy in Canada newsletter, we took a look at how unconventional natural gas is affecting the way gas is produced, and how natural gas will continue to be used in the future. The bottom line is that the more things change, the more they stay the same; expect to see natural gas continue to be an important fuel into the near term. To prove what you already know about natural gas production, and to fill in the blanks on the things you don't, check out our Energize Alberta quiz. In a province that was responsible for 76 per cent of all Canadian production in 2008, it pays to know the ins and outs of natural gas.
But lest readers think The Canadian Centre for Energy Information has natural gas on the brain, Flow's summertime articles have run the energy gamut, from renewables to non-renewables, from practical technologies to the out-there weird. We've tried to put some context to BP's Deepwater oil spill, looked at a massive solar development in the United Arab Emirates and a more modest one in Okotoks, Alberta and a flying fish that could revolutionize the way that blimps get from point A to point B. And there are always more posts on the way: we're fuelled directly by Canadian energy, after all.
The Centre isn't the only one taking a broad view of Canadian energy this month. By the looks of upcoming energy events across the country, Canada has a lot of energy to burn.
By 2025, all but 18 of Canada's coal-fired power plants will have reached the end of the operating life. The Canadian government announced in late June that they would be aiming to gradually phase out coal-fired generation through these closures. According to Enviornment Minister Jim Prentice, "This policy, coupled with the commitments of the provinces, and companies who have committed to coal closures, will amount to emissions reductions of about 15 Megatonnes by 2020."
And the effects of this announcement aren't just confined to coal. Any reduction in coal-fired generation because of coal's carbon intensity could mean an increase in alternative fuels, like natural gas, in the future. That's why natural gas is often called a "bridge" to low-carbon energy production.
In a carbon-constrained world, where emission standards and other measures are reducing the amount of acceptable greenhouse gas emissions, invisible gases are on everyone's minds. In Alberta, the first of the province's payouts from its climate change fund were recently announced, which included 30 projects across the province designed to reduce GHG emissions. Some of these projects included a $3 million for a solar thermal power plant and a $1.8 million pilot plant designed to produce biofuel and utilize carbon dioxide.
Alberta's Climate Change and Emissions Management Fund gets its funding from companies annually producing more than 100,000 tonnes of GHG emissions. Every tonne over their allowed limit costs $15 into the climate change fund. But companies are also able to make their own CO2 mitigation programs, such as Spectra Energy's Fort Nelson CCS Feasibility Project, which captures CO2 and stores it in a saline aquifer. Eighty one per cent of the country's emissions come from energy, with agriculture adding another 8.5 per cent and making the two the leading pressures on the environment. It's no wonder that Canadians are tackling their emissions in so many different ways.
We know natural gas is often referred to as a 'bridge fuel' to lower carbon energy production, and that a decrease in coal-fired generation could lead to an increase in electricity generation from natural gas, but: just what is natural gas, anyway?
Essentially, natural gas is primarily methane, though in nature it can also be mixed with other hydrocarbons like ethane, propane and butane. To learn more, check out "Natural Gas Defined" in our Energy in Canada newsletter. Also, while "unconventional" natural gas might sound unfamiliar, it's exactly the same resource. The only difference from conventional production is that it's taken from unconventional reservoirs, like coal seams and shale.
Corporate Knights and the Energy Policy Institute of Canada's E3 Roundtables, moderated by Evan Solomon challenge guest speakers to share their thoughts on how Canada can transition to a low carbon energy future. Corporate Knights publishes its quarterly magazine with a keen focus on corporate responsibility. Through Corporate Knights activities, the organization helps make it easier for people to know the environmental and social impacts of their marketplace decisions. The Energy Policy Institute of Canada's purpose is to develop a comprehensive, pan-Canadian approach to energy which will provide the foundation for recommendations to federal, provincial and territorial governments responsible for energy and environment policy. The organization represents a broad spectrum of energy business from every region of the country.
Energy Events
In Vancouver, CanGEA's Third Annual Geothermal Conference and Trade Show will include talks from leaders in the field and a trade show full of the technologies that are changing the industry. It runs from August 8 to 10.
In Calgary, the IHS CERA Oil Sands Dialogue: Role of Technology– Past, Present, and Future will tackle Alberta's always-contentious, but economically important oil sands with a one-day workshop on August 10.
In Saskatoon, The Metallurgical Society (Met Soc) will be hosting their third annual, four-day International Conference on Uranium (Uranium 101) from August 15 to 18. As the only province to produce uranium, and with Canada leading the world as its third largest producer, there's no better place to talk about Canada's nuclear fuel.
In Montreal, the Canadian Centre for Energy Information will present and take part in a panel discussion on public awareness of energy issues at the World Energy Congress.
In Whistler, the Canadian Conference on Coal will discuss China's influence on global coal markets and post Copenhagen, September 11 - 14.
Partner Profile
The Canadian Gas Association (CGA) and the Canadian Society for Unconventional Gas (CSUG) support and promote Canadian natural gas producers.
In addition to "act[ing] on behalf of its members to advance policy positions on national issues of relevance to natural gas," CGA provides important information to the public. On their website, you can find natural gas statistics, a list of upcoming events and the Canadian Natural Gas Magazine.
And CSUG has been keeping the public informed as well. In a presentation entitled "Cross Canada Check Up Unconventional Gas Emerging Opportunities and Status of Activity", CSUG revealed that the country has trillions of cubic feet of untapped unconventional natural gas reserves. While most of it isn't accessible with current technologies, it will certainly mean decades worth of reliable power for Canadians.