The government is encouraging Canadians to switch to EVs and heat pumps to fight climate change. But many CBC News readers have asked: won’t electrifying everything break the grid and drive up energy costs? Here’s what electricity operators and those researching the transition say.
Reports from the International Energy Agency and the Canadian Climate Institute in 2022 found Canada would need to double or triple its electrical grid capacity by 2050 to reach its net-zero goal.
For example, Mario Chiarelli, a Toronto-based energy efficiency consultant, estimated that converting Toronto’s 650,000 natural gas-heated homes to best-in-class heat pumps would double the city’s electricity demand, an increase of about 5,000 megawatts.
“If you’re getting paid a fee or feeding some of your electrical energy that you’re storing in your battery back into the grid at those high peak times, [that] could actually result in a net customer savings.”
However, its newer report notes that costs may be unevenly distributed across the country, and may be higher for Canadians who live in regions that currently rely heavily on fossil fuel generation.
DeMarco said planning in Canada’s electricity system generally only looks a few years into the future, without considering the long-term impact of growing extreme weather and the global energy transition.
They’re backed by a commitment of more than $40 billion over the next decade, outlined in the 2023 federal budget, to support Canada’s clean electricity sector through tax measures, public financing and grant contributions.
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This is the best summary I could come up with:
Reports from the International Energy Agency and the Canadian Climate Institute in 2022 found Canada would need to double or triple its electrical grid capacity by 2050 to reach its net-zero goal.
For example, Mario Chiarelli, a Toronto-based energy efficiency consultant, estimated that converting Toronto’s 650,000 natural gas-heated homes to best-in-class heat pumps would double the city’s electricity demand, an increase of about 5,000 megawatts.
“If you’re getting paid a fee or feeding some of your electrical energy that you’re storing in your battery back into the grid at those high peak times, [that] could actually result in a net customer savings.”
However, its newer report notes that costs may be unevenly distributed across the country, and may be higher for Canadians who live in regions that currently rely heavily on fossil fuel generation.
DeMarco said planning in Canada’s electricity system generally only looks a few years into the future, without considering the long-term impact of growing extreme weather and the global energy transition.
They’re backed by a commitment of more than $40 billion over the next decade, outlined in the 2023 federal budget, to support Canada’s clean electricity sector through tax measures, public financing and grant contributions.
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