The Canadian government has unveiled new policies targeted at expanding the renewable energy industry to accelerate the shift to a greener economy. The Renewable Energy Programme, which the federal government announced as part of this endeavour, will offer substantial funds to support the development and implementation of renewable energy projects around the country. The program’s objectives are to lower carbon emissions and encourage the development of renewable energy sources including wind and solar energy.
Figure 1: Flag of Canada. [1]
The Mission
To achieve net zero electricity generation by 2035 and net zero economic growth by 2050, Canada will need to undergo a significant change in its electricity networks. According to Thomas and Green’s 2022 projection, Canada will require the construction of over 10 gigawatts, or 10,000 megawatts, of new zero-emission energy-producing facilities between now and 2050. Put more specifically, this indicates that compared to the previous ten years, Canada’s power generation capacity needs to increase up to six times quicker [2].
A significant acceleration in the permitting, building, and integration of sustainable power facilities—generation, transmission, distribution, and storage—is necessary to meet this goal. The paper “Expediting Clean Energy Facilities in Canada: A Framework for new fast-track permitting” written by Rodney Northey (Nov, 2023), suggests a two-track permitting structure that all levels of government can implement.
- The first track would be the current approvals track, which would continue to be used for huge facilities, facilities with extensive zones of impact, or buildings utilising unproven technology.
- The second track would implement an accelerated permitting procedure for established small-scale, zero-emission facilities. [3]
This model for expediting permitting might be applied by all five tiers of government authority in Canada: federal, provincial, territorial, municipal, and Indigenous.
Green Energy Innovation Programme
In addition to the above, the Canadian government intends to launch the Green Energy Innovation Programme. A financing programme intended to assist with research and development in the discipline of renewable energy. With the help of this programme, Canadian companies will have financial resources at their disposal to create cutting-edge products and technology that advance the clean energy sector.
These new regulations are anticipated to have a significant positive impact on the solar and wind industries because government financing will go into increasing their capacity and enhancing their efficiency. These industries have demonstrated enormous growth potential recently, and it is anticipated that this increased support will accelerate their advancement even more. [4]
Looking to the Future
Canada hopes to lessen its dependency on fossil fuels and make major strides towards accomplishing its climate goals by putting a high priority on clean energy and investing in renewable resources. In addition to fostering a more sustainable future, these actions provide doors for the renewable energy industry to expand economically and generate jobs.
About Pager Power
Pager Power undertakes technical assessments for developers of renewable energy projects and tall buildings worldwide. For more information about what we do, please get in touch.
References
[1] Rivera, H. (2018) Flag of Canada from Unplash.com. Last accessed on 9th January 2024. Available at: https://unsplash.com/photos/flag-of-canada-ahHn48-zKWo
[2] Adams, R. (2023) Canada implements new measures to boost renewable energy sector, Times News Global.
[3] Northey, R. (2023) Expediting clean energy facilities in Canada: A Framework for new fast-track permitting, Canadian Climate Institute.
[4] Northey, R. (2023) Expediting clean energy facilities in Canada: A Framework for new fast-track permitting, Canadian Climate Institute.
