Energy Sources in Canada

With its vast and diversified portfolio of energy resources, Canada is a major energy producer; producing large quantities of energy for both domestic and export markets. Canada is also a significant energy consumer, given the country’s northern climate, vast territory, industrial base, and high standard of living.

Canada’s Energy Pie⁵

• “Primary” energy–i.e. energy found in nature before conversion or transformation–totalled 21,385 petajoules (PJ) in 2019
• Fossil fuels accounted for the greatest share of this production, with crude oil representing 45 percent; natural gas, 33 percent; and coal, 6 percent. Renewable energy sources include hydroelectricity representing 7 percent, and other renewables—e.g. biomass, wind, tidal and solar—4 percent. Nuclear energy (generated primarily from uranium) accounted for 2 percent.

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Versatility & Benefits of Natural Gas

In the 1800s, energy was derived primarily from coal, and in the 1900s from oil. Today, in the 21st Century, it is likely that natural gas may be the dominant source of energy.

According to research being done at the University of Victoria, gas has some unique characteristics that can give it an edge over coal and oil in the 21st Century, without some of the drawbacks inherent in many renewable energy technologies like wind and solar.

You already know that natural gas is one of the cleanest, safest, and most useful forms of energy available to us today; and in its pure form—colorless, shapeless, nontoxic, odorless, and highly combustible.

Here are some other advantages of natural gas.

• It is economical for heating, electricity generation and powering vehicles e.g., a gas-fired power generation plant takes much less time to start and stop than a coal-fired plant
• When cooled to its liquefied state, natural gas can be safely and economically exported to energy hungry regions around the world

• The flexibility of natural gas makes it a good partner to renewable sources of energy such as solar and wind, which are “variable.” Energy production comes and goes with the weather and time of day. They cannot be turned on and off according to demand
• There is a lot of gas left in the ground; estimates of how much are buried underground and available to humanity have been increasing over the past fifty years
• New technologies now allow for the development of unconventional gas reserves (shale gas, tight gas and methane hydrates)–meaning that natural gas can meet much of the world’s energy needs for perhaps a century or more
• Natural gas produces about 29% and 44% less carbon dioxide per joule delivered than oil and coal respectively, and potentially fewer pollutants than other hydrocarbon fuels
• Using natural gas to create electricity does not produce substantial amounts of solid waste

Roberts, David (2019) Vox.com, Getting to 100% renewables requires cheap energy storage. But how cheap.
https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2019/8/9/20767886/renewable-energy-storage-cost-electricity

Farris, A. (20112) Energy BC: Natural Gas. Retrieved from
http://www.energybc.ca/naturalgas.html

Natural Gas Use

We use energy every day to boil water, cook food, heat our homes, power motorized vehicles and generate electricity. Natural gas is one of the least expensive forms of energy available.

Residential Uses

The most common use for natural gas around the home is for operating furnaces and hot water tanks. Natural gas is also used to operate household appliances including stoves, clothes dryers, fireplaces, and barbecues.

Commercial Uses

Schools, office buildings, hotels, restaurants and many other commercial businesses use natural gas, mainly for heating, cooling, and cooking. Large commercial enterprises use natural gas for on-site electricity generation as an economical alternative to purchasing electricity off-site.

Industrial Uses

Natural Gas is used by the industrial sector (including electricity generation). It has numerous uses in the petroleum refining, metal, chemical, plastics, food processing, glass, and paper industries. The ingredients for plastic, anti-freeze, fertilizer, and fabric products are formed through the use of natural gas by-products.

Transportation Uses

Beginning in 2019, TransLink, BCTransit and Coast Mountain Bus Company, among others, added natural gas busses to their

transportation fleets. BC Ferries’ use of natural gas for the Salish Class vessels results in the reduction of an estimated 9,000 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per year, which is the same as taking 1,900 passenger vehicles off the road annually.
 

Video 4: Natural Gas 101 (03 minutes, 39 seconds)

Learning Activity 3: Find Out About Natural Gas Components, Sources, and Uses

Instructions

Answer the following questions and then discuss them as a class.

1. What are the components of natural gas when it comes out of the ground?
2. What are the sources of natural gas in British Columbia?
3. What are the uses of natural gas?