Tuesday, November 2, 2004

SPOTLIGHT: Energy

Gobbling the gigajoules

CANADA produced 45% more energy than it consumed in 2002, even though the nation’s energy consumption per capita reached a record high, according to a new report.

Canada moved into the position of a net producer from net consumer some 37 years ago. Since then, it has become a significant exporter of energy, primarily to the United States.

In 2001 alone, Canada exported energy products worth $55.1 billion, which represented 14% of all exports. Exports accounted for just under two-thirds of Canada’s annual oil production and just over one-half of the country’s natural gas output.

On a per capita basis, each Canadian in 2002 consumed just over 353 gigajoules of energy, compared with only about 222 in 1967.  A 30-litre gasoline fill-up contains about one gigajoule of energy.

Except for brief periods during the recessions of 1982 and 1991, total consumption of primary energy has been on the rise since 1958. Energy consumption per capita has followed a similar trend.

In a worldwide ranking of energy producers, Canada claims top spot in the production of hydroelectricity, and ranks among the top 10 nations for all energy sources, except coal.  Only the United States and Russia are in the top 10 in all energy categories.

Wind energy

As Canada’s population and economy continue to grow, so does its demand for energy.  While hydroelectricity is the biggest renewable energy source, wind energy is the fastest growing.

Canada’s installed wind energy capacity amounted to 327 megawatts in 2003, an increase of more than 300 megawatts since 1993. Natural Resources Canada estimates that Canada has about 30,000 megawatts of developable wind resources.

In contrast, in 2002 Canada’s installed hydroelectric generating capacity was 69,206  megawatts. Quebec generates almost half of the hydroelectricity produced in Canada.

During the past five years, the average annual growth rate in wind energy capacity has been over 27%. In 2003 alone, a record 86 megawatts of wind power were installed in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Quebec and Prince Edward Island.

Although the cost of wind energy has dropped from 20 cents per kilowatt hour in 1983 to the current price ranging from five to 10 cents, traditional sources of energy are still cheaper.

Other renewable energy sources are being used in Canada to produce electricity and other fuels. More than 200 million litres of ethanol per year are now produced in Canada. As well, the amount of gas captured at Canadian landfill sites increased 17% between 1997 and 2001.

Greenhouse gas emissions

The report also describes some of the negative aspects of Canada’s current patterns of energy use.

For example, between 1990 and 2001, greenhouse gas emissions rose more than 18%, with energy-related emissions responsible for virtually all of this increase.  The largest contributors to this increase were electricity and heat generation, vehicles and the fossil fuel production industries.

In 2001, electricity and heat generation and the fossil fuel production industries combined, accounted for just over one-quarter of Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions.

You can read the full report “Energy in Canada” in the 2004 edition of Human activity and the environment, the annual compendium of information on how Canadians interact with their environment, on our website.

For more information, contact Murray Cameron (613-951-3740), Environment Accounts and Statistics Division.

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© 2004, Statistics Canada.