Powering the sustainable society

In Canada, our means of powering society are far form sustainable. Canadians generate energy from crude oil, coal, natural gas, hydroelectric power, nuclear and other renewable energy sources. When developing a system to obtain sustainable energy for a region, the source and uses of the energy must be taken into account. This has become increasingly important, as populations are growing as well as the demand for energy, preferably renewable. Assessing the options for sustainable energy is crucial and should not be overlooked. Depending on the area, different methods of energy can be employed, such as wind, tidal and solar generation. It is necessary to determine the distribution of the energy required. Larger communities will require higher energy inputs then smaller communities. The density of population in the area being supplied is also valuable information, larger, spread out areas may enable the use of wind or solar farms that otherwise may not have been instituted in urban, downtown areas.

Currently, unsustainable practices are being used to harvest energy. Crude oil is the leading form of energy used for Canadians and supply is decreasing. This means that soon crude oil prices will become so high that we will not be able to afford to heat our homes with this type of energy. Harvesting energy from crude oil, nuclear and coal are all unsustainable, inefficient and have polluting effects.

The question about biofuels for energy has encountered many issues. In order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the Canadian government has encouraged the production and commercialization of biofuels and biofuel technology. Biofuel can be broken into two main categories: Ethanol and Biodiesel. Ethanol of harvested from grains such as corn, or cellulose from agricultural and forestry waste materials. Biodiesel is obtained form the combination of natural oils or fats with alcohol (methanol).

The production of Biofuels for energy can have great impacts but may take a long time to reap the benefits. In 2 decades, the UN says the 25% of the worlds energy needs have be provided from biofuels, and is a way for decrease our dependence on crude oil and nuclear options for energy production. According to Suleiman Jasir al-Herbish, Director-General of the OPEC Fund for International Development, biofuels have a negative impact on society and the worlds grain production. A large amount of corn needs to be grown, taking away from the food that could be used to feed starving civilians. Not only does this reduce food production, it also uses up large amounts of water, creating shortages in the water supply.

Micro-generation technologies are also being innovated to heat air and water through solar photovoltaic’s, as well as small wind turbines. Solar has been determined to be the most effective way of harvesting renewable energy. As discussed in class, active solar heating systems in Canada are successfully divert 23,200 tonnes of CO₂ annually. It is necessary to start replacing our dependence on unsustainable practices with more renewable ways to harvest energy.

Information from this blog was taken from a Sustainable Development Series class, taught my Dr. Ling.