|
It is critical to promote the development of wind & solar because electricity from renewable energy sources can reduce the carbon emissions which result from our consumption of secondary energy from fossil fuels. However, it is even more important to remember the Rule of 3C (conserve, convert, clean) as society looks for feasible ways to improve & protect our environment. Federal data (NRCan) show that heating & cooling of buildings in Canada consumed 547 billion kWh of secondary energy in 2022 ... 21% of Canada's total consumption. In that year, wind & solar produced 40 billion kWh (StatsCan).  This thermal energy consumed for heating & cooling was responsible for the emission of 71 billion kg of carbon, or 16% of Canada's total.
 One feasible option is to consider the widespread implementation of ground source heat pump (GSHP) technology, which produces thermal renewable energy from the earth on a fully dispatchable (no batteries required) basis.
If ALL residential & commercial buildings in Canada installed GSHP, they would produce that 547 billion kWh a year of renewable energy and reduce emissions by 71 billion kg of carbon. It would allow a PTC (Production Thermal Credit) to incent efficiency, the cost is much lower if installed during construction when workers are on site and before landscaping is done, and the technology offers many other benefits to the building owner, our economy and our environment.
Government data show that, for the average household, it would produce 21,307 kWh from its GSHP system and reduce annual carbon emissions by 3,148 kg. It would need 5,918 kWh (or much less) to operate its components which, when added to the 5,098 kWh needed for lights & appliances, means the household would produce 21,000 of renewable energy and consume 11,000 of conventional grid power
... and be verified as netzeroPLUS.
|