Demand for Land Remains Obstacle for Transition to Renewable Energy
A non-financial consideration in Canada’s transition to renewable energy is the large amount of land needed compared to other energy sources, like natural gas, a new Fraser Institute report says.
The report notes that while the cost of renewable sources has decreased, the challenge of land consumption—or how much space is needed for wind and solar power generation—remains an obstacle.
“When measured in 2010, for example, renewable energies generated 525 GW of power, but consumed 398,000 square kilometers – a stark contrast with natural gas power production which generated 3.53 Terawatts of power while consuming only 1,800 square kilometers of land area,” wrote author Kenneth P. Green, a senior fellow with the Institute.
Mr. Green also said that more mines would be needed to get out of the ground the materials required for an energy transition to renewables.
Building wind turbines requires materials like iron ore, cement, and nonrecyclable plastic for the blades, Mr. Green wrote.
Solar hardware requires even more steel, glass, and concrete than wind turbines do, he said.
Mr. Green concluded that the mining industry will need to expand to meet the demand, causing further land disruption.
“Land disruption for mining, and the needed increase in mining of metals also remains a significant barrier to the clean energy transition,” he said, noting wind, solar power, and electric vehicles “require massive increases in the production of a number of metals which require extensive mining and refinement, and the movement of massive amounts of material in the process.”
Additionally, he said that the country could see an economic decline by moving to sources that “exhibit a lower Energy Return on Investment” as renewable sources supply lower levels of electricity per unit cost.
“Societies which direct resources into lower-return endeavors, such as wind- and solar power forsake the economic gains that would accrue from cleaving to energy sources that provide a higher economic return on investment, economic gains that are necessary for a society to prosper,” Mr. Green wrote.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government developed Clean Electricity Regulations legislation that would see net-zero emissions by 2035. A draft of the regulations was released in August 2023 and was updated in February 2024.
Changes include an annual emissions limit for each power-generating unit, which will allow multiple units within the same jurisdiction to pool the emissions together.
“The improvements under consideration would enhance the flexibility for provincial operators to continue to ensure reliable and affordable power while maintaining Canada’s ability to achieve its emissions reduction goal,” the government said.
A final draft of the regulations is expected later this year.
Demand for Land Remains Obstacle for Transition to Renewable Energy, Report Says: https://www.theepochtimes.com/world/demand-for-land-remains-obstacle-for-transition-to-renewable-energy-report-says-5623402?utm_campaign=socialshare_email&utm_source=email
New report denounces Havana and claims ‘campaign of subversion’ has infiltrated highest levels of US government
"...There is overwhelming evidence that the machinery of the Cuban Government has been progressively organized around… a fundamental hatred of the United States,” the report stated. “Many of the most significant upheavals in recent American political history —from the George Floyd riots to the rise of Antifa to the explosion of pro-terrorist activism on American college campuses— can be linked, in some way, shape, or form to Cuban influence.”
The report doesn’t just hand-wave. It names names. It details how the Venceremos Brigade and other “revolutionary tourism” programs have funneled thousands of American activists to Havana for ideological (and sometimes literal) weapons training.
The Venceremos Brigade has brought 10,000 American activists to Cuba since 1969. This is because nothing says “I am fighting for the oppressed working class” quite ...
Now there is a plan! Of course dumb Canadians will not have the courage to vote with their brains, instead of their propagandized feelings of fear.
Canada’s economy is stalling badly.
We just endured the worst decade for real GDP growth per person since the Great Depression.
Over the past ten years, real GDP per capita limped along at an average of just 0.6% annually.
And Bloomberg’s consensus forecast for 2026? A paltry 0.7%.
Why does GDP matter?
Because family disposable income follows GDP like a shadow. Anemic economic growth resulting from lower investment means stagnant wages. Period.
The Liberals and fake Conservatives won't fix this.
The People's Party has a comprehensive plan to unleash private investment, supercharge productivity, and put more money back into your pocket:
Make the Accelerated Capital Cost Allowance (ACCA) permanent – Let businesses write off capital investments rapidly and skyrocket cash flow.
End Corporate Welfare – Zero subsidies. Zero bailouts. Zero regional ...
