Community Energy Solutions: A key to tackling Canada’s emissions challenges

Source: Tonja Leach | · QUEST CANADA · | October 8, 2024

RE: Experts estimate modest drop in 2023 emissions, with big differences across sectors – Canadian Climate Institute, September 19, 2024

Canada’s 2023 emissions report from the Canadian Climate Institute reveals some progress, with a modest 1% decline in national emissions in 2023. However, the pace of reductions remains insufficient to meet the 2030 climate targets. With uneven progress across sectors like oil and gas and transportation, Canada can further enhance its efforts by integrating existing technologies and resources at the local level to accelerate sustainable energy transitions. Community energy solutions, coupled with integrated resource planning, offer a pathway toward building more resilient, cleaner energy systems—today.

The need for system integration

We know that reducing our dependence on fossil fuels is essential for long-term sustainability, but like it or not it’s a process that will take time—something we are quickly running out of. The good news is that there are more solutions at our disposal to reduce emissions in Canada than we are deploying at scale today.

The solutions lie in optimizing and integrating the energy systems we have in place, ensuring they are more efficient, flexible, and capable of reducing emissions. Energy system integration—connecting electricity, heating, transportation, and emissions planning—enables communities to maximize the use of current technologies and available energy sources while laying the foundation for future clean energy advancements.

A prime example of local system integration is Toronto’s Port Lands revitalization project. This large-scale urban redevelopment integrates electricity, heating, transportation, and emissions planning into a single, cohesive system.

The project includes a district energy system that provides heating and cooling to buildings through a centralized network, reducing the need for individual heating units. The system is powered by renewable energy sources such as deep lake water cooling, solar panels, and “bird-sensitive micro-wind turbines”, with backup provided by natural gas-powered chillers, minimizing the reliance on fossil fuels. The dual setup ensures that cooling services remain reliable even when the lake water system cannot fully meet demand. In addition, electric vehicle charging infrastructure is integrated into the area, promoting cleaner transportation.