Canada Fails to Make Top-Ten in Green Power Consumption
Summary
Green Heat has the potential to reduce GHG emissions in Canada by more than the output of all coal-fired generating plants in the country, adds Eggertson.Output from biofuels fell for the first time since 2000 and global carbon dioxide emissions from energy use continued to grow, but at a slower rate than in 2011.Rounding out the top-ten places were Germany (+8%); Spain (+18%); Brazil (+25%); Italy (+29%); India (+18%); UK (28%); Japan (+9%) and France (+23%).A number of recent international reports have indicated that Canada is falling behind the balance of the developed world in its support for renewable energy, which causes concern for the canadian association for renewable energies (we c.a.r.e.).Executive Director Bill Eggertson noted the recent analysis from the International Energy Agency that the share of renewables (as a percent of total final energy consumption) has been slowly declining in Canada over the past 20 years while it is growing in virtually all other countries.While the BP Review shows progress in Canada, Eggertson notes that the data pertain to green power consumption and do not reflect the potential from Green Heat technologies such as geothermal heat pumps, solar thermal and biomass heating systems.In wind energy, the world consumed 521 TWh while Canada’s consumption of wind energy rose 15.3% to 11.7 TWh.The Review tracks the largest annual increase in US production of oil and natural gas ever recorded, and the largest annual decline in nuclear output.