Building a reliable electricity system is possible, today
Well all want reliable electricity
We rarely think about our electricity until the power goes off. We want the power on when we need it and when it goes out we want the electricity back on quickly. To feel safe, we need to know that electricity is available when we need it – regardless of the time of day or time of the year, or the power source.
We also need reliable electricity to solve climate change. To eliminate the pollution making weather more extreme, we must shift the way we use energy, away from fossil fuels (oil, coal, natural gas) and toward cleaner electricity. Our vehicles, our businesses, and our home heating systems will rely more on electricity than on gasoline, coal, oil and natural gas.
Having reliable electricity takes collaboration between utilities, governments and customers. Our electricity grid is an interconnected system with many connections within our region and beyond. Paired with highly advanced wind and solar, we can use proven technologies like energy storage (batteries and hydro power), new transmission connections with our neighbours, and Internet-based applications (called the Smart Grid) to make our electricity system more reliable. We can learn from other provinces and states that are ahead of us in the transition to clean electricity, and use best practices from our region and around the world.
By focusing on energy efficiency and local renewables, we ensure that more of our electricity needs come from within our region. This means we no longer spend money on imported fossil fuels with volatile pricing. Instead, we invest in local, reliable ways to meet our electricity needs.
By investing in our homes and buildings so they use as little energy as possible (to a standard called Passive House), we create an added layer of security and comfort that keeps us warm in winter, and cool in summer. In fact, a home that is retrofitted to a Passive House can stay warm in the winter for days if the power goes out in a storm. With energy efficiency we also decrease the amount of time our utilities burn coal, oil or natural gas to generate electricity today and we spend less on new electricity sources in the future. We all win with lower pollution and lower energy bills.
