Transforming Canada: Mapping A 100% Electrified Energy Economy - CleanTechnica

The article "Transforming Canada: Mapping A 100% Electrified Energy Economy" explores Canada’s critical juncture in transitioning its energy system toward full electrification and renewable integration. Drawing on the author's experience with Ireland’s 2050 energy roadmap and collaboration with Canadian energy leaders, the piece highlights the opportunity for Canada to adopt a similarly ambitious, clean, secure, and affordable energy framework. Despite differences in scale, Canada and Ireland share challenges like decarbonization, energy independence, and affordability. Canada’s abundant renewable resources and technological capacity position it well for this transformation. Currently, Canada’s energy system is heavily reliant on fossil fuels, primarily oil and natural gas exports to the U.S. and increasingly Asia, which creates economic vulnerabilities amid global market and geopolitical uncertainties. Domestically, fossil fuels dominate heating, transportation, and industry, resulting in significant inefficiencies and energy waste—about 1,500 TWh of the roughly 2,500 TWh primary energy consumed annually is lost, mainly as waste heat from combustion processes. The author presents Sankey diagrams illustrating current energy flows and envisions a fully decarbonized, electrified Canadian energy economy. While the diagrams are preliminary, they underscore the scale of inefficiency in the current system and the potential gains from electrification and renewable integration. The article serves as an initial reflection and call to action for inclusive, forward-looking energy planning in Canada.