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In Canada, 67% of our electricity comes from renewable sources*. In the future this type of power generation might be universal, if the world's energy production shifts toward something called 'electrification'.

Creating an 'all electric' system for our homes and buildings is based on the effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate the effects of climate change. Because Canada is mostly cold-climate geography with long heating seasons, our emissions footprint is quite high, and the burning of heating fuels is common almost everywhere.

*According to Natural Resources Canada, Electricity Facts

The idea behind 'electrification' is to increase the capacity of our electric power generation through more hydro electric projects, renewables and other non-GHG sources (i.e. nuclear), so that we can convert as many buildings as possible over to electric power use and heating. The hope is that this conversion will significantly reduce the emissions that buildings would generate otherwise.

One challenge in this strategy would be finding enough consistent power generation sources to power the entirety of Canada's electricity needs, along with a reliable storage system. Exploring wind, solar, tidal and other potentials for renewable power systems may create many new jobs in Canada.

Another challenge would be retrofitting the many millions of buildings in Canada that are not currently set up for electrical heating and cooling systems. This monumental task will require a major influx of new tradespeople and electrical engineers.

To learn more about electrification of systems, read more at Clean Energy Canada - Why Electrification Matters Now.