Canada is wealthy in resources for energy production. It is as a result a leading global energy producer. Growing improvements in the statistics of renewable energy reveal improving Canadian use in recent years.
The technologies of renewable energy vary widely in their technical, economic maturity and cost competitiveness. These include wind, solar thermal, solar photovoltaic, sustainable biomass, ocean, geothermal, and hydroelectric power. While emit barely any greenhouse gases they are a sustainable source of energy that can be naturally replenished or is renewable unlike fossil fuels that emit greenhouse gases and are not renewable. However, Biomass, is a renewable resource only if our rate of consumption does not exceed the rate of regeneration. This type is energy is what we need to use more as our need to consume more energy grows along with our need to protect our environment from escalating climate change caused by greenhouse gas emissions.
So far less than 20 percent of Canadian needs are supplied by renewable energy. Of these, water is the leading source supplying over ten percent of the total supply. On the rivers that flow from the mountains, there were by 2006, just under 500 hydroelectric power stations. Five provinces are the most active producers.
The next most dominant source is biomass with wood a leading material from this country rich in its forests. The paper and pulp industry is the largest user. By the beginning of 2007, there were over 60 bioenergy plants. Canada is a leading producer and exporter of wheat, corn and barley and they constitute the principal agriculture feedstock for producing ethanol. In 2006, the biofuel capacity for ethanol was near 600 million litres and for biodiesel a 100 million litres.
The installed wind capacity has expanded. By the beginning of 2008, there were 85 wind farms on which 1,400 wind turbines were established with installed capacity over 1,800 megawatts. The provinces of Ontario, Alberta and Quebec are leaders in wind. Solar energy usage has also grown with installed solar thermal capacity having since 1998 an average annual growth rate of 17 percent. Installed solar photovoltaic capacity has increased annually by 27 percent since 1993. Majority are off grid. Known geothermal steam resource is limited, but over 3,100 geothermal heat pump units have been installed by 2006.
Eurostat has revealed a report that in 2009 Europe has generally advanced renewable energy uses while simultaneously reducing reliance on fossil fuels. According to its report, energy usage went up by 8.3 percent. However, the use of coal was reduced by 9.2 percent and natural gas by 10.1 percent. Generally energy usage declined by 5.5 percent. This reveals the negative effects of the global financial crisis on European economies. Meanwhile, for the six consecutive year, the amount of energy used to produce energy has declined as a result of reliance on more nonfossil based energy sources. The amount of such energy was 18.4 percent in the past year. This amount is just below the 19.3 percent of energy use from natural gas in the region.
With countries like Germany whose wind power use went from negligible to top of the class, Europe is a leader Spain, is another wind leader. Germany is the second biggest global solar market. A world leader solar cell production is unsurprisingly based in Germany. German goal of reducing carbon emissions by over 35 percent by 2020 makes it a leader. Europe is making exemplary progress, even when the numbers vary amongst its constituent parts.
In neighboring United States, the Department of Energy reports that three out of most recent four years has seen lowered emissions with 2009 setting a new bar. This has been due to both reduced usage and from switching to gas from coal. In both Europe and the United States there have been renewable energy installations exceeding those for fossil fuel in the previous year. However, with less than 20 percent of global power produced, renewable sources such as Solar Power system have to be relied on to a far greater extend. Thus, although the growing improvements in statistics of renewable energy are positive, but, there is still much room for additional improvements.
Solar Power devices, green energy sources like the field of science Feed in Tariff program is around every day. The children learn with fun optical equipment, Hybrid wind power system telescopes and science lab equipment.