Canadian energy systems need to evolve. Beyond providing essential energy services, they must respond to climate change, enhance social justice, and remain sensitive to local cultures and traditions. Can they do this and still make financial sense? Sustainable Energy Transitions in Canada gathers experts from across the country to share perspectives on leading theories and practices. Contributors first deal with the conceptual aspects of energy transitions, investigating such topics as energy justice and poverty, the decolonization of energy, community energy planning, the role of energy systems modelling, and links between energy and climate change policy. Building on this foundation, they offer case studies that cover the North, the Atlantic region, Quebec, Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia, along with crucial but difficult to decarbonize sectors like transportation and space heating. Running throughout this comprehensive discussion is a common thread: the importance of paying attention to wider sustainability goals and distributional justice in the process of decarbonizing the Canadian economy.

The work demonstrates a techno-economic model of power generation for the cost-effective integration of renewable energy sources, with the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Canada. The methodological approach outlined by the author is based on periodic simulation of price variations. The result demonstrates that a 10% transition to renewable energy generation is possible, practical and affordable when supported by an effective policy framework that does not need to introduce a feed-in tariff or loan-based financial mode.

Canada is a well-endowed country that serves as an ideal model to lead the reader through the development of energy, resources, and society historically and into a post-carbon future. The book provides an historical perspective and describes the physical resource limitations, energy budgets, and climate realities that will determine the potential for any transition to renewable energy. Political and social realities, including jurisdiction and energy equality issues, are addressed. However, we cannot simply mandate or legislate policies according to social and political aspirations. Policies must comply with the realities of physical laws, such as the energy return on investment (EROI) for fossil-fuel based and renewable energy systems. EROI is discussed in both historical terms and in reference to the greater efficiencies inherent in a distributed generation, mainly electric, post-carbon society. Meyer explores the often misleading concepts and terms that have become embedded in society and tend to dictate our policy making, as well as the language, social and personal goals, and metrics that need to change before the physical transition can begin at the required scale. This book also reviews what nations have been doing thus far in terms of renewables, including the successes and failures in Canada and across the globe. Ontario’s green energy fiasco, and a comparison of the different circumstances of Norway and Alberta, for example, are covered as part of the author’s comparison of a wide range of countries. What are the achievements, plans, and problems that determine how well different countries are positioned to make “the transition”? The transition path is complex, and the tools we need to develop and the physical infrastructure investments we need to make, are daunting. At some point in time, Canada and Canadians, like all nations, will be living on 100% renewable energy. Whether the social and technological level that endures sees us travelling to the stars, or subsisting at a standard of living more similar to the pre-fossil fuel era, is far from certain.

This book explores the intrinsically multiscale issue of renewable energy transition from a local, national and transnational perspective, and provides insights into current developments in the Upper Rhine Region that can serve as an international model. Organised around the exploration of stakeholder issues, the volume first describes a framework for public action and modelling and then articulates a triple complementary focus from the viewpoint of law, economics and sociology. This multidisciplinary approach is anchored in the social sciences, but also explores the ways in which technological issues are increasingly debated in the implementation of the ecological transition. With a focus on the Upper Rhine Region of France, Germany and Switzerland, the contributions throughout analyse how concrete regional projects emerge, and whether they are carried out by local authorities, private energy groups, network associations or committed citizens. From this, it appears that real-world energy transition modes can be best understood as permanent transactional processes involving institutional regulations, economic levers and barriers and social interactions. This book will be of interest to advanced students and scholars focusing on renewable energy transition, stakeholder issues, environment and sustainability studies, as well as those who are interested in the methodological aspects of the social sciences, especially within the fields of sociology, law, economy, geography, political science, urbanism and planning.

This textbook introduces the key concepts that underpin sustainable energy transitions. Starting with the basic biophysical principles, current sources and environmental consequences of existing energy resource use, the book takes readers through the key questions and topics needed to understand, prescribe, and advocate just and sustainable energy solutions. The interdisciplinary nature of the book aims to build bridges across the social and natural sciences and humanities, bringing together perspectives, ideas and concepts from engineering, economics, and life cycle assessment to sociology, political science, anthropology, policy studies, the humanities, arts, and some interdisciplinary thinkers that defy categories. This accessible approach fills the gap for a textbook that integrates sustainability science and engineering studies with strong empirical social science and it will be a useful tool to anyone interested in the socio-ecological dimensions of energy system transitions.

A volume on the political economy of clean energy transition in developed and developing regions, with a focus on the issues that different countries face as they transition from fossil fuels to lower carbon technologies.

Is the goal of a transition to clean energy at all realistic? If so, how could it be accomplished? Climate change poses a formidable challenge for twenty-first-century governments. Unless they can move to a clean energy system built on efficiency, renewables, electrification, and possibly complementary technologies like nuclear energy and carbon capture and storage, it will be all but impossible to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. In this book, Daniel Fiorino provides a comprehensive introduction to the politics and policies of a clean energy transition and how it may unfold nationally and globally. Across its nine chapters, he explores the current energy landscape and the different pathways and pitfalls on the road to decarbonization. All scenarios for decarbonizing, he argues, rely on aggressive efficiency, the rapid scale-up of renewables, and the electrification of most of what is left. Yet this transition has to be accelerated and done effectively. There is little time left for second chances if we are to decarbonize later this century. The Clean Energy Transition will be an indispensable resource for students of energy politics, environmental studies, and public policy, as well as anyone interested in the energy issues of the day.

The fate of our planet hangs in the balance, making the pursuit of sustainable development more than a mere aspiration, it is an imperative. Green Economy and Renewable Energy Transitions for Sustainable Development delves deep into the intricate web of interconnections between the environment, green economies, and energy transitions, and lays down the intellectual foundation for a sustainable future. Drawing on the wisdom of experts in fields ranging from environmental science to policy analysis, this book unveils the multifaceted strategies needed to reduce pollution, conserve biodiversity, and effectively mitigate the relentless march of climate change. Central to sustainability is a green economy—a holistic economic system that transcends profit margins to prioritize social equity, ecological balance, and robust economic growth. Through rigorous exploration and analysis, this volume showcases how sustainable production and consumption practices and judicious investments in renewable energy sources can catalyze a transformative shift towards a more sustainable global economy. The energy transition, a substantial shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources, emerges as the linchpin of our battle against climate change. This book deciphers the intricate dance of policies, technologies, and behavioral changes required to usher in this transition. It reveals how renewable energy sources like solar, wind, and hydropower hold the key to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and staving off the catastrophic consequences of global warming. This monograph is an invaluable resource for policymakers, researchers, educators, and anyone who aspires to be a custodian of our planet's future.