PRODUCTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario was created, with Adam Beck as ... More
In Canada the 2 basic methods of producing ELECTRIC POWER are hydroelectric generation, based on the energy contained in flowing water, and thermal generation, based on the production of steam. Thermal generation may be conventional, using COAL and PETROLEUM products, or nuclear, using URANIUM in thermonuclear fission (see NUCLEAR ENERGY). Canada is abundantly supplied with most of the resources from which electric power can be generated, and Canadians are among the world's highest per capita producers and consumers of electricity.
Hydroelectric Plant No 6In the Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean region of Québec (courtesy Alcan Aluminum).
Solar EnergyMacLaren pulp and paper plant at Masson, Québec. Solar panels for pre-heating water (photo by Jim Merrithew). Canada's installed electrical generating capacity in 1994 was 114 gigawatts (GW = 109 watts): 56% derived from HYDROELECTRICITY, 18% from coal, 14% from nuclear power, 7% from oil, 4% from natural gas and 1% from other sources. Installed capacity is the amount of power that could be generated at a given instant if all power plants were working simultaneously at full capacity.
Actual production depends on the amount of time particular generators are running and on load (appliances, motors, etc) placed on the system. ELECTRIC UTILITIES build 10-25% extra capacity into their systems, above the expected maximum load, to serve as backup during emergencies and maintenance shutdowns. In 1994, total actual production in Canada was 533 508 GWh. Of this, 61% was hydroelectric, 19% nuclear, 15% coal, 3% natural gas, 1% oil and 1% other sources. The difference between the various sources' shares of capacity and production (ie, a higher proportional production from hydro and nuclear, lower from fossil fuels) reflects the economics of electric-power generation, and the pressures placed by CONSERVATION concerns on petroleum-based thermal development.
In Canada the 2 basic methods of producing ELECTRIC POWER are hydroelectric generation, based on the energy contained in flowing water, and thermal generation, based on the production of steam. Thermal generation may be conventional, using COAL and PETROLEUM products, or nuclear, using URANIUM in thermonuclear fission (see NUCLEAR ENERGY). Canada is abundantly supplied with most of the resources from which electric power can be generated, and Canadians are among the world's highest per capita producers and consumers of electricity.
Hydroelectric Plant No 6In the Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean region of Québec (courtesy Alcan Aluminum).
Solar EnergyMacLaren pulp and paper plant at Masson, Québec. Solar panels for pre-heating water (photo by Jim Merrithew). Canada's installed electrical generating capacity in 1994 was 114 gigawatts (GW = 109 watts): 56% derived from HYDROELECTRICITY, 18% from coal, 14% from nuclear power, 7% from oil, 4% from natural gas and 1% from other sources. Installed capacity is the amount of power that could be generated at a given instant if all power plants were working simultaneously at full capacity.
Actual production depends on the amount of time particular generators are running and on load (appliances, motors, etc) placed on the system. ELECTRIC UTILITIES build 10-25% extra capacity into their systems, above the expected maximum load, to serve as backup during emergencies and maintenance shutdowns. In 1994, total actual production in Canada was 533 508 GWh. Of this, 61% was hydroelectric, 19% nuclear, 15% coal, 3% natural gas, 1% oil and 1% other sources. The difference between the various sources' shares of capacity and production (ie, a higher proportional production from hydro and nuclear, lower from fossil fuels) reflects the economics of electric-power generation, and the pressures placed by CONSERVATION concerns on petroleum-based thermal development.
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