Energy Sources
There are many different sources of energy, but they can all be divided into two categories:
- Renewable energy sources
- Non-renewable energy sources
Both can be used as primary energy sources to produce useful energy such as heat, or they can be used to produce secondary energy sources such as electricity. In Saskatchewan, commonly used non-renewable sources include coal and natural gas; common renewable sources include solar, geothermal, and wind. To learn more about energy sources, read our backgrounder.
Measuring Energy - The Watt
The watt is an instantaneous representation of the amount of energy being consumed or generated. For example, a 100-watt lightbulb consumes 100 watts at any given time. Because the watt is such a small unit of energy it is often expressed as a kilowatt (kW), which equals 1,000 watts, or a megawatt (MW), which equals 1,000,000 watts. The watt is further converted to the watt hour (kWh or MWh). The watt hour is how electricity is purchased and billed. It is a representation of the intensity of the energy as well as the duration it is used. For example, a 100-watt light bulb that is left on for 24 hours will consume 2,400-watt hours or 2.4 kilowatt hours of electricity (100 watts x 24 hours = 2.4 kwh).
Below is a table of different fuel types and how much energy each contains.
|
1 kilogram of dry wood |
5.3 |
kWh |
|
1 kilogram of coal |
8.1 |
kWh |
|
1 cubic metre of natural gas |
8.8 |
kWh |
|
1 litre of diesel |
10 |
kWh |
|
1 kilogram of Uranium 235 |
22.2 |
million kWh |
|
1 litre of gasoline |
8.9 |
kWh |
To put this into perspective, an average home uses roughly 1 kW of electricity at any given time and will consume 7,200 kWh of electricity per year. With the average home as a benchmark, the following table shows how City projects are reducing electricity consumption or, in the case of the Landfill Gas to Energy Facility, producing electricity:
|
Average Home |
7,200 kWh |
1 home |
|
WWTP energy savings |
5,000,000 kWh |
>700 homes |
|
Landfill Gas to Energy Facility |
7,800,000 kWh |
>1000 homes |
|
Potential Victoria Park Savings |
61,000 kWh |
> 8 homes |
|
Maple Leaf and Wascana Pool Savings* |
175,000 kWh |
>24 homes |
*Assumes 4 month operation
Energy Generation Variations
Not all power generation methods can produce continual power (or base load power as it is commonly known). This is one of the major drawbacks associated with solar technology. Solar panel efficiency and generating ability largely depends on factors such as the availability of sun light, the angle of the sunlight striking the panel, cloud cover and even the age of the solar panel. For this reason, 1MW of solar generating capability cannot be directly compared to other sources of electricity such as natural gas or hydroelectric generation.
1kW of natural gas generation capacity can produce 1kW of electricity at any moment as long as the system is operational. 1kW of solar generating capacity has the potential to generate 1kW of electricity when conditions are most favourable and the potential to generate zero kW of energy when conditions are worst.
Power consumption is measured as a quantity over a time and is often expressed in kilowatt hours. The kilowatt it the instantaneous measure of electrical intensity while the hour is how long it is consumed or generated. Although Regina is located in a region with high solar potential, the overall annual efficiency of solar panels is around 20%. To put this in perspective, 1MW of hydroelectric generating capacity can generate 8760 MWh of electricity while a 1MW solar panel will produce approximately 1752MWh.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions take many forms and result in significantly different effects on the environment. For example, methane released into the atmosphere is about 25 times more harmful than carbon dioxide (CO2) as a greenhouse gas. Different types of energy sources, such as natural gas or gasoline, produce different quantities of GHG emissions. As with energy, all emissions are converted to a common unit of CO2e or CO2 equivalent. If a vehicle consumes the average 1700L of gasoline per year it will emit approximately 3.75 tonnes CO2e into the atmosphere. The Landfill Gas to Energy Facility can remove approximately 30,000 tonnes of CO2e each year or the equivalent of emissions from 8,000 cars.
The following table provides a comparison of the GHG produced by selected energy sources and demonstrates the GHG impact per unit of energy. Electricity produces 0.65 CO2e per 1 kwh of energy, while natural gas produces only 0.23 CO2e per kwh of energy.
|
Fuel |
Unit |
GHG (kgCO2e) |
kgCO2e/KWh |
|
Gasoline |
1 L |
2.3 |
0.25 |
|
Diesel |
1 L |
2.7 |
0.27 |
|
Natural Gas |
1 m3 |
2.14 |
0.24 |
|
Electricity from SaskPower (2019) |
1 kWh |
0.65 |
0.65 |
|
Electricity from SaskPower (2020) |
1 kWh |
0.53 |
0.53 |
Our Carbon Footprint
The majority of our daily activities involve actions, materials, or energy resources that in some way contribute to the release of carbon and other harmful greenhouse gases (GHG) into the atmosphere. Unless absorbed through natural processes, this blanket of gases in the atmosphere traps heat and results in climate change.
Becoming sustainable requires us to reduce our use and consumption of GHG-emitting energy sources and to shift to renewable energy sources.
To calculate your individual carbon-producing activity, try one of the following carbon calculators.
