Exploring British Columbia’s Future Energy Options: A Sustainable Energy Plan for 2050

Overview of Activity

In * Exploring British Columbia’s Future Energy Options * this activity you will review the different renewable energy options available and reflect on their potential role in meeting future energy needs in British Columbia. This will require you to review each option and to carefully consider the relative advantages and disadvantages of each in relation to factors such as social acceptability, economic feasibility, environmental suitability and geographic availability. * The ideas below shows the main renewable options that are available to meet future needs * Solar energy, Wind energy, Tidal energy, Geothermal energy, Hydroelectricity energy, Biomass Energy. *Instructions Consider the different energy options and reflect on their suitability for meeting future energy needs of citizens living in British Columbia. Once you have explored the options through your own research you are required to develop a sustainable energy plan for the target year of 2050 outlining a mix of three renewable options that you have selected to meet the province’s future energy needs. Think about the compatibility of these options when making your selection and how they might each serve different types of energy demands. Make sure you also consider the feasibility of each source in relation to the region’s geography and select options that seem realizable based on current technologies. In your written report outlining your 2050 sustainable energy plan include the following: 1. A brief technical description of each of your selected energy options, including how it will be produced, generated and delivered to consumers. You should also consider the question of scale of provision here; for example, will energy be provided via solar panels or heat pumps for individual homes, via a larger installation connected to a grid or through a combination of both methods? 2. A summary of the proportion of energy each renewable source currently provides in the province compared to traditional energy sources and how much you anticipate it could provide in the future. The ultimate aim is to phase out fossil fuels entirely and replace them with your selected renewables, but this may not be feasible by 2050 so explain your goals and timeline clearly in your plan. 3. An explanation of the role that each of your selected energy sources will play in meeting B.C.’s energy demand and the justification for each of these selections in relation to their advantages in achieving sustainable energy goals. Refer to the points above here regarding possible social, economic, ecological, cultural or geographic assessment criteria. Address here also how the sources will complement each other in meeting consumers’ diverse needs for electricity, heat and transport demand. 4. A discussion of any potential disadvantages of each of your sources and your thoughts on how these limitations can be addressed. * You may include tables or diagrams where relevant. You should provide in-text citations (author et al., date or short title of website) and a reference list at the end of the document (e.g. APA-style). *Useful Resources Below are some useful resources about energy in Canada and British Columbia. If you use these or other sources, do not copy material directly and make sure that you add a short in-text citation (author, date or short website name) in the document and a longer reference in a list at the end of the document, with the title of the website or document, publication date or date accessed and weblink *Natural Resources Canada (Renewable Energy): https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/our-naturalresources/energy-sources-distribution/renewable-energy/7293 Government of British Columbia (Renewable Energy): https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/industry/electricity-alternative-energy/renewable-energy Energy in B.C. educational website: http://www.energybc.ca/ B.C. Sustainable Energy Association: https://www.bcsea.org/energy-info/clean-renewable-energy-british-columbia