WaterPower Canada (WPC) is committed to getting the word about waterpower and its role in leading the charge to net zero.
This piece was featured in Mediaplanet’s Our Path to Net Zero campaign on September 20, 2024.
Today, the Canadian power supply is built of a foundation of clean hydroelectric. What about tomorrow?
When we talk about the clean energy transition in Canada, we spill a lot of words talking about solar and wind, but what about the other major renewable technology? You know, the one that’s already supplying over 60 per cent of the nation’s electricity.
Hydroelectric power is such a fundamental part of Canadian society that, in many parts of this country, it’s common to refer to all electricity with the word “hydro.” Literally, water. The hydroelectric power plants that keep our lights on are so reliable, so low-maintenance, so out-of-sight, that it’s easy to forget they exist. But, when we’re making plans for Canada’s green future, it’s imperative that we remember why we built them in the first place. “These facilities are Canadian-sourced, built with Canadian labour,” says Lorena Patterson, President and CEO of Waterpower Canada, the national waterpower trade association. “They are a cost-effective way to ensure a supply of clean, firm, and flexible power. And, if properly maintained, you can run those facilities for over 100 years.”
A hydropower project we begin building today will still be providing value to our great, great grandchildren. And that bit about firm generation is important too. One of the big stumbling blocks in the development of solar and wind is their intermittency. They only provide power when the wind is blowing and the sun is shining. When waterpower is added to the mix, the whole equation becomes a lot easier to balance.
“Hydro reservoirs provide firm generation, and provide long-term storage” explains Patterson. “Canada’s largest hydroelectric reservoirs store rainfall and snowmelt for the following winter, so that utilities can reliably meet the peak winter heating demands of their customers.”
“A pumped storage waterpower facility can also produce electricity to fill in the gaps when solar and wind production is not there to meet customers’ needs.”
Canada’s future depends on reliable clean energy solutions that are workable today. With the right capital investment and a streamlined regulatory framework, our established waterpower legacy can be a rising tide that enables our renewable future. It’s time once more to talk about water when we talk about “hydro.”