Energy Planning in a Conserver Society:
Parts I&II to the Royal Commission on Electric Power Planning.

Publisher:  Energy Probe, Toronto, Canada
Year Published:  1979  
Resource Type:  Article
Cx Number:  CX896

This brief presents for the first time a consistent alternative energy scenario for Ontario to the year 2025.

Abstract:  This brief presents for the first time a consistent alternative energy scenario for Ontario to the year 2025. The authors examine the present energy uses and supply of energy, and calculate the feasibility of arriving at a renewable energy base in fifty years. They examine each sector of society for the potential impact of conservation and the substitution of renewable energy technologies for fossil fuels. They calculate that at reasonable rates of penetration of conservation and alternative technologies, Ontario could derive 70 per cent of its energy requirement from renewable sources by 2025.

Part II of the brief outlines implementation strategies which would be needed to arrive at this goal. The strategies are carefully set in the context of Ontario legislation and practices, and the potential impact of specific programmes estimated. The programmes rely on market incentives, regulations, and supply policy.

The method of choosing a goal in the future and planning with a view to meeting that goal, flies in the face of traditional forecasting methods, and provides a framework for assessing the true potential of a concerted effort at reducing energy growth and implementing renewable energy.

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