EnergyBC

Alternative Energy Sources (more...)

Despite the large potential quantities of resources located off of BC’s coasts, fossil fuels such as oil and natural gas are non-renewable sources of energy. Their consumption also produces carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases which contribute to global warming. This has led to research for cleaner, more renewable alternative sources of energy. Among the most common forms of renewable energy are wind, solar, tidal and geothermal.

Alternative Energy and Energy Efficiency	- retrofitting older structures so that they are more energy efficient is not only good for the environment, but it also creates a large number of jobs
	- several alternate energy sources are already being exploited in Canada and the US including wind energy, solar energy and geothermal energy
	- BC, along with the UK and Norway, are also currently testing systems to harness tidal energy
*The Future*	- Canada's economy is such that it is extremely difficult to change over to alternate sources of energy
	- this change will likely happen slowly, and fossil fuels will probably still be the dominant source of energy in Canadian society until 2025 (NEB, 2004)

Are these alternate energy sources enough to meet the growing demand in BC and the rest of the country? Can the economy support these changes?

For further details and descriptions of some alternative energy sources, click here.