What is the Canadian Engineering Grand Challenge Statement?

The challenge for affordable and sustainable energy is to sustain growing populations and ensure livelihood of future generations, where future energy systems will be clean, safe, reliable, affordable and accessible [1].

Status of the Challenge Globally

Access to energy across the world’s cities and communities is still not established. Many locations across the globe either lack energy access altogether or depend on unreliable systems that may be expensive or harmful to the environment.

Status of the Challenge in Canada

Economic Impact

Energy at its core is a tool, a valuable commodity that allows access to a multitude of conveniences. The production and consumption of energy plays a vital role on the Canadian economy. In 2020, 8.1% of the Canadian GDP was comprised of direct and indirect energy sales [7]. Furthermore, in 2020 more than 845,500 Canadians had the energy industry to thank for their employment [7].

Societal Impact

Canada needs energy. It allows for many conveniences and securities that would be otherwise inaccessible. In the summer, we use it to keep cool. In the winter, we depend on energy to heat our homes. Canadians consume more energy per-capita than any other country in the world and consumes about five times the energy of the national average [1]. Despite this, as of July 2022, more than 280 communities and 200,000 people in Canada are not connected to the North American electrical grid and natural gas pipeline systems and lack access to a safe, sustainable, and affordable supply [8]. These communities are largely in remote locations in Canada and rely on either diesel-fired generation, or smaller local electrical grids based on hydro or trucked in liquified natural gas [8]. All of these options are expensive and limit the reliability of access to energy. To overcome this, engineers need to come up with new ways to either connect these communities to the larger electrical grid or help them become more self-sustainable.

Environmental Impact

Energy, despite the prosperity it brings, has its drawbacks when it is fossil-fuel based. In 2021, 78% of global greenhouse gas emissions came from the production and consumption of energy, and this number is elevated to 81% in Canada [7]. There are numerous challenges in switching to a lower-carbon energy system; however, this presents Canada with the opportunity to become a global leader in developing and embracing innovative and sustainable technologies in the energy sector. Canada has committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 40-45% below 2005 levels by 2030 [8]. With this commitment, Canadian engineers have all the more incentive to pioneer new technologies to protect the environment.

Roadblocks to Success

Creating access to affordable and sustainable energy would not be considered one of the CEGC if it were a simple task. The size of Canada is a significant obstacle in delivering energy to all Canadians. Developing electrical infrastructure to span the entirety of Canada is currently a difficult and financially infeasible task. Some small communities in Canada are not accessible year-round or can only be accessed by plane on a regular basis. While access remains limited, it does not make logistical sense to connect these communities to the larger grid, and they will instead need improvements to their individual systems. Many of these remote locations also face harsher climate conditions, especially during the winter. Within isolated energy systems, renewable technologies such as solar power can be less rewarding as some communities have limited access to sunlight for much of the year. Lack of energy storage is another area in need of improvement in the push towards sustainable energy. Renewable electricity sources such as solar and wind power produce intermittent outputs based on the environmental conditions at the time. If a surge in production happens during a period of low power demand, a grid may need to sell its energy at a negative price to other jurisdictions.

Strategies to Meet 2030 Targets

To address the challenge of supplying safe, reliable, affordable, and accessible energy, Engineering Deans Canada have identified the following strategies [1]:

• Identifying and investing in high quality and promising energy technologies using rigorous and standardized metrics
• Funding research and development in promising energy technologies throughout the entire research and development chain, especially pilot scale and first-of-a- kind ventures
• Investing in cleaner methods of extracting, processing and utilizing hydrocarbon fuels, including reduced consumption of these fuels.
• Taking deliberate steps to make government aware of the identified challenges and offer cost-effective solutions/alternatives for government decisions and policies. For example, strongly advocate against urban sprawl.

[1] EDC-DDIC. (2022, May 6). Canadian Engineering Grand Challenges (2020-2030). Engineering Deans Canada. Retrieved February 23, 2023, from https://engineeringdeans.ca/en/canadian-engineering-grand-challenges-2020-2030-inspiring-action-to-improve-life-for-canadians-and-the-world/

[2] United Nations (2023). The 17 Goals, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Sustainable Development. Retrieved February 27, 2023, from https://sdgs.un.org/goals