Lorena Patterson
President & CEO, Waterpower Canada
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.”
WATERPOWER IS CANADA’S CLEAN ENERGY POWERHOUSE
Here for the long run:
The oldest operating hydropower facility
in Canada was commissioned in
1891
The lifetime of hydroelectric facilities can be extended indefinitely, so waterpower will be as much a part of Canada’s future as it has been of its past.
Canada is the
4th
largest
waterpower
producer
in the world
60%
of Canada’s electricity is provided by waterpower
AVAILABLE, RELIABLE WATERPOWER
FOR A NET-ZERO FUTURE
Hydroelectric resources are fast responding and flexible — allowing grid operators to reliably meet changing customer demands
Energy storage in hydropower reservoirs is Canada’s
big blue battery
which is essential to integrating increasing contributions from Canada’s abundant wind and solar energy
Canadian waterpower has one of the lowest
life cycle
greenhouse
gas emission
intensities of all
electricity sources.
CANADA IS AND WILL BE POWERED BY WATER
Turns intermittent wind and solar into reliable power
Adds flexibility for fixed base load nuclear
Provides long-term affordable power for generations to come
Help Waterpower Canada enable our net-zero future.
