Solar Wind Canada

Mother Earth: CO₂ (Carbon Dioxide) Emissions Reduction

Overview

The regional pattern of greenhouse gas emissions for 1998 is shown here. The map also shows regional emissions per capita, in terms of tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) per habitant in each region.

Greenhouse gases (GHG) produced as a result of human activity (automobiles, electricity generation, etc.) are gases in the atmosphere that facilitate the retention of the sun's energy contributing to global warming (climate change).

There are a number of naturally occurring GHG in our atmosphere which include water vapour (H₂O), carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N₂O). The major percentage volume of atmospheric gases are listed in the table below. Without the occurrence of GHG in our atmosphere, the average temperature would be approximately 30C lower than what we experience today making life nearly impossible on the earth's surface.

gas	% volume
nitrogen	78%
oxygen	21%
water	0-4%
argon	1%
CO₂	0.04%
neon	0.002%
N₂O	0.00003%
Average composition of the atmosphere up to an altitude of 25 km

The general concern is the relatively rapid increase in the concentration of GHG in the atmosphere as a result of human activity, mainly due to the burning of fossil fuels for the generation of energy. There are curently two opposing theories with respect to climate change : a) there is evidence of a slight warming of the planet, in particular during the 20th century which is an indication of climate change being experienced world-wide as a result of human activity; b) climate change is a natural occurrence having been cycling through climate change since the dawn of time. Whether or not human activity is the cause of climate change, one only needs to scan the horizon of major population centres such as the City of Toronto, and gaze upon the orange haze created by exhaust fumes of fossil fuel burning vehicles on a hot summer's day, and think about breathing that polluted air day in and day out. It just can't be good for you!

Reduction of GHG through RETS deployment

In general, the average emissions of CO₂ during the generation of 1KWh is approximately 1.52 lbs. based on the U.S. average. Therefore, given that the average Canadian home consumes 12,000KWh per year, the production of this energy using traditional fossil fuel sources will generate CO₂ emissions on the order of:

12,000KWh * 1.52 lbs. = 18,240 lbs. CO₂ or 9.12 tons

Although approximately 50% of the electricity generated in Ontario is from nuclear power plants, electricity generated from nuclear power does directly emit CO₂ in small amounts (34 grams/KWh), [1] and the nuclear fuel cycle does release CO₂ during mining, fuel enrichment and plant construction.

From an individual or small company's perspective, there are two actions that can help reduce the significant amount of GHG being generated by traditional electricity generation methods a) conserve electricity through a number of actions such as replacing lighting with low-energy bulbs, improve insulation, turning off lights, etc. b) deploy clean renewable energy technology solutions (RETS). The deployment of RETS offers the user two important advantages: a) reduction of the generation of GHG, and b) reduction on the dependence of energy generated from traditional energy generation methods (i.e. the grid).

A RETS deployment that is able to supply 50% of the energy needs can help reduce the production of GHG over the course of a year by approximately 4.6 tons! In addition to a RETS deployment, the application of a variety of energy conservation measures may reduce the GHG emission by as much as 5 tons annually!

Footnotes

In a case study in Germany, the Oko-Institute determined that 34 grams of CO₂ are emitted per generated kilowatt (KWh). Other international research studies show much higher figures (up to 60 grams of CO₂ per KWh).

References

Dr. Michael Pidwirny. "Atmospheric Composition". University of British Columbia Okanagan. March 07, 2006.
Louise Comeau. "Canada's carbon dioxide emissions take leap forward in 1996". Environment Canada. October 15, 1997.
Environment Canada. "Greenhouse Gases". Environment Canada. 2006-03-23.
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. "Kyoto Protocol". 16 February 2005.
Natural Resources Canada. "Atlas of Canada's regional pattern of greenhouse gas emissions for 1998". 2003-11-05.
Government of Canada. "One Tonne-Challenge - Take Action on Climate Change". 2006-03-24.
Schneider, S. H. "Global warming: are we entering the greenhouse century?". Vintage Books, New York. 1990.
Tamara S. Ledley, Eric T. Sundquist, Stephen E. Schwartz, Dorothy K. Hall, Jack D. Fellows, and Timothy L. Killeen. "Climate Change and Greenhouse Gases". EOS Vol. 80, No. 39, September 28, 1999, p. 453.
American Wind Energy Association. "Comparative Air Emissions of Wind and Other Fuels". 2006.