In-Depth
No net-zero path without electrical pros – from the editor, Winter 2023

February 13, 2023 – The just-published 2022 Annual Report from Minister Steven Guilbeault’s Net-Zero Advisory Body contains 25 pieces of advice that, according to the authors, “will help strengthen net-zero governance in Canada, build the industrial policy that Canada needs to thrive in a clean economy, and transform our energy systems for a net-zero future”.

(Whenever net-zero falls into conversation, it is referring to net-zero emissions; specifically emissions created by humans. The greenhouse gases we emit must be balanced against our removal of GHGs; hence the “net”).

The advice in the report ranges anywhere from mandating that all executives in the federal public service take courses on climate change and net-zero, to having Canada join a carbon club, which brings together “like-minded countries who agree to set common green industrial policies and low-carbon requirements” for various industrial products.

In the context of electrical energy and energy efficiency, the report has lots of advice!

There is advice on the need to develop a pan-Canadian, net-zero grid, “much like the building of the trans-Canadian railway”, write the authors. And, of course, the report covers the transition toward zero-emission transport—in all its forms—under the section “Putting the transportation sector on the most likely pathways to net-zero by 2050”.

The Section “Putting the buildings sector on the most likely pathways to net-zero by 2050” contains the most advice, at 11 items!

Here is where we find advice on using “complementary policy tools to incentivize action in the buildings sector and reward success” or prioritizing the “transition of heating systems while ensuring the stability of the electrical grid”.

Follow this link to read the full report.

The main takeaway is this: whether it’s high-voltage or construction or maintenance, and whatever your electrical specialty, the net-zero path will require electrical professionals every step of the way.

— Anthony Capkun, acapkun@ebmag.com.

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