Canadian Energy System Management under Climate Change Conditions

Energy activities, as main cause of environmental and climate change issues, become the main concern of Canada for past decades. Robust and sustainable energy systems are essential to the prosperity of the regional, national and global economy. Energy systems consist of many components that are closely related to socio-economic development and resources conservation with multiple criteria and objectives. These components may be interrelated to each other and may present uncertain and dynamic features, associated with spatial heterogeneity, implying issues of system reliability and economic/environmental effects. Effective systems planning and policy-making support are desired for the long-term energy-environment management. In this study, eight representative regions in Canada with typical energy-related issues are identified and analyzed. A set of mathematical algorithms are integrated into the regional energy model framework to tackled uncertainties. Tradeoffs between environmental goals, economic benefits, and energy development in these regions can be reflected. Different scenarios involving greenhouse gas emission goals and renewable utilizations are analyzed, which can provide a sound basis for local governments' policy and strategy development in the future.