Today’s energy systems and practices are clearly not sustainable. They are wasteful of Canada’s abundant natural resources, they produce many forms of pollution which adversely affects public health and damages the environment, and they often leave a negative long-term legacy for future generations. We must develop pathways that will provide society with better environmental, economic, and social opportunities in the future.
At Sustainable Energy Carleton, sustainable energy principles and practices apply to all energy resources – fossil fuels, renewables, nuclear energy, energy transportation and transmission, and all energy end-use applications in buildings, transportation, and industry. The benefits from implementation of sustainable energy systems will come at a cost, at least initially. Policies will be needed to support renewable technologies to compete against conventional fuels. However, as innovative technologies mature and develop, their costs are expected to come down, enabling them to be more competitive with conventional fuels.
