Academic literature on the topic 'Renewable energy sources – Ontario – Toronto'

Oil refineries, producing a large variety of products, are considered as one of the main sources of air contaminants such as sulfur oxides (SOx), hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides (NOx), and carbon dioxide (CO2), which are primarily caused by fuel combustion. Gases emanated from the combustion of fuel in an oil refinery need to be reduced, as it poses an environmental hazard. Several strategies can be applied in order to mitigate emissions and meet environmental regulations. This study proposes a mathematical programming model to derive the optimal pollution control strategies for an oil refinery, considering various reduction options for multiple pollutants. The objective of this study is to help decision makers select the most economic pollution control strategy, while satisfying given emission reduction targets. The proposed model is tested on an industrial scale oil refinery sited in North Toronto, Ontario, Canada considering emissions of NOx, SOx, and CO2. In this analysis, the dispersion of these air pollutants is captured using a screening model (SCREEN3) and a non-steady state CALPUFF model based on topographical and meteorological conditions. This way, the impacts of geographic location on the concentration of pollutant emissions were examined in a realistic way. The numerical experiments showed that the optimal production and pollution control plans derived from the proposed optimization model can reduce NOx, SOx, and CO2 emission by up to 60% in exchange of up to 10.7% increase in cost. The results from the dispersion models verified that these optimal production and pollution control plans may achieve a significant reduction in pollutant emission in a large geographic area around the refinery site.

The Ontario Government passed the Ontario Green Energy and Green Economy Act in 2009. The Act promoted wind turbines and solar panels as a major component of the energy supply for the Province of Ontario as a replacement for coal-fired electricity generation plants. This article provides an economic assessment of the rationales that were offered for this policy, specifically, that the Act would help the Government of Ontario reduce the province’s reliance on fossil fuels, reduce carbon emissions, and stimulate the economy through the creation of jobs. The effects of the policy on the cost of electricity in the province are also considered. The analysis concludes that the Act will not reduce the Province of Ontario’s reliance on fossil fuels due to the inefficiency and unpredictability of wind turbines, ultimately leading to the need to use energy from more readily available sources of electricity such as gas. The need for fossil fuel backup also limits the potential to reduce the green house gas emissions. Keywords: Ontario Green Energy and Green Economy Act (2009); renewable energy; economic review

This article explores the Canadian province of Ontario's approach to environmental assessment and SEA to electricity issues, its efforts to adapt these processes to facilitate the rapid development of renewable energy sources, and the potential contributions that an SEA approach might have made to these efforts. The province's experience may carry useful lessons for other jurisdictions considering the interplay between environmental assessment processes and strategies designed to move energy systems in the direction of greater sustainability.

Buildings in Canada account for a significant amount of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and net zero energy building technology has been identified as part of the solution. This study presents a conceptual model identifying barriers to the adoption of net zero energy housing and tests it by administering a survey to 271 participants in a net zero energy housing demonstration project in Toronto, Canada. Using multivariate correlation and multi-linear regression analyses this study finds that of all the innovation adoption variables it was the construction and design quality that was the most significant contributor to the adoption of a net zero energy home by a potential home owner. This study found that the (a) extra cost compared to a conventional home, b) lack of knowledge about the technology associated with a net zero energy home or (c) not knowing someone who owned a net zero energy home were not significant barriers to accepting net zero energy homes. Our results suggest that policy-makers should promote the diffusion of net zero energy home technology by encouraging housing developers to include net zero energy homes in their collection of model homes, with an emphasis on quality design and construction. Furthermore, engaging in trust building initiatives such as education and knowledge about the technology, its related energy cost savings, and the environmental benefits would contribute to a greater acceptance of net zero energy homes.

A growing number of companies in the brewery industry have made commitments to measure and reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. However, many brewers, particularly craft brewers with relatively low rates of production, have not made such commitments. The purpose of this research was to investigate the challenges and benefits of measuring and reducing GHG emissions in the craft brewery industry. The research was conducted in Ontario, Canada, which has seen strong recent growth in the craft brewery industry. A case study and semi-structured interviews among Ontario Craft Brewers were conducted. The case study found that indirect (scope 3 GHGs under the WBCSD & WRI GHG Protocol) GHG sources accounted for 46.4% of total GHGs, with major sources from barley agriculture, malted barley transportation, and bottle production. Direct emissions (scope 1) accounted for only 14.9% of GHGs, while scope 2 emissions, comprised mainly of energy consumption, accounted for 38.7% of GHGs. The case study used case company primary data, and secondary data such as emission factors from external sources. The case study and interviews found that the main challenges in calculating brewery GHGs are secondary data availability, technical knowledge, and finances. The semi-structured interviews, which used prepared interview questions and probes to encourage follow-up answers, also found that the main benefits for Ontario breweries to measure their GHGs include sustainability marketing and preserving the environment. The interviews also found a poor understanding of carbon regulation among Ontario Craft Brewers, which is interesting considering that Ontario implemented a provincial cap and trade program in 2017.

Sustainability transitions research has emerged as one of the most influential approaches to conceptualizing the potential and practice of transformative system change to avoid climate catastrophe. Evolving from work on socio-technical systems via Geels’ multi-level perspective (MLP), this conceptual framework has contributed to understanding how complex systems in the contemporary world can be transformed. This paper contributes to the sustainability transitions literature in three main ways. First, the paper develops a conceptual framework focused on the urban property systems which regulate and support urban property, infrastructure and governance that are historically produced, are densely institutionalized, and through which public norms of property and governance are deeply embedded in and continually inscribed in urban space. Second, the paper suggests that urban property systems are continually and vigorously contested and demonstrate different modes of institutional change than those recognized by the existing sustainability transitions literature. Third, the paper illustrates the approach with a case study of the contested governance of property development in Toronto, Ontario, long one of the fastest growing cities in North America. The Toronto case suggests that institutions embedded in urban property systems are consequential and deserve more attention by those concerned with low-carbon transitions.

“Changing Atmosphere – Implications for Global Security”, Toronto 1988, attracted international attention to the dangers of the greenhouse effect. It focused attention on the need for cleaner primary energy sources and energy carriers. This implies not only greater efficiency and conservation but also a move away from high carbon content fuels. There will be increasing pressure on decision makers to take appropriate action in complex and difficult matters that will have profound political, social and economic implications. Hydrogen has an important role as an energy source in the short, medium and long term. Early applications of hydrogen include the enrichment of hydrogen-deficient oils and solid fuels, its role in the replacement of gasoline in urban vehicles, its use as an energy-storage medium for load-levelling, and for the transportation of large quantities of energy when other means are not available. In the long term it could become a principal world energy currency. In this role it is compatible with and complementary to electricity.

Household food waste has negative, and largely unnecessary, environmental, social and economic impacts. A better understanding of current household food waste disposal is needed to help develop and implement effective interventions to reduce food wasting. A four-season waste characterization study was undertaken with 200 single-family households across eight neighbourhoods in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The City of Toronto provides residents with a pay-as-you-throw (PAYT) waste program that includes a choice of four garbage cart sizes (Small [S], Medium [M], Large [L], Extra Large [XL]), with increasing annual user fees ($18.00–$411.00 CAD), as well as a green cart (organic waste) and blue cart (recycling). On average, each household disposed 4.22 kg/week of total food waste, 69.90% of which was disposed in the green cart, and disposal increased significantly (p = 0.03) by garbage cart size to L but not XL garbage carts. Of this total, 61.78% consisted of avoidable food waste, annually valued at $630.00–$847.00 CAD/household. Toronto’s PAYT waste program has been effective at diverting food waste into the green cart but not at reducing its generation. Higher median incomes were positively correlated, while higher neighbourhood dwelling and population density were negatively correlated, with total and avoidable food waste disposal. Regression analyses explained 40–67% of the variance in total avoidable food waste disposal. Higher supermarket density and distance to healthier food outlets were associated with more, while dwelling density was related to less, total and avoidable food waste disposal. Distance to fast food restaurants and less healthy food outlet density were both negatively associated with avoidable food waste disposal in the garbage and green cart, respectively. Avoidable food waste reduction interventions could include increasing garbage cart fees, weight-based PAYT, or messaging to households on the monetary value of avoidable food waste, and working with food retailers to improve how households shop for their food.

Resilient operation of medium/large scale off-grid energy systems, which is a key challenge for energy crisis solutions, requires continuous and sustainable energy resources. Conventionally, micro energy grids (MEGs) are adopted to supply electricity and thermal energy simultaneously. Fossil-fired gensets, such as diesel generators, are indispensable components for off-grid MEGs due to the intermittent nature of renewable energy sources (RESs). However, fossil-fired gensets emit a significant amount of greenhouse gases (GHGs). Therefore, this study investigates an alternative source as an economical and environmental replacement for diesel gensets that can reduce GHG emissions and ensure system reliability. A MEG is developed in this paper to support a considerably large-scale electric and thermal demand at Ontario Tech University (UOIT). Different sizes of diesel gensets and RESs, such as solar, wind, hydro, and biomass, are combined in the MEG for off-grid applications. To evaluate diesel gensets’ competency, the diesel genset is substituted by an emission-free generation source named microreactor (MR). The fossil-fired MEG and MR-based MEG are optimized by an intelligent optimization technique, namely particle swarm optimization (PSO). The objective of the PSO is to minimize the net present cost (NPC). The simulation results show that MR-based MEG could be an excellent replacement for a diesel genset in terms of NPC and selected key performance indicators (KPIs). A comprehensive sensitivity analysis is also carried out to validate the simulation results.

Abstract The Laurentian Great Lakes system is a major global sink for plastic debris. An area of 10 m2 on each of sixty-six Great Lakes beaches was sampled for large micro-, meso- and macroplastic items. A total of 21 592 plastic items were collected and categorized. Pre-production plastic pellets were the most abundant debris type, accounting for 58.3% of the total count. The remaining 42.7% of the debris items are the focus of this study. Detailed, multi-step characterization was performed with the plastics being categorized using physical identification, known usage, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Values of 805.5 items m−2 at Baxter Beach in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada, and 688.1 items m−2 at Bronte Beach in Oakville, Ontario, Canada are the highest of all sampling locations. Sampling sites on only three beaches contained no plastic debris: Bay City in Michigan, U.S.A., Presque Isle State Park in Erie, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. and Pebble Beach in Marathon, Ontario, Canada. The plastic items sampled were mainly large microplastics (68.4% of total) with a total of 1477.5 items m−2, followed by mesoplastics (27.3% of total) with 598.8 items m−2, and macroplastics (4.3% of total) with 91.9 items m−2. By mass, the microplastic fraction accounted for 25.61 g m2 (14.1%), the mesoplastic for 47.06 g m2 (25.9%), and macroplastic for 109.3 g m2 (60.1%). A total of 3004 items were determined as specific polymers based on physical properties, known polymer usage, Resin Identification Code, and FTIR. A total of 1227 plastic items (40.8% of total) were identified as expanded polystyrene. The 49 most common items, excluding pellets, were scored using a matrix scoring technique to determine their potential general origin. It was determined that these items mostly originated from shoreline and urban sources, whereas pellets originated from the plastics industry.

Sustainable energy sources are urgently required, as traditional non-renewable energy sources are increasing in scarcity and subsequently in cost. Significant innovation and investment is required to incorporate newly developed sustainable energy technologies into the existing energy infrastructure network. This presentation will review how emerging sustainable technologies are interacting with existing energy infrastructure. Specifically it will review the existing electrical grid in Ontario, Canada, and the impact of sustainable technologies such as electric cars and distributed generation. When you are citing the document, use the following link http://essuir.sumdu.edu.ua/handle/123456789/31073

In the summer of 2007, a single neighbourhood in downtown Toronto contributed at least 13 percent of all residential grid???tie solar photovoltaic (PV) systems sold in the Canadian province of Ontario. On average, PV purchaser households produced 37 percent as much electricity as they consumed. This research investigates solar energy adoption in a community case study. Specifically, it investigates why some residents who sign up for a solar resource assessment through a community solar energy initiative (CSEI) decide to purchase, and others decide not to purchase in the short???term. Characteristics and perceptions of potential adopters are analyzed to better understand their motivations and barriers to adoption. Community energy projects became an official public policy goal in Ontario, with the passing of the Green Energy and Green Economy Act in 2009. Approximately 80 percent of Ontario???s anticipated generation capacity will need to be built, replaced or refurbished within 15 years. In this context, the Ontario Ministry of Energy, Ontario Power Authority, and Deloitte (one of Canada???s leading professional services firms), have partnered with a ???green benefit??? fund, the Community Power Fund, to help local community groups access resources to develop and establish renewable energy projects. Understanding solar energy adoption in a community context is therefore important to improve the effectiveness of such policies, including the disbursement of multi???million dollar grant funds. Differences between purchasers and non???purchasers in respect of adoption behaviour were found in this study to cluster around two general themes. The first theme concerns differences in compatibility of both the concept of solar energy systems, and their physical attributes, with characteristics of potential adopter households. Some compatibility issues are straightforward, e.g. availability of roof space with a southern orientation. Others are more complex, involving several interrelated perceptual and socio???demographic factors. For instance, while both purchasers and non???purchasers rated cost as a very important barrier, purchasers rated the motivation of solar energy systems to reduce climate change higher relative to the barrier of high financial costs than did non???purchasers. Purchasers were also more likely to possess a graduate degree, while non???purchasers were more likely to hold a professional degree. The second general theme relates to potential adopters??? trust and stake in the ability of the community???based initiative to reduce barriers in the adoption process. Since two types of solar energy systems are considered in the case study???PV and thermal (hot water)???differences are explored between each of three respondent groups: solar PV purchasers, solar hot water (SHW) purchasers, and non???purchasers. iv Surveys were used to gather data on adopter perceptions and characteristics. A participatory research design helped identify the research topic. Two main bodies of literature???community???based social marketing (CBSM) and diffusion of innovations theory???were drawn upon to conceptualize the adoption process and interpret the survey findings. These include five models of human behaviour that can be used to guide the design of CBSM campaigns. Diffusion theory was used as a basis for discussing ???perceived innovation attributes???. The study takes an integrated approach by considering both social and technical aspects of solar energy adoption, together with the issues of fuel substitution and household electricity demand.

Abstract Concerns about environmental degradation and finite natural resources necessitate cleaner sources of energy for use in the transportation sector. In Canada, natural gas is currently being appraised as a potential alternative fuel for use in vehicles for both medium and heavy-duty use due to its relatively lower costs compared to that of conventional fuels. The idea of compressed natural gas vehicles (CNGVs) is being mooted as inexpensive for fleet owners and especially because it will potentially significantly reduce harmful emissions into the environment. A short feasibility study was conducted to ascertain the potential for reduced emissions and savings opportunities presented by CNGVs in both medium and heavy-duty vehicles. The study which is discussed in the present paper was carried out on long-haul trucking and refuse trucks respectively. Emphasis was laid on individual vehicle operating economics and emissions reduction, and the identification of practical considerations for both the individual application and CNGVs as a whole. A financial analysis of the annual cost savings that is achievable when an individual diesel vehicle is replaced with a CNG vehicle was also presented. This paper drew substantial references from published case studies for relevant data on maintenance costs, fuel economy, range, and annual distance travelled. It relied on a summary report from Argonne National Laboratory’s GREET (Greenhouse Gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy Use in Transportation) [1] for its discussion on relative fuel efficiency penalties for heavy-duty CNGVs. The fuel cost figures were mostly drawn from motor fuel data of the Ontario Ministry of Transportation, since the Ministry is one of the few available sources of compressed natural gas fuel prices. Finally, the GHGenius life-cycle analysis tool [2] was employed to determine fuel-cycle emissions in Canada for comparison purposes. The study produced remarkable findings. Results showed that compared to diesel-fuelled vehicles, emissions in CNG heavy-and-medium-duty vehicles reduced by up to 8.7% (for well-to-pump) and 11.5% (for pump-to-wheels) respectively. Overall, the most beneficial use/application appeared to be long-haul trucking based on the long distances covered and higher fuel economy achieved (derived from economies of scale), while refuse trucks appeared to have relatively marginal annual savings. However, these annual savings are actually a conservative estimate which will ultimately be modified/determined by a number of factors that are likely to be predisposed in favour of natural gas vehicles. Significantly, the prospect of using renewable natural gas as fuel was found to be a factor for improving the value proposition of refuse trucks in particular, certainly from an emissions standpoint with a reduction of up to 100%, but speculatively from operational savings as well.