Economic and technical feasibility assessment of decarbonizing British Columbia’s building, transport and industrial sectors with electrification and power-to-gas transitions

This project investigates substitution of fossil fuels with electricity from renewable sources for the purpose of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in British Columbia. Burning natural gas, gasoline, diesel and other petroleum products heats our buildings, drives out cars, and powers our industries. Electricity generated from hydro, wind, and solar power can provide those same services, but producing sufficient electricity from variable sources at the right time remains challenging. Converting electricity to gases like hydrogen or methane can be cost-effective to store electricity and deliver energy using gas infrastructure. This project will use mathematical modelling to determine costs, locations, operation and types of power plants, transmission lines, and gas production facilities needed to achieve significant greenhouse gas emission reductions by the year 2050.

Faculty Supervisor:

Andrew Rowe;Peter Wild

Student:

Kevin Palmer-Wilson;Tamara Knittel

Partner:

FortisBC

Discipline:

Engineering - mechanical

Sector:

Energy

University:

University of Victoria