Developing and assessing climate change mitigation technologies

决策者需要评估能源技术，了解如何将新技术纳入现有能源系统，以便提供负担得起的能源，减少对环境的影响。由于缺乏评估能源技术的系统工具，企业家无法提供有竞争力和适当的能源解决方案，决策者也无法制定具有成本效益的合理政策。改进能源系统分析的必要性与改进技术的必要性一样紧迫。该研究项目将研究风力发电和油砂开采的成本和环境影响，这是加拿大增长最快的两种能源。油砂开采技术正在深入融入加拿大的能源系统。设施的建设、运营和最终退役将对加拿大的经济和环境产生巨大而复杂的影响。生产每桶石油所需的能源和水的数量以及二氧化碳的排放量不能简单地从运营数据中估算出来，因为这些数据不包括钢铁和天然气等投入的消费所产生的间接影响。本研究将使用生命周期分析，为分析每个生产阶段所需的投入、产出和环境影响提供系统方法。当二氧化碳排放受到严格限制以限制人为气候变化时，风力发电可以在全球能源供应中发挥重要作用。加拿大对风力发电的使用正在迅速增加。这项研究涉及两个方面的大规模风力发电，第一，电力系统建模设计成本效益的方式将大规模风力发电纳入现有电网;第二，评估风力涡轮机对当地和全球气候的直接影响。

Policymakers need to assess energy technologies and to understand how new technologies can be integrated into existing energy systems in order to provide affordable energy with reduced environmental impact. The lack of systematic tools for assessing energy technologies frustrates the ability of entrepreneurs to deliver competitive and appropriate energy solutions and of policymakers to construct sound cost-effective policy. The need for improved energy system analysis is as pressing as the need for improved technologies. This research project will study the cost and environmental impacts wind power and oil sands extraction, two of Canada's fastest growing energy sources. Oil sands extraction technologies are becoming deeply integrated into Canada's energy system. Construction, operation, and eventual retirement of facilities will have large and complex impacts on Canada's economy and environment. The amount of energy and water required per barrel of oil produced, and the amount of CO2 emitted, cannot be simply estimated from operational data because such data does not include the indirect impacts arising from the consumption of inputs such as steel and natural gas. This research will use life-cycle analysis to provide a systematic method for analyzing the required inputs, outputs and environmental impacts for each stage of production. Wind power could play a substantial role in global energy supply when CO2 emissions are strongly constrained in order to limit anthropogenic climatic change. Canada's use of wind power is increasing quickly. This research addresses two aspects of large-scale wind power, first, electricity system modeling to design cost effective ways of integrating large-scale wind power into existing electricity grids; and second, assessment of the direct impact of wind turbines on local and global climate.