Energy

Energy Consumption in the Yukon

Transportation accounts for most of Yukon's greenhouse gas emissions (62%) and space heating is the Yukon’s second largest source (18%). Learn more about solutions to reduce fossil fuel consumption from both sources below.

Key Issues

YCS works to promote the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in the territory by focusing on key areas of energy consumption, transportation and space heating. We also advocate and educate against the heavy use of fossil fuels and support the transition to renewable energy within the energy sector at large.

Transportation

Transportation is the Yukon's most energy-intensive sector. Transportation emissions come from a number of sources including:

• Individuals driving our vehicles

• Heavy trucks moving goods around the territory

• Aviation

As individuals, there are things we can do to help reduce emissions on all three fronts.

You can:

Space Heating

YCS's goal for this energy intensive sector is zero greenhouse gas emissions. Energy demand can be greatly reduced by strengthening building codes and retrofitting existing building stock. We can get the rest of the way by "fuel switching" to electricity or biomass to fully replace imported fossil fuels with local renewable energy for space heating.

Space heating is the Yukon’s second most energy-intensive sector. We must reduce our demand for heat energy by improving insulation and building technology with the goal of Net Zero Energy buildings. Biomass and electric space heating including heat pumps, Electric Thermal Storage, and conventional baseboards can all replace fossil fuels for heating our buildings.

• Biomass will continue to be an important local fuel source for heat energy in the Yukon. We need to ensure that air quality and forest ecosystem health are maintained through maximum efficiency systems and sustainable harvest.

• Heat pumps move heat from cold places (the ground or outside air) into warmer places (inside your house). The technology is very similar to a refrigerator which takes heat from inside the cold fridge and moves it into the kitchen. Heat pumps use less energy than any other heat source but sometimes require a backup or secondary heat source for very cold days.

• Electric Thermal Storage (ETS) uses electricity at night to heat up bricks, then releases the heat through the day. This technology reduces peak demand on the electrical grid and thus helps reduce reliance on diesel generators to meet the peaks. Check out our ETS project below.

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Fossil Fuels

All phases of oil and gas production and consumption are bad for the environment. Exploration, drilling, fracking, processing, refining, liquefying, transporting and burning fossil fuels pollutes land, air and water, and emits climate destabilizing greenhouse gases. YCS opposes all new oil and gas development and instead promotes energy conservation and local renewable energy to displace fossil fuels. Key fossil fuel issues in the Yukon include the growing electrical load demand, preventing hydraulic fracturing (a.k.a fracking) and carbon pricing.

Key Issues:

• Yukon's electrical load is growing, and Yukon Energy feels that more fossil fuel generators are necessary to meet peak loads and for emergency situations. The Yukon Conservation Society has explored the situation in-depth and we recognize Yukon Energy's concern about providing reliable electricity in the case that one of the major hydro dams experiences a failure.

  • Unfortunately, Yukon Energy has decided that purchasing fossil fuel generators is the only solution to this challenge. Our research at YCS indicates that rather than purchasing generators with a 40-year lifespan, Yukon Energy should rent diesel generators as an interim solution. With the rentals in place, an ambitious demand side management program should be implemented to reduce winter demand peaks, thus reducing the number of rental generators needed over time.

• Hydraulic fracturing or 'fracking' has never taken place in the Yukon and YCS is actively working to ensure it never does. The Select Committee on the Risks and Benefits of Hydraulic Fracturing (2013/2014) made a series of recommendations which, compounded with economic, climate and environmental realities mean that fracking is very unlikely ever to occur here. Since then, Yukon government has put a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing, however a permanent ban has not been implemented.

• YCS supports carbon pricing as a mechanism to reduce carbon emissions. Carbon pricing is consistent with the “polluter pays” principle and should be applied fairly, without exemptions for major emitters or certain industries.

  • We are happy to see carbon pricing being implemented across Canada, though we do have some concerns about the rebate design developed by Yukon government. We developed a position paper in 2017 and commented on Government of Yukon’s 2019 Carbon Price Rebate Framework, which both can be found in the Legislative Resources section below. Some key concerns include:

• All placer and some quartz mining operations will get a 100%, dollar-for-dollar rebate. This removes the incentive for them to reduce emissions.

• Charities and non-profit organizations are not eligible for a carbon rebate.

Renewables

YCS promotes low-impact and appropriately-located renewable energy projects distributed around the grid. These small-scale projects can be built incrementally to meet the demand as we replace fossil fuel heavy sectors such as space heating and transportation with local renewable energy. This will require a coordinated plan between government, utilities, and the public to help facilitate the urgent transition away from oil and gas.

All forms of energy generation have environmental and social impacts, so conserving energy is always preferable to generating more. When we must generate more electricity, YCS supports renewable sources that minimize local environmental impacts and maximize social benefits for Yukon communities. Yukon’s electrical grid is isolated from the rest of North America so this presents unique challenges for electrical generation and storage. All but 5 of 18 Yukon communities are connected to the electrical grid. Most of our energy (93%) comes from hydro (four projects) and wind (one project), but since those figures were released in 2018 (Yukon’s Energy Context, Government of Yukon), solar is also growing across the territory. The rest of our energy (7%) comes from diesel and liquefied natural gas (LNG) to meet peak consumption and backup needs.

Resources:

• Yukon’s Energy Context, Government of Yukon

• Yukon Energy’s 10-year Renewable Energy Plan, Yukon Energy

• Wind Site Inventory, Yukon Energy

• Solar Site Inventory, Yukon Energy

• Hydro Expansion Study, Yukon Energy

• Seasonal Storage (Moon Lake), Yukon Energy

• Seasonal Storage (Southern Lakes), Yukon Energy

For more information and resources about renewables in Yukon, see our legislative resources page below.