1. Where does the data presented in the Canada Energy Dashboard come from?

The data presented in this dashboard are outputs from Navius Research’s in-house integrated energy-economy-electricity model (gTech-IESD).

This model is calibrated in a 2015 base year to a variety of historical data sources. Some key data sources include:

  • Natural Resources Canada’s Comprehensive Energy Use Database
  • Environment and Climate Change Canada’s National Inventory Report
  • Statistics Canada’s Annual Industrial Consumption of Energy Survey.

Between 2015 and the most recent year for which data is available, modeled emissions are also calibrated to align with historical trends. The ability of gTech-IESD to replicate historical trends improves confidence in projections moving forward.

See model documentation for more information on the model used to develop the scenario results presented in this dashboard. See Appendix A of the model documentation for more information on model calibration.

2. What can I used the Canada Energy Dashboard for? 

The Canadian Energy Dashboard can be used by anyone with an interest in Canada’s future energy-economy to understand the impacts of climate policy on Canada’s electricity system, emissions, energy consumption and production, technology adoption, and economy.

It can be used for a variety of purposes, including research, policymaking, business planning, education, and awareness.

Check out these Insights this data has been used to inform.

3. When was the Canada Energy Dashboard last updated? 

Navius’ gTech-IESD model is in use for a variety of clients across Canada and is kept up to date with the latest information about technology and fuel costs, economic trends, data releases, and policy announcements.

The data presented in this dashboard were last updated in May 2023.

4. How will the Canada Energy Dashboard be updated in the future?

Simulation of Canada’s future energy-economy is a moving target as new policies are regularly announced or legislated, as our understanding of technology availability and cost declines change, and as historical data that we calibrate to is updated. We plan to update data in the Canada Energy Dashboard annually as new information becomes available to regularly improve scenario estimates.

Future updates may include additional low carbon technologies including small modular nuclear reactors and flow batteries, additional policy scenarios such as the Government of Canada’s Emissions Reduction Plan, and the addition of data for the Canadian Territories and disaggregation of the Atlantic Provinces.

5. How do I navigate the Canada Energy Dashboard?

Step 1: Select a region by clicking on the map of Canada. Click on the maple leaf to see results for Canada as a whole.

Step 2 – Select legislated or net zero policy. Legislated policy allows you to explore where Canada is headed under currently legislated (as of January 2023) policy. Net zero policy allows you to explore different possible pathways for Canada to achieve its goal of a 40-45% reduction in emissions by 2030 and net zero emissions by 2050.

Step 3 – Adjust the technology, oil price and offset levers to explore the impacts of different cost outcomes for low carbon technologies, different levels of demand for Canadian oil, and different levels of availability of direct air capture or land-use offsets.

Step 4 – Select the Electricity, Energy & Emissions, Technology, and Economy tabs to explore results of the selected scenario. Data values for each figure can be seen by hovering your cursor over each figure. Individual fuels/sectors/technologies can be focused on by selecting the fuel/sector/technology of interest in the figure legend.

Step 5 – Download the data and model documentation by clicking on the download button at the bottom right of the dashboard. This allows you to analyze the data in more detail and read about the modeling, scenario design, and assumptions behind the data presented on the dashboard.

6. How do I compare data from one province to another?

When you click on a region from the map on the landing page of the Canada Energy Dashboard, data presented are for the selected region.

When done exploring data for that region, use the map at the top of the control panel on the left to explore another region. Data will update to reflect the corresponding region, which allows you to toggle between regions.

Data can also be downloaded in csv format by clicking on Download at the bottom of the dashboard.

7. How can I look at results on a specific sector, technology or fuel? 

The figures on the Canada Energy Dashboard default to showing results for all sectors/technologies/fuels available.

To explore a certain sector, technology, fuel or subgrouping, click on titles in the legend of the figure or graph you are interested in.

Hold your cursor over the portion of the figure you are interested in to see the data value for an individual sector, technology or fuel in a pop-up box.

8. Why is data on the territories unavailable? 

The scenarios currently presented on the Canada Energy Dashboard exclude the Canadian territories at present. Unlike the provinces, which have most electricity generation on one connected grid, the territories are not connected to the broader North American grid. Hourly load data at a territorial level is needed to calibrate gTech-IESD. We hope to include the territories in future iterations of the dashboard as data becomes publicly available.

9. Why can’t I view data for each Atlantic province? 

The four Atlantic provinces are represented separately in gTech-IESD and the model is calibrated accordingly. However, simulating scenarios out to 2050 in a fully integrated energy-economy-electricity model is complex and run times can be long.

The decision was made to aggregate the Atlantic provinces to improve run-time for the Canada Energy Dashboard, though we hope to disaggregate Atlantic Province data in future iterations of the dashboard.

10. How do I cite this data? 

Please cite “Navius Research. (2023). Canada Energy Dashboard. Available at: canadaenergydashboard.com”

For any questions on the Canada Energy Dashboard not answered here or in the model documentation, please reach out to [email protected]