Research Brief
Biofuels in Canada 2019: Tracking biofuel consumption, feedstocks and avoided greenhouse gas emissions
April, 2019
Summary
Navius Research has released the 2019 edition of the “Biofuels in Canada” report. This report uses public data to catalogue the volume of transportation biofuels consumed in each Canadian province while estimating the impact of biofuel consumption on greenhouse gas emissions and transportation energy costs.
Highlights:
- Ethanol consumption has increased from roughly 1,700 million litres in 2010 to 3,047 million litres in 2017, accounting for 6.6% of the volume of fuel consumption in the gasoline pool.
- Renewable fuel consumption in the diesel pool was 702 million litres in 2017, accounting for 2.4% of the diesel fuel consumption volume.
- Annual avoided lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions resulting from biofuel consumption were 5.5 Mt/yr in 2017.
- On net, we estimate that biofuel consumption reduced fuel expenditures in Canada by 0.42% from 2010 through 2017, relative to a counterfactual scenario without biofuel consumption.
- Because of differences in fuel energy density and fuel costs, consumers in Canada have paid more taxes as a result of biofuel blending and consumption, relative to a counterfactual scenario without biofuels. These “additional” taxes have grown to $1.5 billion from 2010 through to the end of 2017.
Click the image above to download the report.
Click the image above to download the spreadsheet.
Download the report or the spreadsheet model.
This study was commissioned and funded by Advanced Biofuels Canada.
To learn more about this research, please contact Michael Wolinetz.
Other Publications
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Journal Articles
Melton, N., J. Axsen & S. Goldberg. 2017. Evaluating plug-in electric vehicle policies in the context of long-term greenhouse gas reduction goals: Comparing 10 Canadian provinces using the PEV policy report card. Energy Policy, 107, 381-393.
Bataille, C. & N. Melton. 2017. Energy efficiency and economic growth: A retrospective CGE analysis for Canada from 2002 to 2012. Energy Economics, 64, 118-130.
Wolinetz & Axsen. 2017. How policy can build the plug-in electric vehicle market: Insights from the REspondent-based Preference And Constraints (REPAC) model. Technological Forecasting and Social Change 117: 238-250.
Melton, N., J. Axsen & D. Sperling. 2016. Moving beyond alternative fuel hype to decarbonize transportation. Nature Energy, 1, 16013. Learn More ➥
Bataille, C., N. Melton & M. Jaccard. 2015. Policy uncertainty and diffusion of carbon capture and storage in an optimal region. Climate Policy, 15(5): 565-582.
Jaccard, M., N. Melton & J. Nyboer. 2011. Institutions and Processes for Scaling Up Renewables: Run-of-River Hydropower in British Columbia. Energy Policy, 39(7): 4042-4050.
Peters, J., C. Bataille, N. Rivers, & M. Jaccard. 2010. Taxing Emissions, Not Income: How to Moderate the Regional Impact of Federal Environment Policy. C.D. Howe Institute, 314: Toronto, ON.