An assessment of factors impacting Canadaʹs electricity sectorʹs GHG emissions

In this article we develop and then implement a decomposition model of Canadaʹs electricity sector in order to assess multiple factors impacting on trends in greenhouse gas emissions from the sector, with a focus on the impact of climate and energy policy on emissions for the time period spanning from 1990 to 2008. The analysis shows that during these years, the primary factors driving changes in emissions included changes in electricity demand, changes in the generation mix of electricity, and weather, but that government policy and programs had only minor impacts on emissions. Although having relatively lesser impacts compared to the aforementioned factors, the most significant policy related factors included efforts to increase renewables in the generation mix through programs such as renewable portfolio standards and incentives for wind generators.