Nuclear Power Station

According to two recent studies by Queen’s University, solar power production in SE Ontario could potentially yield as much energy as all US nuclear reactors combined. These findings may come as a shock to anyone not directly involved with solar energy, but in fact, the sun is itself an incalculably large nuclear reactor capable of producing vast amounts of continuous energy uninhibited. The solar energy potential that earth receives in just one minute rivals all the world’s nuclear power stations put together. The two Queen’s University studies explored how this potential may someday be turned into a reality.

The first study, led by Professor Joshua Pearce, concluded that if enough choice rooftops in Southeastern Ontario installed solar technology, the province could generate 5 gigwawatts of free energy - enough to power 5% of Ontario’s energy requirements. By contrast, “all the coal plants in all of Ontario produce just over 6 gigawatts,” according to Pearce. However, he is quick to note that the “sun doesn’t always shine,” suggesting that other renewable energy solutions would have to pick up the slack. With the addition of biomass, hydro, and wind, “southeastern Ontario could easily cover its own energy needs.”

The second analysis, also led by Pearce, focused on ground-mounted systems rather than rooftop installations. Their findings concluded that if SE Ontario utilized enough of its un-arable, uninhabitable land for solar farms, this would be sufficient to produce 90 gigawatts of clean and free energy from the sun.

Taken together, an aggressive rooftop and solar farm campaign could produce 95 gigawatts, or roughly 95% of the United States’ nuclear energy capability.

Ontario’s Solar Potential

The impetus behind these two studies was the perceived lack of hard numbers justifying Ontario’s solar enthusiasm. Various incentives and initiatives laid out by the Ontario Power Authority do little to disguise the province’s desire to be North America’s undisputed solar powerhouse. A region scarcely known for its solar radiation, Ontario rarely receives the attention of sunnier parts of North America like, California, Arizona, Texas, and New Mexico. However, the majority of Ontario’s population is at or below the latitude of the most successful solar nation in the world, Germany (Ottawa 45° N, Munich 48°N). In addition, the energy efficiency of solar photovoltaic technology is inversely proportional to temperature - as heat increases, efficiency decreases. Thus, cold sunny days in Ontario potentially yield more solar energy than hot sunny days in Arizona.

Ontario’s solar energy future looks increasingly promising as reports like Pearce’s and his students’ continue to provide demonstrable evidence of the technology’s untapped potential in the region.