Page 12 - Suncor 360 - October 2014
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FEATURE
OCTOBER 2014
360
‘Energy systems’ give
the big picture
People say no to fracking. No oil from the Middle East.
No oil sands. No nuclear. No coal. No wind turbines.
“Opinions are polarized around different energy across our facilities,” Fiona explains.
sources of energy, but we can’t keep taking “We evaluate different choices of fuel and
options off the table and still expect to get infrastructure, but most importantly, we
gas for our cars and heat for our homes,” look to shrink the size of our own energy
says Fiona Jones, GM sustainability.
system through energy efficiency.”
Getting gas, heat and other amenities from For example, a regional water plan for
energy relies on what’s called an energy Oil Sands reduces both water use and the
system. The term covers the interconnected energy required to treat water at the base
elements of technology and infrastructure plant by reusing water at Firebag. Waste
that transform sources of energy into energy in the upgrader is used to heat
useful services. Those services provide what water in the mine. Waste power from
we really want – access, convenience, our cogeneration facility is sold to the
comfort and enjoyment.
energy grid.
Systems are driven by demand, and A national energy system
because the energy system is connected,
We extend the same thinking we use in our
“If demand remains the same, you can’t
say ‘no’ to one aspect of the energy system own facilities to the North American energy
system. There, we are a dominant player,
without in effect saying ‘yes’ to something
else,” Fiona adds. “Sometimes, there are providing mobility, power, comfort,
convenience and safety.
unintended consequences.”
“Managing demand down through better
For example, when Germany recently took
nuclear power out of commission, the public transit or better urban design, for
example, could reduce the size of the
result was a big switch to coal-fired power.
Adding more renewable energy at a large energy system Canada and the U.S. need,”
Fiona explains. “The energy system reflects
scale can also mean changed land use and
construction, like wind farms, that aren’t the changes in society, and that may
transform our own role as well.”
always welcome.
The energy system within Suncor
That’s why we partner with organizations
like Quality Urban Energy Systems of
Suncor’s own operations make up a smaller Tomorrow (QUEST), which believes that
energy system within the larger global one.
urban planning and co-ordination are
essential to improve how cities consume
“We don’t think about our operations in
energy. We also support groups like
silos, but instead look at how we use
Pollution Probe that are looking at how to
