Science Literacy Week
Earth, Environment, & Energy Sciences
- Energy Research Strategy 2023More than 300 UCalgary scholars from a wide range of disciplines — engineering, biological sciences, chemistry, geoscience, geology, health sciences, public policy, social sciences — are conducting research to transform the energy landscape, for a cleaner, more efficient energy future.
Our scholars are balancing far-out and long-term research impacts with immediate and tangible deliverables, including solutions and technologies ready for field-scale applications. - Energy Sciences ConcentrationThe energy sciences concentration is a unique program that trains students in the science of development and use of sustainable fuels. The energy science concentration accomplishes this training with a solid grounding in basic physics and chemistry, an introductory course in energy systems, independent study courses, and a capstone, group project-based course.
- New EEE DepartmentThe new Department of Earth, Energy, and Environment is the first of its kind in Canada.
The Department of Geoscience name change heralds shift to broader focus, new courses and degree programs, and updated earth sciences curricula.
Spatial and Numeric Data Services: Energy
Alberta
- Alberta Energy PDF and interactive maps
- Alberta Energy Regulator Maps, Map Viewers, & Shapefiles
- includes wells and pipelines
Canada
- DMTI 2020 GasAndOilFacilities & Fields shapefiles download from SANDS file server
- National Energy Board
- Energy Information
- Exploring Canada's Energy Future: interactive tool
- Natural Resources Canada: Energy Use Statistics
- Canadian Wind Turbine Database
- Canada Power Outages Map: Data is updated site wide approximately every ten minutes.
Statistics Canada
- Statistics by subject: Energy
- Canadian Energy Information Portal
North America
- Natural Resources Canada
- North American Energy Maps
- PDF: refineries, LNG terminals, natural gas plants, power plants
- shapefiles: Open Government Portal
- North American Energy Maps
- North American Cooperation on Energy Information (NACEI)
International
- Global Electricity Map: Live CO2 emissions of electricity consumption; strong for Europe, less for North America
- Global Solar Atlas from the World Bank Group, a series of global, regional and country GIS data layers and maps; supporting the scale-up of solar power
- Global Wind Atlas: free web-based application developed to help identify potential high-wind areas for wind power generation
- Global Energy Monitor: includes downloadable data on coal, steel, oil & gas, wind, solar
- SUBAK Data Catalogue - A collection of climate and energy data resources
- Global Renewables Watch - A first-of-its-kind living atlas intended to map and measure all utility-scale solar and wind installations on Earth using artificial intelligence (AI) and satellite imagery, allowing users to evaluate clean energy transition progress and track trends over time. It also provides unique spatial data on land use trends to help achieve the dual aims of the environmental protection and increasing renewable energy capacity.
- Global Dam Tracker - A database of more than 35,000 dams with location, catchment, and attribute information
See also:
Digital Historical Maps: Geophysical
Digital Historical Maps: Water
Sustainable Buildings
Taylor Family Digital Library
In 2014, the TFDL received LEED Gold certification. One of the elements that contributed to the LEED Gold certification is the TFDL’s displacement ventilation system. Ventilation runs through the floor and is more energy-efficient than traditional heating systems.
Cenovus Spo'pi Solar House
In 2011, students from the Schulich School of Engineering, the Faculty of Environmental Design, and the Haskayne School of Business entered a project into the US Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon. The project was the only one from Canada, and placed tenth out of nineteen.
When originally built, the project had the name of Cenovus-Technological Residence Traditional Living, after the sponsor, Cenovus. The acronym (TRTL) is pronounced “turtle”, for the dome shape of the building; Piikani Chief Reg Crowshoe later gave it the name “Spo’pi,” the Blackfoot word for turtle. Cenovus donated the building to the university in 2012.
The building opened adjacent to the engineering complex on May 2, 2013. Spo’pi is a two-bedroom, 935-square metre house intended to provide alternative housing on First Nations. There are more than thirty solar panels on the roof, and overall the building generates more energy than it consumes. The space currently accommodates teaching and learning for solar energy and sustainability research.
Energy Environment. Experiential Learning (EEEL) Building
EEEL [Energy Environment Experiential Learning Building] has achieved the highest LEED certification ... and also won a 2011 Calgary Award for an educational institution with an “innovative environmental policy, project or activity, and in 2012, a Prairie Design Award of Merit, and a Society for College and University Planning Excellence in Architecture Honor. The building is also one of the most energy-efficient laboratory buildings in North America using 78% less energy than conventional buildings of the same type. Features include automatic lighting, solar collectors and solar shutters, cooling towers, and rainwater capture mixed with recycled process water for plumbing.