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Energy is a major industry in Canada. Canada is lucky to have an abundant supply of fossil fuels, an unending supply of water, and the newest up-to-date technology for powering its vast expanse of land and citizens. Since Canada is so fortunate in the amount of power that is available, we tend to waste it quite a bit. Canadians are close to the largest per capita users (most power per person) in the world. Besides the energy that each citizen of Canada uses, there are many other ways to explain why Canada uses so much energy: Canada has northern climates, so heating is needed throughout almost the entire year. Communities in Canada are spread out over a large amount of land so transportation is used greatly. Our advanced industrial economy uses a great deal of energy.
Energy is produced by using fossil fuels, splitting atoms, or moving water to run a generator which creates power (electricity). Canada has separated their production of energy into three main categories. These ways of producing energy are:
Hydro-Electric (H2O) - produces power by
using moving water. This type of producing energy in Canada is mainly used
in the form of a dam, or in the older days, a waterwheel was used to power
the gears in the mills. Dams are usually placed where
Thermal-Electric - produces power by using expanding steam. This type
of producing energy in Canada uses burning fuel such as coal, oil, natural
gas, wood, and
Nuclear-Electric - produces power by using expanding steam. This way
of producing energy is very much the same as Thermal-Electric, except the
source of heat comes from the radioactive breakdown (fission) of uranium
atoms. The splitting atoms
Although these are the main ways of producing energy in Canada, there are
many other ways also. Other ways of creating energy are wind power,
geothermal power (using
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there is always lots
of water moving with force. The water is stored in a reservoir to make sure
there will always be enough water flowing. The water is run through a
turbine which turns the generators, creating energy. Then the water
continues traveling downstream. Hydro plants are cheap to operate but
costly to build. Plants produce no pollution because it uses a renewable
source. 
garbage to heat water. The heated water (steam) spins a turbine which
turns the generator, creating energy. Then the steam is cooled into water,
then heated to create more steam. Thermal Plants are usually the least
expensive plant to build but the costs for fuel are high. The resources
used for heating are nonrenewable and burning them produces greenhouse
gases which are very harmful to the environment. 
produce heat which boil the water creating steam. The steam moves through
the turbines, causing the generator to turn, creating energy. Transmission
and operating costs of Nuclear Plants are low, but construction costs are
very high. Since there is no burning fuels involved, there is no air
pollution but the radioactive materials are very hazardous to humans and
stay around for 100,000 years.
heat from the earth), solar power, and even wave
power. All of these ways of producing power have
renewable resources and definitely produce less pollution so why doesn't
Canada use them? The costs of constructing these different types is more
expensive than the amount of money that can be made selling the energy.