Energy intensities: an application for Canada

Abstract

There is an intimate connection between the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and energy supply (and energy consumption) which is a good indication of the level of economic development of a country. The GDP per capita is often used to measure the living standard of a country and measures of the total energy use are useful for addressing energy intensity issues. In order to measure the energy use, one of the most common tools is the ratio of energy supply and consumption to GDP. There are two types of energy intensities such as the total primary energy supply (TPES)/GDP and the total final energy consumption (TFEC)/GDP. These are useful tools in making comparisons for both energy and GDP projections for countries. This paper deals with these parameters and their usage and their effects on the country's economy. In addition, an application for Canada in terms of energy intensities for supply and consumption was done and, hence, the present situation and future projections for energy resources and energy intensities for Canada were presented. In order to attain accurate projections for the Canadian energy sector, new correlations were developed between the GDP, TPES, TFEC, TPES/GDP, TFC/GDP and the population of Canada.