According to Statistics Canada’s latest agricultural census, more and more Canadian farmers are producing renewable energy and using various technologies.

In fact, 22,576 farms in the country reported producing at least one form of renewable energy in 2021, accounting for 11.9% of farms, double the number from the previous census in 2016. The top forms of renewable energy produced were: Solar energy (7.7%). ), bioenergy (2.9%), geothermal energy (1.9%) and wind energy (1%). Solar power saw the biggest increase, rising from 4.5% to 7.7% in five years.

Six out of ten farms that reported using solar energy are located in Ontario or Alberta. Cattle farms, fattening farms, oilseed and grain farms are the main categories that claim to produce solar energy.

Bioenergy and geothermal are emerging technologies as they were not mentioned in the 2016 portrait. In Quebec, 1,588 farms reported producing bioenergy, which converts farm waste into energy, reducing waste in landfill and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This corresponds to 5.4% of all farms in the province. This is the highest rate of any province.

Overall, 75% of businesses that produce renewable energy use it to cover their own electricity and heating needs, which helps reduce energy costs.

use of technology

In terms of technology, more than half of farms in Canada used at least one technology in 2020. The most commonly used are: soil sampling testing, automated control systems, time-release fertilizers, and the application of variable-dose inputs. Larger farms tend to use more than smaller ones.