ELECTRIC Blog

The world is entering the Age of Electricity, and the University of Calgary is well placed to respond. Building on our global reputation as a leader in energy, today we’re launching the Electricity Centre at the University of Calgary.

The Centre will help Canada meet the challenges and seize the opportunities ahead: from changes in the way we produce power, to how individuals and industries use it, to the societal and economic consequences of these shifts.

The global picture can be easy to miss. The International Energy Agency expects world electricity demand to grow 3.6% this year and 3.8% in 2027, rising from 28,600 terawatt hours (TWh) in 2025 to 30,700 TWh in 2027. That’s more than three Canadas’ worth of new demand added in just two years.

The importance of electricity in energy systems, in our economies, and in our daily lives is growing. In 2025, electricity provided 23% of final energy demand, up from roughly 16% in 2000. The share of useful energy is even higher, at nearly 40%, because of greater efficiencies in end-use electrical devices. And the central role of electricity in our economy is underscored by an even greater share of economic activity (46%) underpinned by electricity, pointing to its importance in high value-added sectors.

What’s driving it? Almost everything:

• Data centres and AI. Data centres are now the main driver of electricity demand growth in the United States and, closer to home, represent more than a doubling of Alberta’s peak demand in the queue. Of course, not all will be built, but the sheer scale of requests alone is telling. The ultimate role of AI, and demand for it, remains uncertain but one thing is clear: it has the potential to transform, and place enormous demands on, electricity systems.
• Transport. While the electrification of transportation remains tepid in North America, in China the share of new vehicle sales that were electric went from roughly 5% five years ago to over 65% in the most recent monthly data. Electricity used for EV charging jumped close to 57% in the first half of 2026 alone, displacing over 1.5 million barrels per day of oil. In Europe, nearly one in three new cars sold in the first half of 2026 was electric, up from one in ten just five years earlier.
• Heating, cooling, and industry. The growing adoption of air conditioning, in part due to rising global temperatures as well as rising incomes; the shift towards heat pump technology; and high-tech manufacturing are all pulling more power.

Underlying this demand growth are dramatic declines in technology costs. Over the past few decades, the prices of the core building blocks of the electric economy (batteries, solar cells, chips, power electronics, motors and sensors) have fallen by 97% or more. Electricity overtook oil as the world’s largest source of useful energy back in 2007, and the energy think tank Ember estimates that roughly three-quarters of final energy demand can now be electrified feasibly and economically.

In this new age, a reliable, affordable and clean electricity system is no longer just “nice to have”; it’s an economic advantage and a societal imperative. As more of daily life runs on electricity, keeping the lights on matters more than ever. Places that supply abundant, dependable, low-cost power will win the global race to attract the factories and investment needed for an electrified economy.

Canada starts from a position of strength. We have flexible hydro, critical minerals, abundant renewables potential, nuclear experience, and strong institutions. But we also face real challenges: a high latitude with strong seasonality, cold winters, and a grid that’s largely siloed along provincial lines. Canada trades more electricity with the U.S. than it does between its own provinces. Leveraging our strong starting point, and not being left behind, will require deliberate action.

The Role of University Research, and the Electricity Centre

Taking that action means finding new answers, building new skill sets, and implementing solutions. That’s where universities come in.

Many of the questions ahead sit at the frontier: 

• How do we connect massive new loads like data centres quickly without raising costs for everyone else? 
• How do we build the east-west transmission that could pair B.C.’s hydro with Alberta’s abundant wind and solar, across different market structures, permitting regimes, and provincial politics? 
• And how do we unlock demand flexibility from millions of homes and vehicles?

These questions require transdisciplinary answers with experts from engineering, business and economics, natural and social sciences, humanities, law, education, planning, and many more, as well as practitioners and policy makers working together.

UCalgary is well positioned to lead in this space, for two reasons:

1. We are already a recognized leader when it comes to energy. Calgary is Canada’s energy capital, and UCalgary has long been among the world’s most productive energy research institutions.
2. What makes UCalgary exceptional when it comes to electricity is its breadth of expertise. Power systems engineers, economists, energy scientists, policy and legal scholars, business researchers, environmental designers, and social scientists across campus are already working on electricity questions, often in parallel. The Electricity Centre formalizes and strengthens those connections.

The Centre will focus on three things:

• Transdisciplinary research that brings those diverse perspectives together on big questions, in partnership with industry and government.
• Training the next generation with the electricity knowledge this era demands.
• Outreach that helps decision-makers and the public navigate and make sense of the changes happening now and those still ahead.

Get Involved

The Age of Electricity isn’t a distant forecast. It’s already here. Whether you’re a researcher, a student, an industry partner, a policymaker, or simply curious about where our power system is heading and what it means for our everyday lives, we want to hear from you.

Join our mailing list and help Canada thrive in the Age of Electricity.