This complex system models the dynamics of energy demand and consumption within the small, rural town of Uxbridge, ON. The town of Uxbridge, ON has a total population of approximately 21,500 individuals as of 2021. Within this town, there are an estimated total of 8,310 residential dwellings and 855 businesses, all of which consume various degrees of energy from various sources on the daily.
The inflow of energy, which is stored in Uxbridge's energy grid of available and generated energy (the stock), comes from various means of fuel sources consisting of nuclear, gas, hydro, wind, solar, and biofuel power plants. The energy these sources generate is utilized as a source of power for the residences and businesses of Uxbridge, ON.
The outflow of energy from Uxbridge's energy grid provides both the residents and businesses of Uxbridge, ON with the energy that they will consume. The demand and thus, total energy consumed by both divisions is dependent on two main variables, those being, the average number of households and/or businesses, and the average electricity consumption for both. There is also the contribution of energy to residents from their own micro-environments, specifically in the form of wind and solar power, which is utilized as a means to reduce the town's dependence on its energy grid and move toward implementing a more sustainable energy system. In such, one can describe the outflow of energy as that which is provided from Uxbridge's energy grid and consumed by residences and businesses in Uxbridge, ON.
If the demand outweighs the supply, there will not be enough energy generated and therefore, there will not be enough energy available to meet the needs of the town. In opposition, if the supply outweighs the demand, there will be enough energy generated and therefore, be available to meet the needs of the town. It is important to note trends within the data that display and suggest if there is a greater supply or demand for energy within the town, and how this relationship changes throughout various times of the day.
Note: The amount of energy available that is provided by the various fuel sources, and the consumption by the residences and business of the town can fluctuate and differ throughout different hours of the day. As some sources' generation of energy, such as solar power, are dependent on the degree of available sunlight, the numbers utilized in this model are based off of daily averages but are subject to change. Therefore, the numbers of this graph should not be considered to be accurate for all hours of the day.
All data used within this model was obtained from the various sources on the internet. The data used within the model is based off of estimate values. Data pertaining to energy information, residential home numbers, and business numbers for Uxbridge, ON was obtained from the following source(s):
1. https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&SearchText=Uxbridge&DGUIDlist=2021A00053518029&GENDERlist=1,2,3&STATISTIClist=1&HEADERlist=0
2. https://www.uxbridge.ca/en/business-and-development/community-profile.aspx
Data for the amount of energy generated per hour in Ontario, as well as per the various fuel types and the energy they generate per hour in Ontario was obtained from the following source(s):
3. https://live.gridwatch.ca/home-page.html
