Clean energy solutions
In 2017, Site C proponents said the dam was required because British Columbia needed dispatchable electricity. According to those keen on the megaproject, low-cost wind and solar power could not…
energy
Renewables are the key to low emissions, but…
Proponents of hydroelectric dams love to talk about these as low-impact, clean energy. But many of the proponents expect to gain financially from construction of these megaprojects. To them, self-interest…
Monday Afternoon Links
Miscellaneous material to start your week. – Kevin Jiang reports on the results of the largest-ever study into the effects of COVID-19 vaccines – which concludes they’ve been extremely safe…
A caterpillar turning into a butterfly?
I write often about climate change and tend toward pessimism about humankind’s efforts to avoid disaster. But there are good stories that show progress. Will they be enough? Only if…
Wind vs nuclear energy
It must dishearten nuclear proponents when wind energy is shown to be a low-cost, quickly installed source of electricity.
Let’s End Gas Subsidies
For some strange reason countries like Canada keep giving tax money to ultra wealthy oil and gas companies even though they keep killing all life on the planet. Let’s stop…
Private power’s golden egg cracked in Manitoba
In late January, Manitoba Hydro CEO Jay Grewal said the utility would need new sources of electricity within five or six years. She reiterated a plan to meet new demand…
Energy politics in BC
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) reported that wind and solar accounted for 71 percent of U.S. electric-power capacity additions in 2022. 8.5 GW of wind power capacity was added…
Private power for the public = sweet deals for private capital
Private capital manager Axium Infrastructure Inc. now owns a large part of the Edwards Sanborn power facility. The company is familiar to those following private power companies that supply BC…
Everything else becomes moot
Climate scientists tell us to reduce and ultimately eliminate burning of fossil fuels, products that are the dominant cause of global warming. Worldwide, the oil and gas industry and its…
BC Hydro’s call for power is the wrong call
Energy-systems consultant Roger Bryenton wrote an open letter to Premier David Eby, BC Hydro CEO Chris O’Riley, and BCUC Chair Mark Jaccard. It is published here with permission.
For Site C promoters and enthusiasts
Climate change is one of the most pressing global issue in contemporary times, and dams play a substantial role in aggravating it by becoming feeding grounds for methane-producing microbes. In…
Wind Turbines & Birds, Ok; Gas & Birds, Not Ok
People opposed to a clean economy argue that birds get killed by wind turbines so therefore we shouldn’t build wind farms. Of course, those same people would argue that we…
The AESO Emergency Alert
Last night Alberta’s electric system operator (AESO) issued a province-wide emergency alert asking Albertans to immediately reduce their electricity use to minimize the potential for rotating outages across the province.…
Hawaiian Battery Better Than Coal
Hawaii just became an even better place to live thanks to cleaner air. The state recently decommissioned their coal power plant and replaced it with a much nicer looking battery…
Monday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material to start your week. – Maura Hohman discusses how the U.S. is going through one of its most severe waves of COVID-19 (with very little attention), while Henna…
How Heat Pumps Work
Despite the climate crisis some places (like Canada) are still building houses with fossil fuel based heating systems, and this needs to change. Gas companies and their planet-killing kin have…
You couldn’t stop solar if you wanted to stop solar
Worldwide solar energy capacity has been growing rapidly. In 2022, it was 150 times higher than in 2006 and more than double the level of 2018 when BC Hydro moved…
Solar Retaining Wall Goes Live in Switzerland
It might seem odd to put solar panels on the side of walls in a region with mountains, but that’s exactly what’s happening in Switzerland. One of the cantons in…
Let’s Mine Landfills for Profit
Extracting resources from under the ground is an expensive and environmentally harmful thing to do. It’s also political challenging in many places to open (or expand) new mining operations, the…