Energy and Voting With Your Dollars

Global Warming is on every channel and is the new buzz word wherever you turn.  When looking for answers to Global Warming issues we must look at our use of electricity and where it comes from.  Are we doing all we can and what are the best choices when looking for energy sources in our Province, our Country and in our own back yard?

Where does your power come from and why does it matter?

There is an increasing awareness of energy issues, though most of us are unclear about what the issues are. The nuclear lobbyists would have you believe that their solution is the CLEAN solution. Provincial parliamentary opposition will have you know that Dalton has failed to remove coal from the energy mix. There must be more to the Ontario energy challenge than political rhetoric and sexy marketing. I think it comes down to good, better, and best solutions. There is a growing body of researchers and experts who are posing questions and providing viable solutions to Ontario’s energy challenges.

Renewable is Doable

I reviewed the recently released Pembina Institute study Renewable is Doable, (available for download at http://www.renewableisdoable.ca). Pembina compares the OPA’s, Ontario Power Authority’s, energy plan with two other options, a soft green plan and a deep green plan. It uses the OPA’s own assumptions and information to build the alternative case studies. In the end it asserts that a heavily weighted renewable energy plan will be less expensive that the current plan which is heavily focussed on nuclear power. Pembina’s plan is less expensive to build, implement and manage, and it follows a logical easily understood path to a prosperous and future friendly Ontario.

Increasing Demand in Ontario – OPA says Nuclear is the answer:

Ontario’s energy needs are increasing as the economy and population booms. The OPA forecasts that it will continue to grow at double the rate it grew in the 1990’s. The OPA plan relies heavily on Nuclear to meet this growing demand. According to Renewable is Doable ‘the Pickering nuclear facility experienced a modest 40% cost overrun, and the Darlington facility was built with 11 billion in additional investment beyond the budgeted 4 Billion’. Many of our tax dollars and hydro costs are being allocated to paying off retired debt from these overruns. What alarms me is that Ontario is considering continued investment in Nuclear, with the knowledge that historically Nuclear has been a fiscal failure for Ontarians. Pembina’s proposition is that Ontario seek a smarter approach to energy production and conservation, leveraging existing, proven technologies such as Wind Solar and Hydro, while proceeding with already allocated Nuclear contracts.

What Does Renewable Really Mean:

Fuel is subject to the same market forces that affect any product. As demand rises, prices rise, and, as supply diminishes, prices rise. Coal, Oil, Natural Gas, and Uranium have been rising in cost steadily over time. With the human population on the planet exploding demand is increasing because more people need energy. Concurrently, limited resource supplies are diminishing fuelling escalating prices. In contrast the sun will continue to shine for free, the wind will continue to blow for free, and water will continue to flow for free. Renewable means that there is no limited resource expenditure.

What Do You Choose?

Coal: is a hot button issue for Ontarians because we are recognising the impacts to health and the environment as a result of burning this dirty fuel. Respiratory issues coupled with erratic and unusual weather patterns are fuelling Ontarians’ interest in the removal of Coal from the energy mix. The OPA’s plan removes coal from the mix by 2017 and Pembina asserts a target of 2012 is absolutely possible.
Nuclear: is a complicated and technical technology for energy production. According to Chrise Burda, Ontario Policy Director at Pembina “it has proven itself expensive, unreliable, and outdated; in fact the OPA’s plan has Ontario building I higher concentration of nuclear capacity in Ontario than anywhere else in the world.”
Wind and Solar: energies have become the new standard in Europe. Germany installs twice the solar resources each year than the OPA has projected for Ontario by 2027. The fuel is free and the economic viability is proven abroad and here in Ontario. I stand in awe at the regressive course that the OPA has set for Ontario.

Where is the Charm of an Antique Energy System?

Cerise Burda asserts that building Nuclear infrastructure is not only economically costly, it is old school. “Can you imagine investing in a 1960’s mainframe computer system when your alternative is to spend the same money on a vast network of powerful laptop computers?” According to Shawn-Partick Stensil at Greenpeace “There is 17,000 MW UNDER CONSTRUCTION in all jurisdictinos in the world.  Ontario plans to do 14,000 MW of nuclear construction (rebuild, new build) for 2025”.

Why Centralized Energy Distribution Costs More and is Less Reliable?

There is massive expense associated with the construction and maintenance of power line corridors. They allow the transmission of large quantities of energy produced in facilities far away from markets. The first downside of energy transmission over long distances is line loss, an average of 16% of the energy transmitted in Ontario is used-up pushing the energy to market. The second problem is that the power line corridors are subject to failure – it is similar to the 400 series highways, it is great when things are moving, but a single accident can bring everything to a grinding halt. When talking about power, that can mean that 100s of communities are kept in the dark, without heat, and without a backup plan.

What is Distributed Energy and Why it Makes Sense?

Distributed energy is a term used to describe a web of electricity transmission lines and production facilities. These networks are an interconnected series of smaller power generation facilities, and can even include individual energy production from residential wind and solar installations. One major reason to consider this method of energy production/distribution is that it leverages existing electricity infrastructure which will require minor upgrades to be sufficient to handle a distributed load, reducing the need for expensive power corridors, and avoiding line loss while increasing the reliability of energy supply. Both the Pembina Soft Green and Deep Green energy plans leverage smart distributed energy networks to deliver clean, efficient, and reliable energy to Ontarians.

The Bottom Line
Where would you rather live in 20 years? In a Canadian Province that has spent 10’s of billions on antiquated energy production that is unreliable, expensive to operate, maintain and fuel? The alternative is to choose an energy plan with smaller initial investment in capacity building that is paid off over time with savings from an unlimited supply of free power; fuelling economic prosperity and international competitiveness? After researching this article I can tell you that I don’t want to be dancing in the ballroom of the titanic when it goes down, but feel like I am already in the middle of the second course at the captains table.

Sidebar:
BullFrogPower.ca – voting with your dollars
OurPower.ca – Community based renewable energy projects.
VoteForCleanEnergy.ca
RenewableIsDoable.ca

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