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 Hydro. With Manulife in 2018, Axium acquired 90% of Forrest Kerr, Volcano Creek, and McLymont Creek power generating facilities developed by AltaGas in northeast British Columbia.
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 supporters in governments and elsewhere plan for us to burn more…
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.
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 addition, dams fragment rivers and disrupt their natural flow, threatening the survival of aquatic fauna, especially migratory species. Dams are also culpable for disrupting the biogeochemical cycles of river ecosystems, thereby impacting their function and structure. Taking all the environmental impacts of dams into account, the apparent economic gain from them may not be worth it…
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 to discourage solar power systems. A tiny proportion of the utility’s accounts was feeding solar power to the grid, but BC Hydro worried about added customers embracing solar, particularly large consumers of electricity…
Methods of creating or capturing energy near demand points are gaining prominence and threatening the disruption of today’s giant utilities. A paper from Germany’s Karlsruhe Institute of Technology suggests millions of buildings can be energy self-sufficient with solar power, retrofitting, energy storage systems, and heat pumps. Many single family homes could abandon the electrical grid unless owners stayed connected to sell excess power to utilities.
Seattle based writer David Roberts reports on energy matters. Recently Roberts explored the variability of renewable energy. Opponents of wind and solar power rely on this subject to raise objections. Despite virtually all of the electricity generated by BC Hydro being dispatchable, the public utility has discouraged addition of variable renewable energy (VRE).
Over the years, clean renewable power costs have decreased steadily and efficiencies have improved. The British Columbia government and the main public utility offer few incentives for creation of energy near to points of consumption. Green electricity must displace fossil fuels but the NDP allows BC Hydro to maintain its near monopoly while it discourages local cooperatives seeking to create power for self-consumption. Provincial decision makers cling to business models rooted in the 1960s.
A pumped-storage hydroelectricity (PSH) facility moves water into a high-level reservoir during times of low demand, and then generates electricity by releasing water during times of high demand. Most storage occurs at night and most electricity is generated during the day. PSH is a proven method of energy storage with competitive round-trip efficiency and long life spans.
Despite false claims by organizations paid to promote false claims, clean renewable energy must replace fossil fuels. The only question is when. The inevitable is assured by crucial environmental, social and economic benefits…
On Twitter, Eudaimonia drew attention to a legal action involving the Province of British Columbia, BC Hydro and Conifex Timber Inc, a company that wants huge amounts of electricity for cryptocurrency mining. Eudaimonia sees this court case as a serious warning. If the 300 MW that Conifex wants is half of Site C’s capacity, he assumes BC Hydro is admitting the new dam may have capacity of 600 MW, not the 1,100 MW advertised.
Wind and solar are zero-carbon energy sources. When used to produce electricity, these renewables are less harmful to Earth’s climate than hydropower. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency published a lengthy Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks. It shatters the idea that hydropower is clean energy, free of greenhouse gas emissions…
Before British Columbia’s 2017 general election, a person who would be appointed to a senior position in John Horgan’s cabinet indicated that Site C would not be cancelled. He asked, “Would you eliminate 3,000 jobs?” Months of political theatre followed, directed by Horgan et all, until December 2017 when BC NDP removed all pretense that the megaproject was under review. It turns out the answer to the politician’s question should have been, “Cancel Site C and create more jobs throughout the province.”
Arguments claiming impracticability of wind and solar power integration in British Columbia never passed scrutiny. Elsewhere in the world, it has been happening rapidly. Days ago, BC NDP announced a new call for clean power. No important details were provided but it seems government will replicate the insider-friendly private power program favoured by BC Liberals. That resulted in commitments for power that lasted as long as 70 years at prices that have been multiples of market price. The province should not go that way again.
After implementation of efficiencies and conservation measures, the least destructive way to meet future energy needs may be local power generation from solar and wind sources…
The world’s long-duration energy storage installations in 2030 are projected to be 15 times the level of storage capacity at the end of 2021. These will facilitate a shift to renewable energy sources. Canada has zero interest in being a leader in this transition.
In 2016, a future NDP Cabinet Minister told me that cancelling Site C was unlikely. The person said, “Would you be prepared to eliminate 3,000 jobs?” In retrospect, I conclude the concern was less about lost employment than about who would lose the jobs.
Faced with energy market disruption, the European Union is proceeding with REPowerEU, a plan for conservation and production of clean energy. The EU knows that conservation is the cheapest, safest and cleanest option. It can reduce individual energy costs and add resilience to the economy. The same is true in North America. The European Union is putting into action what John Horgan’s NDP promised until elected in 2017,
Greed of the fossil fuel industry in 2022 will drive conversion to alternatives faster than anyone imagined was possible…
Hydrogen made from electrolysis of water powered by solar or wind could help humans survive beyond the 21st century. The elemental gas could store surplus renewables power and help decarbonize sectors such as long-distance air and road transport and manufacturing processes for steel, concrete and other carbon-intensive products. Hydrogen should have an important role but a revised policy framework is needed to free decarbonization options from the imperatives of private profit…
Some facts. Denmark’s healthcare system employs around 26,200 physicians, which translates to 4.38 doctors per 1,000 residents. A figure above…
Only the top thinkers, the best people money can buy are in on this, you say? And it's No Risk?…
No reason to get nervous. It's only speculation, an estimate, a rumour. I’m sure there are many recovery plans, incredible…
Is there an Iron Law of Panic? MAGA patriots and NRA enthusiasts will just love this! https://www.rawstory.com/karoline-leavitts-stunning-admission-on-trump-war-plans-sends-shockwaves-unbelievable/ White House Press Secretary…
in-sights.ca 
My sole comment is, it should be in the building code that every new build house/condo, have a government approved…