Category Archives: Alternative Energy

A study released yesterday by Ontario’s electricity authorities says wind power could represent nearly 20 per cent of the province’s power-generation capacity with little compromise to system. Continue reading →

It’s official: The glorious future of abundant free energy has been put on hold. In May, the Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO) announced that the province’s grid could not safely accommodate more than 900 megawatts of wind-power generation, a target that will be met late next year. Proposals for 3,000 more MW of production have been thrown into indefinite limbo at an estimated cost to producers of $6-billion; meanwhile, the province is already spending $1-billion to strengthen the transmission system so that even the 900-MW cap can be reached. Continue reading →

Out of the mist, a group of workers heads into a coal mine. But this isn’t any ordinary group of miners – the men and women are picture – perfect, their chiselled bodies glistening with sweat as they proceed to their swing tools. At the end of what turns out to be a television commercial for U.S. conglomerate General Electric, a voice-over proclaims: "Harnessing the power of coal is looking more beautiful every day."

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Last month, the Conservative government joined the long line of governments around the world subsidizing the production of wind power. Meanwhile, new information about wind power from Europe raises the spectre of unexpected blackout risks, high costs, unreliable production and even questionable environmental benefits.

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Tom Adams‘s oped on wind power (Blown Over, Feb. 22) tries to argue that wind energy raises the spectre of unexpected blackout risks, high costs, and unreliable production. Real world experience with wind energy does not support this view.

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The rush to promote biofuels such as ethanol and biodiesel is pushing up food prices and actually damaging the environment, a report from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development says.

Governments should stop subsidizing the current generation of biofuels − such as corn-based ethanol − and put more money into researching more advanced technologies, the report said.

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On the lush land along the north shore of Lake Erie and south shore of Lake Huron the fertile soil returns hundreds of tonnes of corn, barley and wheat, but lately a new kind of farm is sprouting up.

Canada has 77 wind farms but the Continue reading → Posted in Alternative Energy | Leave a comment Many opponents blowin' in the wind Posted on February 27, 2008 by energyprbe Canadian governments are getting on the wind-power bandwagon in a big way, but when it comes to building a wind turbine in the backyard – literally, in some cases – opposition quickly materializes, even among some environmentalists who say they support wind power. Bottom line – wind hasn’t yet caught on, and may not in the foreseeable future, to the degree that environmentalists originally hoped. Continue reading → Posted in Alternative Energy | Leave a comment The corn isn't green Posted on February 27, 2008 by energyprbe Alberta is an environmental pariah for its tar sands, which are just about the world’s worst emitters of greenhouse gases, but Alberta’s neighbours to the east – Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario – avidly promote a competing fuel with proportionately much greater emissions. The federal government also has been promoting this souped-up greenhouse gas generator, ironically touting it as a Future Fuel that can help meet the country’s Kyoto targets. But this competitor can only make matters worse. Continue reading → Posted in Alternative Energy | Leave a comment The Carbon Harvest Posted on February 13, 2008 by energyprbe (February 13, 2008) Global warming is the biggest threat that farmers face, and not because carbon dioxide threatens their crops — carbon dioxide is actually a boon to crops, and increases yields. Continue reading → Posted in Costs, Benefits and Risks, Energy Probe News, Renewables | Leave a comment ← Older posts Newer posts → Energy Probe Blog at WordPress.com. Subscribe Subscribed Energy Probe Join 149 other subscribers Sign me up Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now. Energy Probe Subscribe Subscribed Sign up Log in Report this content View site in Reader Manage subscriptions Collapse this bar   Loading Comments...   Write a Comment... Email (Required) Name (Required) Website