Develop an energy strategy that serves New Brunswick
July 31, 2009
What should come next now that Irving Oil has had to put a halt to a project that would have seen the creation of a new $8 billion refinery?
Full Story [Telegraph-Journal]
Friday Facts
July 31, 2009
Compressed at up to 100 times the pressure of the atmosphere, natural gas moves up to 40 kilometres per hour, which is approximately the speed of an Olympic runner. Natural gas travels from Alberta to Southern Ontario in about six days.
Source: CEPA Pipelines 101
Alberta set to benefit from finite cap on greenhouse gases
July 31, 2009
As Canada considers imposing a finite cap on GHG emissions, some environmentalists believe the tables will turn, since the days of Trudeau’s National Energy Program, to the favour of Alberta’s energy sector.
Travel tip: Hypermiling can help save gas
July 31, 2009
If the car is loaded, the trailer is hitched and the price of gas has hit the summer highs: it must be time for an epic summer road trip.
Think about adopting hypermiling techniques to cut fuel costs and help the environment.
Hyper-what?
Though it sounds like a new kind of Olympic sport, hypermiling is more about just laying off the gas. We introduced it last October as a phenomenon sweeping the eco-enthusiasts of the nation. Now hypermiling is hitting the news again, but this time, as something for everyone. It uses a whole trunk-load of strategies to maximize your engine’s efficiency and minimize the energy losses that occur when you brake and accelerate. Turn your lead foot into a green foot. Think less Mario Andretti, more Driving Miss Daisy.
Keep a consistent speed, avoid Fast and the Furious-style driving, speed-racing and photo-finish starts and stops and you’ll cruise to your destination on less. And turn off that cruise control when you’re going up a hill. Experts say that advanced hypermilers can attain the Gold Medal in fuel-economy by reaching levels comparable to hybrids and sometimes even better.
Other techniques include increasing your car’s tire pressure to at or near the maximum listed on the tire’s sidewall, which lowers its rolling resistance. This is controversial, but safe for drivers who know what they’re doing. The tires will last longer, run cooler, wear more evenly and save you fuel. And yes, you actually have to drive at or below the speed limit. Got the need for speed? Well as speeds double, the force needed quadruples. It takes four times as much engine power to move a car at 100 kph as it does at 50 kph.
So this summer’s Travel Tip: slow and steady wins the race. Coasting through your road trip will save you cash, which can otherwise be spent on ice cream and hotels with swimming pools.
Gas or electric?
July 30, 2009
Natural gas may be cleaner than electric but no matter how you plug it, you still need to watch your energy consumption.
Solar cooker
July 30, 2009
Summer’s here, which means easy livin’.
What makes summer so easy? Not just because it’s hot, but also because it’s barbecue season – which means far, far less dishes to clean. But can you barbecue without actually having a barbecue?
Yes, you can – provided you like projects. Solar cooking is gaining in popularity, and why not? It combines the delicious outdoor flavour of barbecuing with the environmentally-friendly aspect of zero emissions.
Some solar cookers are recognizably industrial-grade appliances – just like your BBQ. But where’s the fun in that? Planet Green shows how you can build your own with aluminum foil and an umbrella. Yes, an umbrella – what else were you using it for in the summer?
Sure, you also need some tools, as well as glue, a tripod and sunglasses. You also need time, steady hands and patience. That comes with the territory when you’re playing eco-MacGyver, and nobody could fail to be impressed with a homemade solar cooker.
Solar cooking, it’s worth noting, is different than barbecue and (especially) baking. Temperatures don’t get anywhere near as hot in a solar cooker; pizzas or anything you want browned aren’t really a good idea. But solar cooking doesn’t have to be about sacrifice.
There are some advantages. No air circulation and the relatively low temperatures are great for dishes you want to keep moist – and unburned. Think of solar cookers as outdoor crockpots. Just like crockpots, they work best over a long period of time, and produce tender, succulent flavours.
Plus, they look cool. Where can you go wrong?
Are G8′s moves on climate change enough?
July 30, 2009
Are the current reduction commitments of developed countries sufficient enough to stop the planet from increasing beyond the 2°C commitment established at this year’s G8? Here are some thoughts from David Suzuki and Faisal Moola.
Arctic tundra hotter, boosts global warming: expert
July 29, 2009
New research findings that reveal the tundra is giving off more nitrous oxide and methane than previously thought. Could this change the greenhouse gas “budget” for the North?
Solar power
July 29, 2009
Photo by Randy Montoya
You know the expression “the sky’s the limit.” With solar power, that’s literally true – and Canada has a lot of sky. It’s surprising, then, that Canada has been somewhat slow to embrace solar as a viable energy source.
There are positive signs this is changing.
Take Calgary – according to the Environment Canada, the country’s sunniest major metropolitan centre, at 333 days of sun per year. Until August 2008, residents who wished to install solar panels had to apply for development permits. That doesn’t sound too bad on the surface, but the permits cost $3,000 and approval took weeks. The lethal combination of extra cost and significant delay effectively killed not a few prospective solar projects.
Ending the permit requirement for solar panels happened concurrently with Alberta’s provincial government passing a new law. Alberta’s electrical utilities are now required to compensate customers for the surplus power they produce (from solar or any other source). Suddenly, Albertans – and especially Calgarians – found it cheaper, less time-consuming, and more rewarding to install solar panels.
That’s no mere drop in the bucket, and representative of the shifting mood and increasing opportunities for solar across the country.
As of late 2008, the solar power industry was growing annually by 30 to 40 per cent. This is a timely trend; experts say new technologies on the verge of being ready for the market are about to make solar power lighter, cheaper and more efficient.
Until fairly recently, solar powered electricity, or photovoltaic, was prohibitively expensive. It only made economic sense in remote locations where transmission and construction costs made hooking up to the grid a pricey proposition. Solar heating (also called solar thermal) was cheaper and thus much more widespread.
What makes solar power so expensive? In short, the necessary raw materials, and inefficient technology.
First, the raw materials. Whether photovoltaic or thermal, solar panels are primarily made of silicon. Silicon is costly stuff – or, at least, it used to be. A couple of years ago, The Economist famously predicted solar technology would remain expensive until the price of silicon falls. And lo, it has.
New Energy Finance, a London-based energy analysis and research firm, predicted silicon prices would fall over 70 per cent by 2015. That’s on top of the 40 per cent it fell from 2006 to 2008. This has real impact on the price of solar power. In the US, a one-watt solar cell cost $50 in 1980. It’s currently just under $3.
That would be impressive enough, even if “conventional” electricity remained cheap in Canada – but it’s not. Costs are rising across the board, just as solar is getting cheap. “Grid parity” (where solar costs the same per kilowatt hour as conventional electricity) is a term often used in green energy circles, most often in the form of misty-eyed dreaming. Suddenly, it’s just over the horizon – five years in some European markets, say experts. It’ll take longer in Canada, but if current trends continue, it will come just the same.
Second, technology. Until very recently, generating electricity from solar panels was extraordinarily inefficient. In 1984, a particular new solar energy system achieved a sunlight-to-energy efficiency rate of 29.4 per cent. In other words, more than 70 per cent of the solar heat collected was simply waste. That record rate stood for 24 years – an amazing span of time in the tech world.
In January 2008, that record finally fell. New Mexico-based Sandia National Laboratories tested its new Serial #3 solar dish, and achieved a 31.25 per cent conversion rate. While Sandia happily admits it was an extraordinarily bright and sunny day, the real story was the new solar panel design.
While the device defies quick verbal description, here’s a capsule summary. 82 mirrors are set up to create a dish shape, which has the effect of focusing the light into an intense, hot, beam. Ever watch kids fry ants with a magnifying glass? Same concept.
Electricity is generated by focusing the beam onto a receiver and engine, which is filled with hydrogen. The design is efficiency itself, as the mirrors transmit 94 per cent of the available sunlight to the engine. As the gas heats and cools, the pressure drives pistons, which drives a generator.
You might be wondering if that’s truly a big deal – we’re talking about less than two percentage points here. Well, those add up in a hurry. In a 2.5 hour test, the Sandia facility generated 26.75 kilowatts of juice. Two percentage points’ difference means half a kilowatt – or about the total energy generated by a small solar cell unit.
Improvements aren’t just coming from improvements on existing designs, though. Researchers at UC Santa Cruz have been developing a handful of techniques for nanotechnology solar cells. When tested, they delivered a higher-than-expected conversion rate. In the UK, a researcher is exploring ways to design hybrid solar cells – combining organic and inorganic conductors – which may allow for higher conversion rates.
What do these developments mean for Canada? After all, it’s a nation blessed with natural resources that already enjoys some of the world’s lowest energy costs. Canada has traditionally and continues to see solar as a contributor; part of the national energy puzzle, but not an overarching cure-all.
Currently, about 20 per cent of all Canadian energy use is residential. While installing solar cells can put a dent in energy bills, that’s about the limit. Under current costs replacing a typical furnace with a solar system would cost between $15,000 and $30,000. It would eventually pay for itself – eventually. Natural Resources Canada says a 100 per cent solar-powered home becomes a good investment after 30 to 40 years of continuous use.
That has created a vicious circle; Canadians have avoided solar because of high prices, and constant assurances that costs would and will eventually come down – so why pony up now for a system predicted to be soon obsolete?
It’s a reasonable concern. As such, Canada’s residential solar industry has concentrated on niches. First and foremost, water.
17 per cent of Canadian residential energy is consumed in the act of heating water. Nearly 10 per cent of Canadian homes have outdoor swimming pools. Heating an average-sized pool – even in the heat of summer – is actually more energy-intensive than heating a home in winter.
The solution? Solar panels, of course. It already heats about a tenth of the nation’s pools, and a modest $600 system makes a significant difference in energy consumption and bills. The reason is that solar heating is vastly more efficient than photovoltaic electricity.
It’s an exciting time for solar energy. The future’s so bright, it’s gotta wear shades.
Wednesday Words
July 29, 2009
Absorber | blackened surface in a collector that absorbs solar radiation and converts it to heat energy