Americans using more fossil fuels
November 16, 2011
American energy use went back up in 2010 compared to 2009, when consumption was at a 12-year low.
New Way to Manage Energy in the Smart Grid
August 10, 2011
Researchers at the University of Southampton use smart computerized to save homes up to 16 per cent on their energy consumption.
Berkeley lab-led team works on storing CO2 underground to extract electricity
August 10, 2011
Geothermally heated CO2 could solve two problems — GHG emissions and energy consumption — with a single technology.
Moon power!
June 20, 2011
In a sense, tidal power is really just a way of harnessing the gravitational pull of the moon and the sun. Which basically makes all tidal power “moon power,” in the end. So let’s talk about moon power.
In Canada, all of our moon power occurs in the Bay of Fundy, where The Fundy Ocean Research Centre for Energy (FORCE) coordinates the province’s research on the subject. But the project does more than just research moon power: along with Natural Resources Canada’s (NRCan) CanmetENERGY organization, which is devoted to clean energy development, FORCE intends to demonstrate that moon power can have commercial applications. In fact, their newest project will have the potential to generate enough electricity to power 20,000 homes.
And moon power’s no pie in the sky project.
Built in the bay’s Minas Passage, the new facility will be implemented in three parts: first, a subsea cable in the summer of 2011; second, a Research and Visitors Centre in June 2011; and finally: the two turbines that power the facility in the summer of 2012. Then, it will use four submarine cables to deliver electricity to Nova Scotia’s power system. The project has already received $20 million in funding from Canada’s Clean Energy Fund.
Like a wind turbine, tidal turbines move as fluid passes through them, turning a generator that produces electricity. And, like wind turbines, tidal turbines come in a variety of shapes: even generators that look like snakes and kite-like creations. But it’s hardly the stuff of science fiction: NRCan has identified 190 moon power sites across the Canadian coasts, all of which have an estimated estimated capacity of 42,000 MW — more than 63 percent of the country’s annual total consumption!
For now, though, projects like CanmetENERGY and FORCE’s are mostly for research and demonstration. But if we can put a man on the moon, surely it won’t be long before we’ve got a little moon power too.
Study: China’s Energy Consumption to Level Off Within 20 Years
May 3, 2011
Study reflects the impact of energy efficiency on China’s energy future energy.
Coal – A World Resource
March 29, 2011
Coal is the world’s most abundant fossil fuel. It provides about 27 per cent of the world’s total energy, second only to oil. It also fuels about 41 per cent of the world’s electricity, more than any other energy source.
According to the Coal Association of Canada, the world’s coal reserves amount to 1,000 billion tonnes, with Canada holding about 10 billion tonnes of that. There is more energy in the world’s coal reserves than there is in its combined crude oil and natural gas. But what makes coal a truly world resource is that about 70 countries have recoverable reserves of coal.
And those that have it, use it!
Eight of the world’s top producers are in the top ten in terms of coal-fired electricity generation. Indonesia and Kazakhstan are the sixth and tenth largest producers of coal, and although most of their electricity generation is coal-fired, they are not ranked in the top ten.
Japan and South Korea are the fifth and tenth largest generators of coal-fired electricity, but Japan does not produce coal, and South Korea ranks 44th in coal production. Canada ranks 14th in coal production and 13th in coal fired generation.
The Energy Information Administration predicts that coal consumption will increase 56 per cent from 132 quadrillion British thermal units in 2007 to 206 quadrillion British thermal units in 2035.
Energy BOT Squad’s Newest Member
March 28, 2011
This week’s BOT is a blast from energy’s past, one of the oldest fuel sources we have (Canadians have been mining coal since 1685). Yes, CoalBOT has seen it all. But even if he is a fossil fuel, CoalBOT’s no dinosaur — he still provides about 11 per cent of Canada’s total energy consumption.
In Canada, coal is produced primarily in Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan. And while provinces like Quebec and BC generate most of their electricity using hydro power, Alberta and Saskatchewan are still large users of coal for electricity.
But CoalBOT doesn’t have an easy road ahead of him either. Ontario is aiming to phase out all its coal generation facilities by 2014, leaving just three years for coal in the province. And around the rest of the country, other, inefficient coal facilities will be shut down by 2025.
Even if the times are changing in Canada, though, it looks like CoalBOT’s sticking around for a while yet. Around the world, coal still provides over 40 per cent of the world’s electricity. Looks like you’ve got some energy left in you yet, CoalBOT.
Energy BOT Squad’s Newest Member
March 21, 2011
This week, we’re really going with the flow. HydroBOT, this week’s featured BOT, is powered by water, one of Canada’s oldest and most reliable sources of renewable electricity. In fact, hydropower is the largest source of electricity in Canada, beating out all other fossil fuels and nuclear power combined.
Because hydropower generates electricity using the movement of water, either in large dams (“storage hydro”) or smaller turbines installed in rivers (“run-of-river”), it produces no emissions. And for a country whose energy consumption rates among the highest in the world, that’s a very good thing, especially considering long-term trends in electricity — electric cars, anyone?
And that’s why HydroBOT is one BOT whose flow can’t be stopped. He’s too powerful! He’s too strong! He’s too… Canadian. Because, after all, we’re one of the largest producers of hydropower in the world: 13 per cent, in fact. Behold our 70,000 megawatts!
Navy: Full Steam Ahead on Great Green Fleet
March 10, 2011
Target shifts to net zero energy consumption on bases.
America’s Energy, Where It’s From and How It’s Used
January 14, 2011
Energy generation and consumption across the border.
