Resources for Teachers
February 15, 2012
The annual Calgary City and North East Teachers’ Conventions are on Thursday and Friday this week. The Centre for Energy’s cross-border energy map and information sheets will be available at the Cenovus Energy and Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers booths. Supplies of the map are limited, so early birds requesting this resource will get the map.
A copy of our textbook ‘Our Petroleum Challenge‘ will also be available to review at the booths. This book is an Alberta curriculum support resource for Career and Technologies Studies, Grades 7-12. Teachers, when you purchase copies online be sure to request the education discount at time of purchase. Enjoy the convention.
Wind in Mind
February 9, 2012
The European Wind Energy Association is hosting an international photography contest in the run-up to Global Wind Day (June 15). You can submit images until May 6 on the theme ‘Wind in Mind’. There are Amazon vouchers to be won and the winning image will be published. Read more on how to enter the competition.
Canada-wide Operating Practices for Hydraulic Fracturing Established
February 8, 2012
In an ongoing attempt to address concerns regarding hydraulic fracturing, the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers last week identified six operating practices for its natural gas member companies. The operating practices complement regulatory requirements and support the Guiding Principles for Hydraulic Fracturing that the Association published in September 2011.
CAPP is encouraging its members to:
- disclose fracturing fluid chemical additives
- assess and manage the environmental and health risks associated with fracturing fluids
- conduct ground water testing
- monitor and report on water source and reuse practices
- ensure wellbore design and construction integrity and
- manage the risks associated with moving, handling and storing fracturing fluids.
CAPP’s member companies produce more than 90 per cent of Canada’s natural gas and crude oil. Although fracturing is not new, recent focus on the activity has prompted the industry to establish consistent practices across the country. These operating practices, and the subsequent results of implementation, which will be reported to the public, are designed to ensure responsible resource development and protection of the country’s water resources.
Gener8 Edmonton Application Deadline This Week
February 7, 2012
Inside Education’s second youth conference (this one is in partnership with the City of Edmonton) is coming up. It aims to help Edmonton teachers and high school students understand the science and technology of energy development, use and conservation at school, home and in the community.
The format is interactive – with teams of four to six students, plus one teacher attending. There is no cost to attend and your meals, materials and transportation during the conference are included. Inside Education can even provide a substitute teacher subsidy (as necessary) of up to $225 for the 1.5 days. But you need to apply by February 10, 2012. So what are you waiting for? Get your team together today and apply online. Or if you have questions, contact Steve McIsaac or Karin Hedetniemi at Inside Education 780-421-1497.
C-Suite Stars
February 6, 2012
Awards were handed out at the annual Alberta Oil C-Suite Star Awards last week. Here are the winners.
Top CEO –Steve Snyder, TransAlta Corp
Top CFO – Art MacNichol, Progress Energy Resources Corp
Top Chief Legal Officer – David Robottom, Enbridge Inc
Top Information Officer – Allan Danroth, Capital Power Corp
Top Community/Government Relations Executive – Robert Spitzer, Apache Canada Ltd
Top Human Resources Executive – Rachel Moore, Savanna Energy Services Corp
Top Risk Management Executive – Neil Smith, Crescent Point Energy Corp.
PetroChina Takes Full Control of Alberta Oil Sands Project
January 3, 2012
By triggering the sale of the remaining 40 per cent of its joint venture agreement with Athabasca Oil Sands Corp., PetroChina will now own and operate the MacKay River Project.
BP Says Goodbye, Google and Buffet Say Hello
January 3, 2012
While BP steps away from the solar business, Google and Warren Buffet continue to invest.
Full Story [Energy Efficiency News]
A Myth Dispelled (Sort Of)
October 5, 2011
The problem with wind and solar power, so we’re led to believe, is that because both are dependent on weather conditions, neither is a “reliable” source of electricity. The big question has always been “What if there isn’t enough wind?”
But, do we ever ask “What if there is too much wind?”
High winds will cause wind turbines to automatically shut down, but what happens if wind speed is within operable parameters over a very large region for an extended period of time?
According to a recent Calgary Herald article, that’s what happened in Germany on July 24 this year. The country’s wind turbines generated so much electricity that some utilities paid consumers to use it.
And that’s happened more than 30 times this year. And not just in Germany.
With calls for increased renewable power, and more and more wind farms and solar parks being constructed, one can almost foresee a time when coal and gas-fired electricity form the peaking load and not the base load.
So what if the wind doesn’t blow and the sun doesn’t shine? With widespread distribution, that may be rare.
Home energy is heating up
September 23, 2011
When Flow talks about energy, we’re almost always talking about some variety of electricity or transportation fuel: the flashiest lights in Canadian energy. But heat is just as important (especially to citizens of a country with an international reputation for igloos and dog sleds), and, in fact, tends to be a byproduct of any kind of energy production. Tungsten resistors in non-CFL light bulbs produce heat, as do the most industrial processes and every fossil-fuelled vehicle on the planet. In fact, over 60 per cent of all energy produced is lost as so-called “waste heat.” But what if we could harness all that excess heat energy and turn it back into energy we can put to better use?
Making use of waste heat is exactly the problem chemists at Oregon State University (OSU) have been tackling, and it appears that a group of compounds called “skutterudites” might be the answer. Capable of absorbing huge amounts of heat in a very short amount of time (up to 1,800 degrees in just a few minutes), skutterudites could allow the widepsread use of thermoelectric power generation. And because the problem of waste heat is so common, the applications for thermoelectric power generation are nearly unlimited.
Still better is the news that the production cycle for creating skutterudites has been cut to a fraction of its former time — down to a two minutes from over three days. OSU researchers have created their particular variety of skutterudites using microwave technology with an indium cobalt antimonite compound.
So even if heat energy isn’t currently very flashy, its future around the world is definitely getting brighter.
You Think Canadian Gasoline Prices Are High?
May 19, 2011
Well, actually they are compared to what we’re used to paying, but compared to the rest of the world our gasoline is a bargain. And the reason isn’t that gasoline by itself is so expensive, it’s the taxes other countries put on gasoline. In fact throughout Europe, gasoline prices including tax are more than double the prices excluding tax.
On May 2, prices for gasoline excluding taxes ranged from a low of $0.95 per litre in the U.S. to a high of $1.02 in Italy. Taxes in the U.S. and Canada were $0.10 per litre and $0.39 per litre respectively, while taxes in Europe ranges from $0.88 in the U.K. to $1.40 in the Netherlands.
