Getting Somewhere With Flying Fish

In Canada, transportation accounts for a full 36 per cent of our total greenhouse gas emissions. Cars, trucks, airplanes and freight trains — they all take Canadians and Canadian goods where they need to go, and almost all consume some form of refined petroleum, which is responsible for 49 per cent of Canada’s emissions.

But there are unconventional ideas on the horizon that could change the way we move around, from natural gas-powered vehicles to jet engines powered by garbage. But some of the future’s vehicles are bound to be weirder than others.

Take, for example, a flying fish being developed by Swiss scientists. Built to mimic the contraction of muscle tissue, this floating, fish-like dirigible would be capable of moving through the air without the aid of a propeller, or the heavy mechanical components of an engine. Quiet and manoeuvrable, it uses electrodes installed along the polymer that makes up the fish’s “skin” to attract one side to the other. The result: a gentle, swimming motion.

At the moment, the 8-metre prototype is only able to move at a slow walking speed, and there are serious real-world considerations of to be taken into account, like sudden winds or other inclement weather. But there’s definite potential in any design that can reduce air and noise pollution at the same time.

The trout-like airship also isn’t the only prototype to suggest an entirely different approach to motion in the vehicles we’re already used to seeing. Kinetic road plates are already being used to capture the impact of passing cars to generate electricity, and vehicles like smart bikes and so-called EcoCabs are adding human locomotion to the power of an electric engine.

While the world waits for its skies to fill with enormous airborne fish to carry us away, though,  Canadians already have a broad selection of fuel efficient cars to improve the way they get around. But now that you know that the future has flying fish in it,  it might be a little harder to get excited about excellent fuel mileage.

Would a trout have a higher km/l ratio than a salmon? Only the future will tell.

Image: IOP/EMPA

Toronto Hydro releases CR report

If you don’t know where you’re starting from, it’s hard to track your progress. This applies to pretty much everything – including, of course, reducing carbon emissions.

For the second year in a row, Toronto Hydro is making an effort to do just that by releasing a report on its operational greenhouse gas emissions. The Corporate Responsibility Report aims to establish a baseline, and set emission targets.

Using this report, they will be able to keep tabs on their progress in reducing their carbon footprint – until they reach their goal of carbon-neutrality. The report has been made with the city of Toronto’s Climate Change Action Plan in mind.

Toronto Hydro is also making it a priority to be mindful of the province’s Clean Energy Act. While their product (hydro-electricity, obviously) is considered a clean energy source, they are aware their operation is not 100 per cent clean. To be fair, few are.

The previous two years’ results show they have a good start. According to the report Toronto Hydro’s greenhouse gas emissions are already down by 2.7 per cent. The company’s total electricity consumed is down as well.

In addition to actually reducing these factors, Toronto Hydro is taking some more proactive steps. The company reported planting 10,000 native trees around the city, and supports local economic development. They invested some $500,000 in community initiatives.

Their vehicle fleet is already running on biodiesels, but they are also experimenting with natural gas-powered vehicles, electric vehicles, ethanol enhanced fuel, and anti-idling devices.

With initiatives like this, Ontario can fairly be said to be taking the lead in green energy and making strong headway in carbon-neutral operations.

One million smart meters installed

Milestones are important. 

They’re indications of progress, and a way of gauging the strength of social trends. So it’s very much a big deal that Hydro One and Hydro One Brampton recently announced they’ve installed 1,000,000 smart meters. 

Why is that a big deal?  Smart meters are incredibly effective energy savers. When used in a jurisdiction with time-of-use pricing, the financial incentive to shift some electricity usage to off-peak time has effectively reduced overall use. 

That’s why Ontario’s provincial government announced its intention to install smart meters in every home and small business in the province. That announcement was made in 2006. Do the math – that’s a rate of around 300,000 meters per year installed since then. 

Why the rush? Hydro One, the largest utility in the province, intends to adopt time-of-use pricing in 2010. That date still has a far-off sound to it, but it bears repeating that’s just next year. Time-of-use pricing is effective in reducing energy use, but only when customers have access to smart meters.

The rush will continue. Another 400,000 more Hydro One customers have made appointments to have smart meters installed. Once the province is effectively converted to the new technology, there will be a host of “spinoff” benefits. 

Smart meters will eliminate the need to estimate bills – on average, most meters are physically read only every two or three months, sometimes creating surprisingly large bills. 

Not having to read bills will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, as meter readers will no longer have to criss-cross the province. Ontario’s a big province. Those criss-crossing trips add up.   

Indeed, it seems smart meters are the smart choice for managing energy use.