Billions needed for power system

mentalfloss

Prickly Curmudgeon Smiter
Jun 28, 2010
39,817
471
83
Billions needed for power system

Canada needs to invest $15 billion a year over the next 20 years to upgrade its electricity system, says the head of the Canadian Electricity Association.

But Pierre Guimond wouldn’t say exactly how much that massive investment is likely to cost consumers and businesses on their hydro bills.

Rising bills have been drawing anger from some consumers, and are being used by the Conservatives to attack the Liberals in the run-up to this fall’s provincial election.

Guimond insisted in a speech to the Economic Club of Canada that “electricity is still a bargain” at current prices.

But he warned that prices can’t stay where they are.

Investment in the power system has slowed significantly in the past 20 years, Guimond said. “During this time, government and the electricity industry shifted their attention to keeping electricity prices as low as possible for customers,” he said.

Now, equipment is wearing out and has to be replaced, he said, triggering the need for heavy investment.

Asked afterward how much consumers should expect to pay if investment ramps up, he replied, “I don’t know what the answer is to that question, but we should be paying for the most reliable, low-cost system that’s environmentally sound that we can afford.”

Ontario isn’t alone, he said. “Right across North America over the next two decades, we’ll be paying more for electricity.”

Ontario has already signalled that investment and prices are heading higher. Its long-term energy plan, released last year, projects investment of $87 billion over the next 20 years in the electricity system.

A typical monthly hydro bill of $114 in 2009 will be $218 by 2021, the province projects. (That’s the equivalent of $172 in today’s dollars, if inflation is factored out.)

The electricity association represents companies that generate and deliver electricity.

Guimond says cost increases are inevitable. “The cost of everything is much higher than when we first built the system,” he said. Transformers used to be built in North America, for example, and could be expected to last 40 years, he said. Now they’re built offshore.

“They don’t last as long as the ones we used to have, and they cost a lot more,” he said.
Guimond says he expects nuclear and hydro power to remain the workhorses of the power system.

Ontario is investing heavily in renewables such as solar, wind and gas made from plant waste. But Guimond said it’s still difficult to integrate big volumes of renewable power into the system, since it can be highly variable, and often is produced when it’s least needed.

“There’s a technical dimension to this,” he said. “The Europeans are struggling with it, the Americans are struggling with the same issues.”


Billions needed for power system, lobbyist says - thestar.com
 

mentalfloss

Prickly Curmudgeon Smiter
Jun 28, 2010
39,817
471
83
Yes, I agree.

The money we could save from spending on those stupid jets, would be better off as an investment into our energy infrastructure.
 

petros

The Central Scrutinizer
Nov 21, 2008
117,414
14,307
113
Low Earth Orbit
If everyone unplugged their TV we could go another 50 years before needing to add anymore KWH and it it would really ease up on the system we already have.

Say no to wasted energy. Say no to TV.
 

Just the Facts

House Member
Oct 15, 2004
4,162
43
48
SW Ontario
So filling my house with those mercury infested bulbs didn't make the difference? I'm upset.

It's just the pocket liners priming us for tax hikes. I heard a similar panic alarm about Toronto's sewer and water system the other day as well. The woman said with a straight face how many hundred billion we'll need to make the repairs, "more or less", and of course, it will need to be outsourced to private companies, because "they have the expertise".

Welcome to Canada, third world corruption.
 

mentalfloss

Prickly Curmudgeon Smiter
Jun 28, 2010
39,817
471
83
Ontario's electricity system is undergoing a major transformation. Much of the electricity transmission infrastructure is old and in need of refurbishing, most of the nuclear capacity is nearing the end its lifetime and Ontario has made a laudable commitment to shut down its coal-fired power plants.

It is easy (and overly simplistic) to blame the Green Energy Act for higher electricity prices, as is happening all too often in Ontario. The truth is electricity prices are increasing all across North America, largely due to the simple fact that we are building new power plants and relying less on those built decades ago.

Ontario's electricity prices will increase with or without green energy | Pembina Institute
 

petros

The Central Scrutinizer
Nov 21, 2008
117,414
14,307
113
Low Earth Orbit
They want to run cable TV and telephone, innernet and a myriad of other items of the power grid and they want YOU to pay for it.

SUCKERS!!!
 

mentalfloss

Prickly Curmudgeon Smiter
Jun 28, 2010
39,817
471
83
They want to run cable TV and telephone, innernet and a myriad of other items of the power grid and they want YOU to pay for it.

SUCKERS!!!

Not so.. Feed-in tariffs are really taking off in Germany, and their energy infrastructure is miles ahead of ours. And their citizens are actually the ones getting paid - there are no tax subsidies involved.

In 2008, a detailed analysis by the European Commission concluded that "well-adapted feed-in tariff regimes are generally the most efficient and effective support schemes for promoting renewable electricity".[9] This conclusion has been supported by a number of recent analyses, including by the International Energy Agency,[10][11] the European Federation for Renewable Energy,[12] as well as by Deutsche Bank.[13]


It's so popular, that they're thinking of bringing feed-in tariffs to Alberta as well:

YouTube - Paul Gipe - How feed-in tariffs fueled the global renewable energy revolution
 

petros

The Central Scrutinizer
Nov 21, 2008
117,414
14,307
113
Low Earth Orbit
SaskPower already has this. For several years now.

Smartgrid is completely different....GE | Plug Into the Smart Grid

If you want to watch the sundial and figure out if it's cheap to make toast or not because industry or pigs want to sell your toast power to make more porn in Las Vegas to make more money is insanity.
 

mentalfloss

Prickly Curmudgeon Smiter
Jun 28, 2010
39,817
471
83
If you want to watch the sundial and figure out if it's cheap to make toast or not because industry or pigs want to sell your toast power to make more porn in Las Vegas to make more money is insanity.

what?
 

petros

The Central Scrutinizer
Nov 21, 2008
117,414
14,307
113
Low Earth Orbit
Varying power rates. The Smartgrid you want to buy can shut off your dryer or stove if a customer needs power and is willing to pay more than you. It also has "time of day" usage rates. So if you have to watch the clock to save money making toast or doing laundry then by all means let go for it but keep it in you own province.

Canada doesn't have an energy problem or a grid problem or peak use problems.
 

mentalfloss

Prickly Curmudgeon Smiter
Jun 28, 2010
39,817
471
83
Varying power rates. The Smartgrid you want to buy can shut off your dryer or stove if a customer needs power and is willing to pay more than you. It also has "time of day" usage rates. So if you have to watch the clock to save money making toast or doing laundry then by all means let go for it but keep it in you own province.

Canada doesn't have an energy problem or a grid problem or peak use problems.

That's a great idea, but it doesn't mean we don't have an energy problem.
 

mentalfloss

Prickly Curmudgeon Smiter
Jun 28, 2010
39,817
471
83
Good news.. hopefully this a trend that catches on with other building owners..


TDSB lifts ban on cellphones; inks deal for solar roofs

The Toronto District School Board has voted to allow students to use cellphones and other gadgets in schools, ending a ban on personal electronic devices.

In a statement released early Thursday morning, the board said individual teachers will have final say on permitting cellphone use in classrooms starting in September.

Students will be allowed to use their phones, PDAs and other tech gadgets outside classrooms as long as they don't distract from school activities.

The TDSB also said it signed a deal to install solar panels on school rooftops as part of a plan to lower building maintenance costs and provide green energy to buildings. AMP Solar will install the panels on the roofs of up to 450 schools no cost to the board, the TDSB said in a statement. The board will share some of the revenue created by the solar roofs while

More details on the solar panel deal are expected to be released at 11 a.m. on Thursday.

CTV Toronto - TDSB lifts ban on cellphones; inks deal for solar roofs - CTV News