Canada's Energy Future?

[the caracal kid]

don't get me wrong reverend. i am not defending the use of fossil fuels at all. I would love to see an end to the burning of anything. Especially when you think of all the other ways we use oil i can just imagine one day when it is all used up people questioning dumbfoundedly why we just "burned it all away".

I want to put the environment first no matter what technology is used which is why i stress making sure new tech is safe before largescale adoption (because we know that once it is in place, it is not going to be dismantled).

My personal favorite energy solutions are those that do not lend themselves to mass adoption. Wonderful examples are some houses in the gulf islands that are zero-emmision and self contained.

What we really need (more than new energy sources) is a reduction in energy demand. I am for encouraging "desprawl" of the cities, getting people back on foot and bicycles, ect. We need to treat the entire issue and not just one end of it.

 

[Timetrvlr]

I deliberately left alternative energy sources out of the poll and used base sources. I did that because most alternative sources are sporadic. The wind doesn't blow all the time; the sun doesn't always shine, so we need base sources that can come on line or go off line fairly quickly to balance the load.

I'm like most of you, I want to see a wide variety of alternative energy generators built as soon as possible and assuming an ever larger portion of the load. The more we build, the faster we will see cost reductions and the sooner we will know what long term consequences will be. I'd like to see a wide variety of alternative energy generators competing with each other for our energy needs.

I'm from BC where most of our electrical generation is from hydro dams. In the years past, we have flooded vast remote areas to build these dams. Looking back, we can see the environmental consequences of our dam building. I still believe hydro generation is a viable option, but we must do it in such a way as to greatly lessen our environmental impact. It can be done.

The Fraser river runs south through the middle of our province to meet the sea in Vancouver. For much of it's course, it loses elevation quickly. There is a tremendous amount of kinetic energy here that we can exploit with minimal impact on the fishery and the environment. I propose that we divert some of the river flow into diversion tunnels and then let it fall through turbines back into the river. This system is currently used at Niagra Falls by Candian and American hydro generators, so we know it will work.

Another run-of-the-river generator envisions a string of helical tubines immersed in the free-flowing river; each string running a generator. See Gorlov Turbines. This article includes some photos, drawings, and charts as well as information on existing installations. I think Professor Gorlov is on to something. He also envisions a large "farm" of these turbines anchored off Florida in the Gulf Stream to capture a tiny fraction of that tremendous power. See NRDC On Earth

 

[no1important]

RE: Canada's Energy Futur

PM's farm plan requires renewable fuels in gas

A teaser:

Appealing to workers involved in food production across Canada, Liberal Leader Paul Martin outlined Tuesday his party's plan to support the agriculture sector by handing millions of dollars to farmers.

Many of the details included in the announcement are not new, but were introduced by the Liberal government before it fell on Nov. 28.

What was new, however, was a promise to develop a National Renewable Fuels Standard. It would require a minimum five per cent mix of renewable fuels in gasoline and diesel by 2010.

The plan is intended to reduce emissions, but would also increase the demand for agricultural products like corn and other grains used to make renewable fuels like ethanol, and open new opportunities for the nation's farmers. [/teaser]

I know Mohawk Gas stations have used ethonal for quite a while.

 

[gd]

I think the rev has a point, you can't put all your eggs in one basket.

 

[Paranoid Dot Calm]

I think you should of had the option of voting for an 'Ex-Wife".

My Ex had ....

All the power that any court could offer.

Calm

 

[zenfisher]

This is the kind of thinking that is needed. http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/253336_cowpower24.html

 

[Timetrvlr]

You are right about that! A lot of people and cities are looking at methane production from bio resources. Several cities are harvesting methane from their landfills and sewage plants.

The truth of it is, we are all surrounded by energy sources, we just have to learn how to harvest them! For example; I live in central BC at the junction of two rivers. We don't have dairies to harvest methane but we do have an abundance of fast-flowing water and we are surrounded by forests. In fact, our major industry is forest products.

The sawmills produce enourmous quantities of sawdust and wood waste. At one time, all that wood waste was simply burned in beehive burners that left a pall of smoke and fly-ash over everything. Now it is used in a modern, pollution-free generating facility to produce electricity that is sold to BC Hydro. Some of the sawdust also feeds a large plant that produces wood pellets for pellet stoves. The industry is now building two more pellet plants and have contracts to furnish pellets to German power plants.

We haven't got around to utilizing the water power yet but it is feasible using run-of-the-river generators that won't harm the fisheries or the environment.