My Clean Break column today takes a look at “fugitive” emissions — typically methane — from the natural gas and oil sectors in Canada. I like to call them the industry’s dirty not-so-little secret, because when we think of fossil fuels we think mostly about the emissions that result from their combustion. But not as much, if any, public attention has been drawn to the unintentional (i.e. leaks) and intentional (i.e. venting) of methane at processing facilities and along pipeline infrastructure. Fugitive emissions from Canada’s oil and gas sectors in 2006 amounted to the equivalent of about 60 megatonnes of CO2, up 65 per cent since 1990. Surprisingly, this represents nearly 8 per cent of all greenhouse gas emissions in Canada. As you’ll read from the column, the biggest problem is a lack of regulation and ability to detect these emissions. Once that’s solved, often it’s just a matter of tightening a bolt.

It’s still a long shot, not technologically as much as politically, but more voices are beginning to speak out about the potential for geothermal heat and power generation in Alberta, a province that’s heavily dependent on coal and where the oil sands rely on clean gas to produce the dirtiest of liquid petro products.

The Pembina Institute came out with a report this month that explores the many ways Alberta could transition away from coal and toward more sustainable and cleaner forms of electricity generation. I was most impressed with the section on geothermal, given that in Canada there hasn’t been much interest in this renewable source of power, with the exception of yours truly and a dozen or so industry and academic folks who are trying to draw attention to this immense opportunity.

According to the Pembina report, “very little information has been gathered on the size of Alberta’s geothermal potential,” however “research data that is available shows that the potential is enormous.” (more…)

Ontario Power Generation, the province’s power utility, issued today a “call for expressions of interest” to potential suppliers of biomass fuel, which could include agricultural residues, dedicated non-food crops, and forest waste. Read the story here. The company said it wants to find out if there’s enough biomass in the province for it to convert several of its coal-fired generating units in Ontario so they can burn 100 per cent biomass instead of coal. They also want to get a sense of how it would be collected and delivered and how much all that would cost. To assist the effort, the Ministry of Natural Resources put out its own call for interest to see what companies would be interested in harvesting biofibre — tree branches and tops, diseased and fire-damaged trees, etc. — from sustainably managed crown forests.

I wrote about the government’s coal-to-biomass power generation strategy last fall and it appears to be gaining some momentum. It’s an ambitious project. Not just from a technical perspective, in terms of the actual plant conversion, but perhaps even more so from a logistical perspective. (more…)

I want to believe the Ontario government is serious about pursuing the electric car opportunity, and that the partnership announced yesterday with Better Place isn’t just a PR exercise — a classic case of greenwashing. There was no investment, by either the government or Better Place. All that was really announced is that the two sides will study what it will take to accelerate the manufacture and introduction of electric cars and deployment of the charging and “battery swap” infrastructure needed to support them. It’s a start, I suppose — which is exactly what Premier Dalton McGuinty emphasized. And sure, the education and demonstration centre Better Place plans to set up will be important as a tool to introduce the general public to the benefits of electric cars — to literally kick the tires. As McGuinty said: “One of the most important things we can do is demonstrate we are truly an electric-car friendly jurisdiction.”

Can’t disagree with that. (more…)

Seems the talks I reported on last summer between the Ontario government and Better Place have proven fruitful. Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty and auto industry officials, as well as Better Place’s Shai Agassi, will host a conference call/press conference at 10:30 a.m. (EST) in Toronto this morning to discuss a new partnership with Better Place. This adds Ontario to a list that includes Denmark, Israel, Australia and California.

Details to come, but for background here’s a story I wrote for the Toronto Star back in September.

UPDATE: A few bullet points from Better Place’s announcement…

• It appears to be a symbolic commitment. Very early days. No money has changed hands, though there has been handshakes.
• Better Place will set up its Canadian head office in Ontario.
• It will also establish an electric vehicle demonstration and education centre in Toronto.
• The government will do a comprehensive study, to be released in May, that will look at ways to accelerate the manufacture and deployment of electric vehicles.
• Better Place will at the same time come up with a charging-network plan and estimated timeline for building it out. This will also, presumably, estimate costs.
• Toronto-based “green electricity” retailer Bullfrog Power has partnered with Better Place as its electricity provider, though it’s unclear where this partnership will actually lead.

I’ll be writing a more detailed story for the Toronto Star, so check back for the link tomorrow.