Comments on: Ontario aims to set continental standard with Green Energy Act

By: Roger

Roger — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 23:33:03 +0000

Canada’s miles ahead. Here in Australia we have the so-called left wing government bending over backwards to please the coal mining sector. They give preference to “clean coal” technology over proven solar and wind power, even though this clean coal is still unproven on an industrial scale.

I’m not about t vote right wing because of this, but I wonder where the environmentalists are in this government. I think movement like this in Canada will leave that country in a much better position in the long run, and good for them.

By: ClaudeB

ClaudeB — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 01:27:24 +0000

EL: your comments on big hydro don’t make any sense. If nature blesses you with the right hydrography, it would be nonsense not to use it, as long as you do it right. Ontario has 7,000 MW of this dirt cheap and reliable power source and it served them well for a century. And with proper maintenance, these powerhouses will generate power 50 years from now… or more. You can’t say the same for wind or solar…

Do you realize how many windmills would be needed to match the installed power of a project such as James Bay (16,000 MW and 77,000 TWh of energy every year at 1.58¢/kWh)? The numbers are staggering: 12,557 2-MW turbines (at a 35% load factor)… to be rebuilt every 20-25 years. That’s quite a footprint for a “sustainable” source of energy.

I’m not against wind power far from it (it provides diversity and their EROEI is pretty good), but no jurisdiction in its right mind would rely on it exclusively.

By: Niraj Chandra

Niraj Chandra — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 21:24:37 +0000

Tyler,
I support the Ontario government’s green energy plan and somehow, I get the feeling that your writings in the Toronto Star have contributed to its development.

Howevr, there is a lot of controversy surrounding the mandatory Home Energy Audits. Perhaps, the word “mandatory” should be taken off an the State should look at other incentives to induce people to conduct these audits. One possibility is to set up an incentive scheme where owners of energy-efficient homes pay less property tax.

By: EL

EL — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 16:10:21 +0000

I’ve heard concerns that green energy act could lead to further development of hydro projects in Ontario. I’ve argued it’s intent is to promote wind and solar, job creation in ailing manufacturing sector, and also micro-hydro projects that have an immediate impact of stimulating local involvement and interest in energy production (and perhaps also as a consequence greater conservation). But I’d like to see the issue explored more thoroughly, and would be disappointed if the provisions to streamline environmental assessment processes were used to minimize local opposition to additional hydro capacity in Ontario.