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Quebec made major news in the wind power world with its announcement last week of intentions to boost wind’s share of provincial electricity.  Hydro Quebec struck 15 deals for a combined total of 2,004 megawatts of power, for projects scheduled to come online in stages, between 2011 and 2015.  Two companies of note are Boralex and Gaz Metro, which are leading a consortium of firms involved in about 300 megawatts worth of the construction.  Major German manufacturing company Enercon is involved, and has stated it plans to build a components plant in Quebec to supply the new demand.  Renewable energy career options abound!

Hydro Quebec is keen to use the Big Hydro/Big Wind synergy, a winning combo that will improve the effectiveness of adding wind to its grid, by twinning it with the capacity stored behind its dams.  When the wind blows, conserve water, when it slacks open the taps.  Click here for a pdf map of the contracted sites. 

The important role Geothermal energy can play in the World’s new energy paradigm has to date been largely overlooked.  One of its major advantages is the reliability of the power supply, the emmanating heat of the Earth. 

Yesterday I was in attendance and taking notes at the Canadian Geothermal Energy Association’s AGM.  I learned alot and definitely gained more respect for this technology and resource.  There is some confusion as to what is meant by “Geothermal Energy”.   In professional circles in refers to the drawing of deep heat resources, reservoirs of water that are heated, sometimes to many hundreds of degrees, by the fire inside our planet.  “Geo-Exchange” is the term for utilizing the ambient temperature six to 12 feet underground, and this is what is being used on a residential and commercial building level.  This is also an important form of using geothermal energy on an individual basis.  In fact it also represents a major, firm, source of renewable energy that deserves more support.  See the Canadian industry association’s site at www.geo-exchange.ca for more information.

EGS, or Enhanced Geothermal Systems, represent a breakthrough in the harnessing of the Earth’s heat resources.  This technology could feasibly provide a large amount of “baseline power”, the firm electrical reservoir that we have created with hydro dams, nuclear and coal plants, but is now maxed out and in danger of system failures.  An article has just been published at Renewable Energy World on this particular aspect of geothermal energy.

Today I physically felt the tremors of the oil crunch issue.  A little rush of adrenalin and trepidation along with my morning coffee.  I had opened two very up to date websites with news on the issue.  They are www.energybulletin.net, and www.energytechstocks.com. 

Its not healthy to suppress one’s fear of the far-reaching disturbance this is bringing, and will continue to bring to life as we know it.  Normally wouldn’t go into it, but thats kind of the norm, socially, and we are doing ourselves a disservice by not openly acknowledging the danger, and discussing it together.  Solutions don’t come from simply wishing away the dread and imagining greener pastures.

 Happy hunting.

A comprehensive on-line directory to Canada’s clean energy training options is moving closer to reality.  This week, SparkDesignCo, in Terrace BC, is starting to gear up design and programming work on the site, which is a joint-project between the BCSEA and Renewable Recruits.  Renewable Recruits, a proprietorship run by Randyn Seibold, longtime BCSEA member, is committed to the growth of qualified human resources for Canada’s sustainable energy industries.  The wesite www.CleanEnergyClassrooms.ca is anticipated to be up and running by May 15th. 

It will be organized around a Google Maps template, and feature training/education, government clean energy initiatives related to training & careers, First Nations’ organizations, NGOs, and Industry leaders.  The objective is to provide easy reference to practical tools for training & employment in the Canadian renewable energy and energy efficiency sectors.

A multi-faceted approach to sustainable energy and cleantech is being taken by a new Vancouver company.

Mantra Venture Group is a cluster of subsidiaries that is committed to ‘profitability through sustainability’, and is supporting a number of innovative technologies on the path to market readiness.  Offering both venture capital and public education elements, Mantra is taking a different approach to retooling society and business for sustainable practices.  

Its major new development at this time is the ‘Electro-Reduction of Carbon’ technology, which was brought into being by a prominent UBC researcher, Professor Colin Oloman.  Its exciting prototype successfully reduces CO2 into its primary components, creating fuel and chemical resources while at the same time reducing greenhouse gases.  Other projects include cellulosic ethanol and signal smoothing technology from intermittent renewable energy sources.

A Carbon Calculator is available on Mantra’s website.  Rather than just another calculator, though, it is being combined with an energy auditing service (ClimateESCO), and a Marketplace service that will help clients connect with the most appropriate service providers to make energy improvements in their homes or place of business.  Visit www.MantraEnergy.com to learn more.

Provincial funding announcements have included over $7 million to the University of W. Ontario, where interdisciplinary research is leading to the development of processes to convert agricultural waste to fuel and chemicals.

The funding would support a newly created university institute - the Institute for Chemicals and Fuels from Alternative Resources - including physical facilities and some initial operating expenditures.

Visit www.UWO.ca  to learn more about this school and the initiative.

Millions of Jobs of a Different Collar
Steven Greenhouse, New York Times
EVERYONE knows what blue-collar and white-collar jobs are, but now a job of another hue - green - has entered the lexicon.

Presidential candidates talk about the promise of “green collar” jobs - an economy with millions of workers installing solar panels, weatherizing homes, brewing biofuels, building hybrid cars and erecting giant wind turbines. Labor unions view these new jobs as replacements for positions lost to overseas manufacturing and outsourcing. Urban groups view training in green jobs as a route out of poverty. And environmentalists say they are crucial to combating climate change.

No doubt that the number of green-collar jobs is growing, as homeowners, business and industry shift toward conservation and renewable energy. And the numbers are expected to increase greatly in the next few decades, because state governments have mandated that even more energy come from alternative sources.

But some skeptics argue that the phrase “green jobs” is little more than a trendy term for politicians and others to bandy about. Some say they are not sure that these jobs will have the staying power to help solve the problems of the nation’s job market, and others note that green jobs often pay less than the old manufacturing jobs they are replacing.

Indeed, such is the novelty of the green-job concept that no one is certain how many such jobs there are, and even advocates don’t always agree on what makes a job green.
(26 March 2008)
Related from SightLine: Green-Collar Jobs: The Secret History.

Vancouver BC, March 7

There is a dynamic and diverse renewable energy industry cropping up in this northwest Canadian city, and last week I had the opportunity to get a good look at it.  Two facility tours were in my schedule, first to Day4Energy, a maker of cutting-edge photovoltaic modules, and then to VRB Power, a flow-battery developer.  In between there was a meeting with Mantra Energy, a clean tech venture capital and energy services firm setting up base in the downtown core.

Day4 has only been in business since 2002, but their innovative PV modules are gaining a good foothold in the market.  The facility currently can produce 12 megawatts worth of hardware, but rapid expansion is underway, and the company plans to be capable of producing 90 megawatts by the end of this year.  The Day4 panels achieve a reduction in resistance to electrical current by a proprietory method of interconnecting cells.  Visit their site for more information (or apply for work), at www.Day4Energy.com

VRB Power (www.VRBPower.com) has been actively developing its vanadium-based flow cell storage systems since the late 90’s.  This storage application is being targetted at remote power neeeds in the communications sector, and remote communities.  It can also be used in conjunction with intermittent clean energy sources such as solar and wind, smoothing the power output and providing juice when the source energy is absent.  A number of installations are performing in different countries.  VRB is an investor’s opportunity, as the technology has been tested and perfected, but leadership from investment firms has yet to materialize.  As a result there are substantial quantities of low-priced shares available in an very promising technology.

This information was part of my interaction with Mantra Ventures Group, one of my client firms.  This company is composed of several entities, each playing a role in bringing sustainable technologies to market and encouraging market adoption of these technologies and a wise-use ethic in general.  A couple of questions they ask when looking at different ideas are ”Does it reduce waste while creating a resource?”  “Is it a closed-loop system?”  And, importantly, “Does it help reduce costs?” 

All three of these companies have this economic ethic at the heart of their planning, as this is the essential purpose for the development of sustainable energy economies in the first place.  Not only the high cost of fossil-fuel dependency, but the overall cost on our ecosystems.  The link between Ecology and Economy is no accident, and these folks are working hard to ensure results that are both  environmentally sound and affordable.

Last week the BC Carbon Tax was issued to the carbon users of BC, with many positive and negative associated details.  For example this budget also included a $50 million boost to Oil & Gas subsidies, which already had around $200 mil slated for it this year.  Help that industry cope with the tax I suppose…

But no matter, its a start.  The way the mainstream media fawned over it as a North American (even a World!) first kind of annoyed me.  The fact that it is revenue-neutral is kind of cool only in that it will prevent backlash from the sluggishly adapting taxpayer.   Quebec had their tax last June (the 1st in NA), and European countries have much higher ones in place (try $3 plus a litre of petrol). 

My first write up at www.Celsias.com is on the subject, have a look….

It may be the first time ever that www.RenewableEnergyAccess.com is running 3 Canadian-related articles, simultaneously, in its weekly news cycle!  The major US on-line renewable energy news publisher has a comprehensive selection of news stories from the USA, and parts abroad, but content from its northern neighbor has been infrequent.  That is starting to change.

In August of 2007, I first contacted the editors in regards to becoming a ‘Canadian correspondent’.  The response was immediately favorable, and Renewable Recruits has been submitting monthly ever since.  Our seventh installment, “Sun Farmers of Canada” is currently in the mix.  Have a read! 

Also featured by other contributors is a story on future Offshore Wind in the Great Lakes, as well as an article about the first wind farm, Ravenswood, brought on-line in Ontario under the terms of the Standard Offer Program.