Comments on: Ontario sees – and gets – the green light of renewable energy http://blogs.geniocity.com/jack/2009/07/ontario-sees-and-gets-the-green-light-of-renewable-energy/ Thu, 11 Feb 2010 21:41:49 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Barry http://blogs.geniocity.com/jack/2009/07/ontario-sees-and-gets-the-green-light-of-renewable-energy/comment-page-1/#comment-2833 Barry Wed, 22 Jul 2009 13:31:10 +0000 http://blogs.geniocity.com/jack/?p=2519#comment-2833 Nuclear will still be part of the plan to support the grid. As insurance and given the posturing between the Federal & Provincial bodies, tax payer money will go to refurbish existing stations or build the new reactors. Given the focus on conservation and education, demand will dip and rise with new technologies and population growth. Nuclear has to be part of the mix until they phase out coal and - have enough renewable capacity feeding the grid. Nuclear will still be part of the plan to support the grid. As insurance and given the posturing between the Federal & Provincial bodies, tax payer money will go to refurbish existing stations or build the new reactors. Given the focus on conservation and education, demand will dip and rise with new technologies and population growth. Nuclear has to be part of the mix until they phase out coal and – have enough renewable capacity feeding the grid.

]]> By: Tom Burnett http://blogs.geniocity.com/jack/2009/07/ontario-sees-and-gets-the-green-light-of-renewable-energy/comment-page-1/#comment-2831 Tom Burnett Tue, 21 Jul 2009 18:36:09 +0000 http://blogs.geniocity.com/jack/?p=2519#comment-2831 This sounds real nice, but the devil is in the details. How is this "100% renewable grid" going to be structured? Solar? I wouldn't count on too much sun in Ontario. Wind? The accepted calculation is that it takes a windfarm of more than 100 square miles to generate the same amount of electricity as a nuclear power plant. And, unlike a nuclear plant, the power output is subject to wide variations based on the wind velocity. Of course, they'd at least have a fighting chance at building something like that since Ontario has no Kennedys -- who have blocked the Cape Wind project for 10 years -- to play NIMBY. Hydro? Yes, but most of the hydro capacity is already being used. Biomass? Biogas? Unproven technologies. Do you honestly think all of those can add up to what the province needs even now, let alone what it will need in the future? And how much will demand go up with wider use of plug-in electrics and hybrids? This sounds real nice, but the devil is in the details. How is this “100% renewable grid” going to be structured?

Solar? I wouldn’t count on too much sun in Ontario.

Wind? The accepted calculation is that it takes a windfarm of more than 100 square miles to generate the same amount of electricity as a nuclear power plant. And, unlike a nuclear plant, the power output is subject to wide variations based on the wind velocity. Of course, they’d at least have a fighting chance at building something like that since Ontario has no Kennedys — who have blocked the Cape Wind project for 10 years — to play NIMBY.

Hydro? Yes, but most of the hydro capacity is already being used. Biomass? Biogas? Unproven technologies.

Do you honestly think all of those can add up to what the province needs even now, let alone what it will need in the future? And how much will demand go up with wider use of plug-in electrics and hybrids?

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