All posts by Roy Hales

Energy

BC could develop Geothermal for half the cost of Hydro, report says

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By Roy L Hales

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Last week the Canadian Geothermal Energy Association (CanGEA) released a report stating BC could develop geothermal for half the cost of hydro. That’s only the first of a series of benefits, that include little environmental impact, more jobs and energy that costs less to produce. CanGEA claims there is a sufficient geothermal potential to meet all of British Columbia’s future power needs. (p 7) Geothermal could supply the 1,100 MW of capacity and 5,100 gigawatt hours per year (GWh/yr) of energy that the proposed Site C dam offers, but an officer of BC Hydro says it is not likely they will switch to Geothermal.

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Environment

Trans Mountain’s Injunction Ends Monday

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By Roy L Hales

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At least 127 people crossed the line and were arrested on Burnaby Mountain. All charges have been  dropped against those at borehole #2, because the  wrong GPS co-ordinates were used.  It is not yet certain if the correct co-ordinates were given for borehole #1.  Judge Austin Cullen refused to grant the pipeline company an extension to December 14. Trans Mountain’s injunction ends Monday.

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Environment, Indigenous Nations

The Arrests Began on Burnaby Mountain

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By Roy L Hales

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The arrests began on Burnaby Mountain. Police pushed the protestors back to the “legal protest” zone on Thursday.  Twenty-six were arrested.  David Suzuki’s grandson, Tamo Campos, and at least two members of the Squamish Nation were among them.

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Energy

Negative Impacts of Rooftop solar will Fall on Investors

Originally Published in Clean Technica 

By Roy L Hales

Screen-shot-2014-03-18-at-3.43.47-PM1PV solar has been increasing at a rate of 50% a year for the past decade. This has led many utilities to question the impact that continued expansion will have on their investors and ratepayers. Andrew Satchwell et al studied the effects of PV solar penetration on two hypothetical utilities. In Financial Impacts of Net-Metered PV on Utilities and Ratepayers: A Scoping Study of Two Prototypical U.S. Utilities, they concluded the negative impacts of Net-Metered PV will fall on investors; Ratepayers may only feel modest losses.

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