Category: Energy

Standard Offer Contracts for Renewable Energy

The Ontario Government funded the Ontario Sustainable Energy Association (OSEA) to review the impacts and benefits of adopting a Standard Offer Contract (SOC) system similar to many countries in the European Union. Germany, Denmark and Spain have phenomenal sucess with this system, as evident by these countries high percentage of electricity from renewable energy sources and growth in renewable energy investment.

Currently Ontario uses a very complex and very competative tender system that discourages any but the larger corporations, scaring away many potential investors. Furthermore, the government has to fairly weigh and analyze all submission, at significant cost.

The OSEA report demonstrates that SOC’s eliminate these difficulties by granting approval to any project from any investor (go farmers!) while gauranting a higher than market price for the energy from these renewable energy projects. The application process is significantly streamlined and there are not limits on the number of renewable energy projects, giving renewable energy technologies one advantage over their fossil fuel counterparts.

Solar Power Ready to Roll Out

Solar Panels have met resistance because they are somewhat hard to install, some people have challenged that notion. A new form of photovoltaic cells being tested now (and expected to be in mass production in two years) are based on a fancy solar ink.

This new form of solar power generation will allow for cheaper, and more widely used, solar panels. The experimental cells can even be easily incorporated into clothing.

Thanks, Colin!

Eco Bulb Turbine

Although hydroelectric stations have provisions for stopping fish passage or attractive fish around turbines a small portion go through the hydroelectric turbine. Typically the turbines wins. A new turbine type called an Eco-Bulb turbine handles this problem nicely while improving effeciency. By combining the turbine and generator into one housing (the bulb) many traditional problems with hydroelectric power is mitigated. The new turbines are more effecient, can be used at sites that couldnt be developed before such as old dams that have small flows of water and are fish friendly. Currently the only site in North America with this technology is at Trenton, Ontario at an old dam site that had been adandoned.

Effective Mass Transit in the Suburbs

The sprawling collection of Toronto suburbs in York Region are one day away from a new option in public transit. The new VivaYork system will provide frequent, comfortable and extremely well organized bus service on the Highway 7 and Yonge St corridors, two of York’s most important and congested arteries.

The initial phase will provide Viva buses with signal priority, allowing them to jump queues of traffic at red lights. Later phases are projected to include dedicated busways, LRT’s, and even a subway stretching into York Region. (Anything is possible if gas prices stay high!) With connections to the TTC’s Young Subway line, and a connection to the Sheppard line to come, this fast and reliable service could entice drivers in the heart of York Region to leave their cars at home. Here’s hoping.