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Industry touts Canada's geothermal potential
August 10, 2010
Vancouver Sun
Canada has the potential to generate enough clean, low-cost electricity from geothermal sources to power five million homes, the country's geothermal association said on Monday.
As things stand, however, the resource-rich country does not produce a single unit of geothermal energy, which comes from hot water and steam produced by heat deep below the earth's surface.
Click here to read the full article.
Labour shortages loom over Canada’s clean power sector
July 27, 2010
Financial Post
A shortage of skilled workers could stall Canada’s push to develop sources of clean energy - delaying construction schedules, boosting development costs and squeezing profit margins in coming years.
Educators, industry players and analysts see a widening gap between the demand and supply of trained staff for the thousands of green-power projects expected to start operations between 2011 and 2013.
Click here to view the full article.
Dutch government invites North American IT and new media companies
The Dutch government is inviting 15 IT and new media companies to visit Holland from September 20 - 25, 2010 to explore this creative hub to Europe. The week will be packed with matchmaking and networking events including PICNIC festival. For a limited group of Canadian and US new media/IT companies there is a Dutch government grant available. (More info: http://www.creativecradle.com)
Click here to view the PressDoc.
BC Pavilion at Tokyo Game Show 2010
In conjunction with the British Columbia Ministry of Small Business, Technology and Economic Development, the BC Trade and Investment office in Japan is organizing a BC Pavilion at Tokyo Game Show 2010 (TGS 2010) from September 16-19, 2010. The pavilion will be prominently located in the International Zone in order to highlight British Columbia's digital media and game cluster.
Click here for more information.
Funding Your Community Energy and Climate Change Initiatives
July 2010 Update
The Community Energy Association is pleased to announce the July 2010 update to Funding Your Community Energy and Climate Change Initiatives. This guide provides information on over 60 funding programs and resources that provide financial and educational support to BC local government energy and climate change initiatives. These programs address a broad range of initiatives related to buildings, infrastructure, renewable energy and transportation.
Production of this update of the local government funding and resource guide has been made possible through support from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.
Click here to access the guide.
The EU in Brief
By: Matthias Brinkman
The European Union represents a unique relationship among 27 democratic nations, with the aim of constructing a united Europe. The EU is more than an international organization but not quite a fully federation. It is the world’s largest trading entity, accounting for well over 20 percent of world trade. The EU gives more aid to developing countries than any other donor. The population of the UE totals about 500 million people and it is therefore a large and lucrative market
Click here to read the full article.
Million-dollar machine could settle oilsands-toxins debate
Canwest News Service
The Harper government is touting a new $1-million machine at Environment Canada to settle a scientific debate about toxins in the Athabasca River near the Alberta oilsands region.
The apparatus is part of a $1.6-million project that is expected to allow scientists to collect and analyze samples in the river and nearby tailings ponds to establish "chemical fingerprints" that identify the exact source of any potential pollution or contamination. Environment Minister Jim Prentice said the project fits in with expanded monitoring of the tailings ponds, which hold waste water used in oilsands production.
Click here to read the full article.
Canadian CEOs say they're more keen on going green
April 27, 2010
Financial Post
Canadian chief executives are more committed than their global counterparts in investing in climate change initiatives, said a survey released Monday by PricewaterhouseCoopers.
The business consultancy's 13th Annual Global CEO survey showed that nearly 70 per cent of Canadian CEOs will focus on preparing for the impacts of climate change this year, which is notably higher than results of CEOs worldwide at 61 per cent.
Click here to read the full article.
Solar energy: a hot new harvest
Government incentives make solar energy more viable for those who couldn’t afford it before, including small farmers trying to survive
April 23, 2010
Globe and Mail
Joe Botscheller and his neighbours have a problem. They’re tobacco farmers, and demand for tobacco is falling fast. This summer, they’re going to start harvesting something new: solar energy.
“There are a lot of small farms. On 100 acres right now there aren’t a lot of crops a family can live on. A lot of the cash crops require more than that. We were looking for another crop to add to the mix to keep the farms around,” says Mr. Botscheller, who has grown tobacco, rye and ginseng on his family farm in Windham Centre since 1980. “Harvesting the sun and the wind will provide a steady income and hopefully help sustain the rural communities in this area as well.”
Click here to read the full article.
2010 Renewable Electricity Plan
Nova Scotia's Renewable Electricity Plan for Good Jobs, Stable Prices and a Cleaner Environment
April 23, 2010
Nova Scotia's Renewable Electricity Plan sets out a detailed program to move Nova Scotia away from carbon-based electricity towards greener, more local sources. Nearly 90 percent of the province's electricity supply comes from fossil fuels - most of it coal. Coal made more sense when it was mined here in Nova Scotia, but now we buy it from others. This over-reliance on a single fuel source drains wealth away from the province and has a negative impact on both our health and our environment.
Click here to view the article.
The top 50 greenest employers
The Canada's Greenest Employers competition recognizes organizations that have created a culture of environmental awareness
April 22, 2010
Globe and Mail
The Canada's Greenest Employers competition recognizes organizations that have created a culture of environmental awareness.
Now in its third year, the competition profiles initiatives in as many sectors as possible. Applicants are compared to peers in their industries.
Here are the 50 employers, each with one reason why they were chosen:
Click here to read the full article.
Canada and California Launch Science and Technology Initiatives Worth $1 Million
February 3, 2010
NEWS RELEASE - Foreign Affairs & International Trade Canada
The Honourable Peter Van Loan, Minister of International Trade, today announced 15 research initiatives, worth a total of $1 million, under the Canada-California Strategic Innovation Partnership (CCSIP), an important element of Canada’s science and technology agenda.
“Today’s partnership announcement will help move ideas from the laboratory to the real world, and will contribute to a cleaner environment and improved healthcare,” said Minster Van Loan. “Our joint projects will lead to advances in many fields, from carbon storage and new biofuels to energy-efficient computers and better border crossings.”
Of the 15 initiatives, nine are collaborative events and six are research and development projects. They involve 21 Canadian universities in partnership with eight University of California campuses. The universities are contributing $1 million, with half coming from Canadian institutions and the other half from Californian institutions. The 15 projects were selected from 45 submissions in a first round of proposals.
Click here to read the full article.
Electric cars will force governments to alternative taxes: analysts
January 20, 2010
MONTREAL – The eventual popularity of electric cars will force governments to consider alternative revenues as they prepare to wean themselves off fuel taxes, industry observers say.
Canada's three levels of government share about $15 billion in taxes from fuel annually. But some of that revenue could be at risk if consumers turn en masse to plug-in electric or hybrid vehicles.
"What is being talked about is taxes on electricity, taxes on other modes of transportation like highway tolls," said Al Cormier of Electric Mobility Canada.But the founder of the organization that promotes electric cars says taxation shouldn't be a major issue for at least five years. It will depend on fuel prices and electric car purchases.
The industry has forecast that there will be 500,000 plug-in electric cars in Canada by 2018. That's a small fraction of the 20 million vehicles on the country's roads today.HEC business school professor Pierre-Olivier Pineau said governments have to rethink their tax intake as society looks to rid itself of its oil consumption habit.
He said the most likely option is to implement carbon taxes or increase ones already in place in B.C. and Quebec.Part of the government's tax solution might also involve charging higher rates to recharge a car than for residential uses.
Existing networks only charge one price for each household. But "smart grids" that could be available in a decade would permit variances."It's becoming a buzzword and people think it will change a lot of things," he said.
While increasing electricity costs to charge cars may reduce the cost advantage of operating electric cars, University of Montreal professor Normand Mousseau said consumers ultimately have to pay."In the end, we'll have to pay for the roads one way or the other," he said.
Growing interest in electric cars has Canada's provincial and municipal electric utilities conducting pilot projects to get ready.Hydro-Quebec recently announced a partnership with Mitsubishi to test the performance of 50 plug-in i-MiEV electric cars in the town of Boucherville over the next three years.
The $4.5-million project provides the public utility with another window on the electric car market. It is also testing a Ford Escape hybrid and a hybrid pick-up truck, while batteries developed by its TM4 subsidiary are being tested overseas in vehicles being developed by Indian carmaker Tata.Spokeswoman Stacey Masson said the Mitsubishi project is part of the energy giant's overall strategy and will help it evaluate the impact of electric vehicles on its vast network.
"We have the power, we just need to see how it will impact our grid and our network so we can plan what kind of usage people will make of it so we can plan for the future," she said in an interview.B.C. Hydro launched its own trial of the cars in November. Utility employees are driving two such cars.
The utility is also awaiting delivery of the Nissan Leaf in 2011 and is in discussion with other car manufacturers."This is one piece of the overall project for us into figuring out what this will look like for our province in the future," said spokeswoman Simi Heer.
She said preliminary estimates suggest at least 10 per cent of new vehicles purchased by 2025 could be electric plug-ins.In Quebec, the cars will be distributed to selected local businesses and the municipality. A private partnership will establish charge centres.
Toronto and Calgary are also looking to test electric cars.The vehicles are seen as part of the solution to global warming as they emit no greenhouse gases.
They cost little to charge. Based on B.C. residential electricity rate, Mitsubishi's model costs about $1.12 for a promised 120 kilometres, about one quarter the fuel costs for a Smart car.However, the hefty current sticker price of more than $40,000 for plug-ins could limit demand.
Pineau says electric cars aren't a real solution in the medium-term because of their cost and their technological unreliability.He said cheaper options for utilities to pursue are public transit and lighter cars that use available technology.
"In terms of energy policy, (and) environmental policy the priority should not be given to electric cars," he said.
Mousseau described Hydro-Quebec's electric car strategy as "dismal" and not ambitious enough.
Natural Resources Canada: Government of Canada Invests in Clean Energy for First Nations Communities
TORONTO, ONTARIO
Marketwire
December 7, 2009
More First Nations communities across Canada will be able to take advantage of renewable energy systems, thanks to the First Power solar hot-water heating project. Senator Linda Frum, on behalf of the Honourable Lisa Raitt, Minister of Natural Resources, today announced at the 2009 Solar Conference an investment of up to $1 million in the First Power solar project through the ecoENERGY for Renewable Heat program. Click here to read the full article.