John Rilett

On climate, Canada's Budget 2024 contains too much greenwashing. The environmental impact assessment process will be modified to facilitate a “pro-growth culture".   The 15% refundable tax credit for clean hydrogen is portrayed as a low-emitting electricity generation system encompassing natural gas with CCUS, or blue hydrogen. Th blue hydrogen subsidy is a stunt to increase gas production.  Blue hydrogen is twice the price of grey hydrogen and environmentally sound applications of hydrogen are few.   Budget 2024 aims to resuscitate the nuclear sector including small modular reactors (SMRs). This supports the ambitions of 1) Ontario Premier Doug Ford and 2) Trudeau to recapture Ontario voter interest, currently lost to the Conservatives. That nuclear capacity as a percentage of global power generation declined by half, from 17% in 2000 to 9% in 2022, is besides the point.”.   Never mind the Ontario Pickering station refurbishing of the first two of four unit A reactors went C$1.5B over budget. The Ford administration wants to refurbish all four Pickering Unit B reactors.   The Ontario Darlington plant will be furbished too, despite the Darlington station initial cost was C$14.5B, 4 times the original estimated amount.   As for SMRs, they cannot not achieve the necessary economies for a manufacturing scale, aren’t faster to construct, are inefficient and decommissioning is slow plus expensive.  Maybe SMR tech can be scaled up to be commercially viable in 2030. Four SMRs will be built at the Darlington site, one presently under construction.   Despite the expensive setbacks of Canada’s CANDU reactors, the government will provide export financing for C$3B to construct 2 CANDU reactors in Romania. A feature of Budget 2024 is making eligible those projects using waste and biomass to generate heat and electricity. Recycling landfill gas to produce renewable natural gas (RNG) is a natural gas industry ploy to present itself with a climate conscious. RNG is a greenwashing solution for several reasons, among them: RNG emits GHGs with a higher content of methane than raw biogas, which makes it comparable to conventional natural gas; the technology to make the conversion is expensive, grossly uncompetitive with conventional natural gas: and RNG availability is not sufficient. . On biofuels, Budget 2024 states “Biofuels and biogas are renewables if made from plants or bio-waste, such as canola crops and landfill emissions.”  Applications cited are marine, aviation, rail, and heavy industry and renewable natural gas. But the amount of carbon produced for making biofuels is greater than natural gas or coal. And biofuel consumption generates as much air pollution as the fossil fuels they replace. Biofuels from agricultural land would compete with food crops. Biofuels derived from algae and seaweed have yet to tackle scalability. The environmental bottom line of Canada's Budget 2024 is, at best, nil. Julia Levin Michael Barnard

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Our recent study on building electrification in a net zero future finds limited impact on Ontario electricity rates despite higher electrification. We report load factors (ratio of average to peak load) - a determinant of electricity rates and a measure of the load curve shape. View our report here: https://lnkd.in/gKA79Bkz #buildingelectrification #gTech #IESD #netzero #electricity

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2025 and beyond is looking golden for all of us who work in #DemandSideManagement side. Recall lots of colleagues has to scramble to find new employment from CDM/DSM as program budgets were reduced significantly. Ontario's new electricity Demand Side Management Framework here with a budget of $10.9 billion over the next 12 years. This is a 3-4 x increase in energy efficiency budgets. #Electricificatiom #DERs #DSM

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Alberta’s energy market creates unique opportunities for investors and project proponents alike. To understand what lies ahead for renewable development, it is essential to understand the essentials of the market. In this video, Lou Cusano and Gino Bruni provide the lay of the land for Alberta’s distinctive electricity market and the potential role of renewables in Alberta’s future grid energy supply mix. Watch the full video: https://bit.ly/3VwCbSm   #renewableenergy #cleantech #climate #netzero #CO2 #wind #solarpower #green #Alberta #energy #ESG #climatechange

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Great post from Ekta Meena Bibra. On the subject of consumer perception, it's also worth noting that there has a real rise in misinformation about EVs, too. Chances are you've heard or read something about: - on a lifecycle GHG basis EVs aren't any better than gas cars... - unless your power grid is 100% clean then driving an EV doesn't help... - there are insufficient metals/minerals for EV batteries... - mining for metals/minerals makes EVs no better—or even worse—for the environment than gas cars... - EVs will collapse the power grid... - EVs dont' work in the cold; the batteries quickly degrade; they all catch on fire, etc. etc. etc... There are loads of myths circulating out there and it's hard to fathom they aren't having an impact on consumer perceptions. Fortunately, there are some good myth-busters out there, like this one from Carbon Brief: https://lnkd.in/gr4WHX2p

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Energy Storage Canada is pleased to share our report, From Small to Mighty: Unlocking DERs to Meet #Ontario's Electricity Needs, with partner Ontario Energy Association, prepared by the fantastic team at Power Advisory. The report puts forward a framework for advancing Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) to meet Ontario’s growing energy needs and underscores the critical role DERs will play in Ontario's energy future. With demand projected to rise 75% by 2050, DERs like battery energy storage (#BESS), rooftop solar, and demand response can help lower costs, improve reliability, and reduce emissions.   The plan focuses on: 📌 Empowering customers with energy management options 📌 Integrating clean, scalable, community-friendly solutions 📌 Accelerating adoption through Local Distribution Companies (LDCs) 📌 Modernizing the grid for a resilient future   By enabling LDC-led DER procurement of DERs and removing regulatory barriers, we can create a cleaner, more affordable, and resilient electricity system for all Ontarians. 📑Find a full copy of the report here: https://lnkd.in/gfgJJMhJ #EnergyInnovation #CleanEnergy #OntarioEnergy #GridModernization #EnergyStorage #EnergyStorageSystems #FutureEnergy #EnergyTransition 

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Electric heat strips are the perfect complement to heat pumps. ⚡ In central Ontario, I recommend heat pumps with electric backup in most houses (there are edge cases where dual fuel systems are appropriate). A slightly undersized heat pump provides the best comfort and homeowner experience-- it's a better fit for older ductwork, it's easier to install without changes to the electrical panel, and it's better at load matching and dehumidification. So what's the key to installing the right-sized (slightly too small) heat pump? Pairing it with an electric heat strip. 💡 If a house has a 28,000 BTU/hr heat load at design temperatures, a 2-ton heat cold climate heat pump with 5 kW heat strip is a better solution than a 2.5-ton heat pump with or without backup heat. And it's *definitely* better than the 5-ton gas furnace that the average HVAC contractor will recommend. Heat strips allow you to size HVAC systems aggressively (the opposite of conservative sizing to oversized equipment). It's a ~$200 safety net that lets you confidently choose the best system for your house. Every part of a heat pump requires good installation and commissioning practices from HVAC contractors-- the heat strip is just one of the steps. ✅ #FeelGoodHomes #HeatStrips #HeatPumps #HVACcontractors

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⚡ 🚚 Clean Energy Canada’s latest report highlights the urgent need to close the gap in commercial #ElectricVehicle adoption. While passenger #EVs often dominate climate action plans, commercial vehicles account for 37% of Canada’s transportation #emissions. Accelerating the shift to #electric trucks, vans, and buses could save up to 15,300 lives annually by reducing #AirPollution from #FossilFuel-powered commercial transport. Despite lagging behind global adoption rates, Canada has a clear path forward to help advance the deployment of commercial EVs including purchasing incentives, expanding #EVCharging infrastructure, and implementing stronger regulations to boost the sale of #ZeroEmissions commercial vehicles. Adopting cleaner commercial vehicles won’t just cut pollution; it will also fuel #JobCreation and local manufacturing, boosting the economy while advancing climate goals. Read the report 👉 https://lnkd.in/gN-giz3D #Transportation #Electrification

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The re-elected BC government has done tremendous work on climate action with CleanBC. We hope to see that continue and be a part of the energy transition. Heading into the election, we put together a platform paper with 6 strategies to unlock the power of #EnergyStorage for BC. Energy Storage Canada, and our Senior Advisor, and former energy minister, Michelle Mungall are excited to work with the BC government to put these recommendations into action to drive clean energy forward, build out the cleantech sector AND keep rates affordable. Thanks again to Kwatuuma Cole Sayers, Colleen Giroux-Schmidt, & Dan Woynillowicz for helping us to kick off this conversation!! #EnergyStorageSystems #FutureEnergy #EnergyTransition #Renewables #RenewableEnergy #CleanEnergyFuture #CleanEnergyTech #CleanTech #Energy #CanadianEnergy #StoragePLUS #StoragePlusSolar #StoragePlusWind #Batteries #EVs #BESS #LDES #LongDuration

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We're excited by the recent announcement by the Government of Canada awarding funding for 8 projects in Saskatchewan - including a 60-megawatt #BESS (battery energy storage system) to be added to the Fleet Street Station! The system will help to reduce the need for additional fossil fuel generation and enable increased capacity on the grid for intermittent renewables. We look forward to hearing more from the Government of Saskatchewan about this project and others from the Future Electricity Fund that will help ensure a reliable, affordable, flexible, and sustainable grid. https://lnkd.in/emuXui3Y #EnergyStorageSystems #FutureEnergy #EnergyTransition #Renewables #RenewableEnergy #CleanEnergyFuture #CleanEnergyTech #CleanTech #Energy #CanadianEnergy #StoragePLUS #StoragePlusSolar #StoragePlusWind #Batteries #EVs #BESS #LDES #LongDuration

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Updated forecasts of vehicle charging needs, grid impacts and costs for all vehicle segments was released alongside the federal government’s ZEVIP announcement. Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure for Canada report outlines a baseline scenario that calls for a need of 234,500 public charging ports (22,000 DCFC + 212,500 L2 chargers) by 2030.  https://lnkd.in/gsGh5vuX  Elocity #EV #EVcharger

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Enbridge Gas is ‘fighting for its survival’ — and that means keeping #Ontario hooked on fossil fuels. #Heatpumps and #renewables are lower cost and lower emission. https://lnkd.in/gC73KwCy #onpoli #phaseoutgas #enbridge #climate #electrifyeverything

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🚨 Big News for Alberta's Clean Energy Future! 🚨 We’re beyond excited to share that Varme Energy is taking a huge step forward, thanks to a $2.8 million investment from the Government of Alberta and Emissions Reduction Alberta (ERA)! The investment will help support the advancement of Varme’s #WasteToEnergy facility in Alberta’s Industrial Heartland. This facility will turn hundreds of thousands of tonnes of landfill waste into clean, reliable electricity while capturing and storing carbon emissions—making it a carbon-negative system. We are especially thrilled to be embraced by Alberta’s leadership. We're seeing an enthusiastic response, and it’s clear that Alberta is ready to bring innovative, carbon-negative waste management solutions to the province. #Alberta is a global leader in #CCUS (Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage), and we’re excited to leverage this expertise to bring these groundbreaking technologies to life. Read more 👉 https://lnkd.in/gcwM_V_h #TIERfund #ERAFunded #CarbonCapture | Alberta's Industrial Heartland Association, Rebecca Schulz

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Are Canada's electricity systems on the same path? With wholesale electricity markets undergoing significant transformations nationwide, staying informed is critical. At Electricity Transformation Canada, join industry experts as they dive into Ontario's Market Renewal Project (MRP), launching in 2025, and Alberta's Restructured Energy Market (REM), both designed to improve market dynamics and reliability. This session will explore the evolving resource mix and discuss fundamental market design changes needed to ensure future efficiency and stability. Moderating this session will be Leonard Kula, VP of Policy - Eastern Canada and Utility Affairs for Canadian Renewable Energy Association (CanREA) and the following speakers, Jessica Savage, Program Delivery Executive of Market Renewal Program at Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO), and Nicole Leblanc, VP of Markets at AESO. View all concurrent sessions you can attend with your full conference pass! https://lnkd.in/dKaZCjv2 Register today for your full conference pass! https://lnkd.in/eWcZx59Z #ETC2024 #ElectricityMarkets #EnergyTransition #CleanEnergy #Alberta #Ontario #Canada

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Alberta's new electricity reforms claim to balance affordability, reliability, and sustainability but disproportionately penalize renewable energy projects while failing to address the critical need for energy storage. Developers are burdened with high costs, and intermittent power sources face new challenges in the competitive market. Are these changes securing Alberta's energy future—or setting it back?

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The Transition Accelerator is proud to have contributed to the Canada Electricity Advisory Council's critical report examining the affordability of Canada's energy transition. Our analysis provides a nuanced look at the impact of electrification on Canadian households.   Key findings show that capital investments in the electricity sector are set to double by 2050, reaching $1.4 trillion, while 70% of households can expect net savings on their energy bills. However, it's crucial to recognize that not everyone will benefit equally. Some regions and lower-income households may face higher costs. This comprehensive analysis, which we will release in full in the coming months, underscores the importance of strategic investments and equitable policies to ensure a smooth transition to a net-zero future. Read the report: https://lnkd.in/epWg8KNt #EnergyTransition #Electrification #NetZeroCanada #SustainableFuture #Affordability

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Exciting update on Canada's EV charging infrastructure needs—explore the latest report by Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) prepared by Dunsky Energy + Climate Advisors: https://lnkd.in/g2_q8tuS This roadmap is crucial for guiding future investments from both private and public sectors. Good news: Growing EV numbers drive charging needs, showing that past investments and incentives are effective! More here on the most recent ZEVIP call for proposals here: https://lnkd.in/gN7Ray4R

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