Geothermal power plant in the works for Torquay area

This is the third geothermal plant announcement in Canada the first was in BC Valemount, the second in Alberta using exhausted oil wells and the this one using an aquifer. The Saskatchewan plan is a small experimental plant but it could easiely scale up to produce a considerable amount of power. Geothermal plants unlike hydro power do not produce methane gas, permanently destroy farm land, decline in power production because of siltation or are effected by climate change. Geothermal plants on the on the other hand have a very small footprint, run day and night uniterupted, and are the cheapest source of power on the planet. They usually start small and continue to expand their capacity over time.
In Arthur White-Crummey's article in the Regina Leader-Post, May 18, 2018, he points out the following:
Marcia said drilling will begin this summer. SaskPower has already signed a deal to buy the energy, which Marcia thinks will start flowing out in about two and a half years. She said there could then be opportunities to build 10, 20 or even 30 megawatt facilities, which could be repeated across the 100 kilometre long aquifer.
Ultimately, she suspects the aquifer could yield up to 500 megawatts of power — enough to power 500,000 households.
But there’s a lot of uncertainty over whether the technology can be economically viable. The first facility is meant to demonstrate that it can work. Marcia said the government funding will help them get the $8 million project off the ground.
I suspect that this geothermal capacity in the province has been grossly underestimated and that the capacity of this province like most locations could power the entire Province.

DEEP Earth Energy Production Corp.'s prototype design for what the company is looking to build as a geothermal power plant at Estevan. The turbine technology the company plans to use is called organix rankine cycle and the plant would be similar in size to a farm Quonset. PHOTO PROVIDED BY DEEP EARTH ENGERY PRODUCTION CORP -

British wind farms overtake nuclear for the first time

Article in the Renewable Energy Magazine
Thursday, 17 May 2018
by Robin Whitlock

Wind farms in the UK have enjoyed another record-breaking three months, producing more electricity than nuclear over the quarter, according to a report by Drax Electric Insights.
Britain’s wind farms produced 18.8 percent of electricity over the quarter, and at their peak they supplied 47.3 percent of the country’s demand (another new record). This happened overnight on March 17th, when temperatures once again dipped below freezing. There has been much debate on whether wind can be relied upon during a cold, calm spell, but during the six sub-zero days this quarter, wind provided between 12 percent and 43 percent of electricity demand, operating at a minimum of 4.4 GW.

BC's Flooding it is Climate Change!

Much of the discussion about the 2018 floods in British Columbia has been focused on the human disaster that has been created in Boundary country in BC as it should be. But very few strong statements have been made about the facts behind the disaster and without a discussion around those facts how can we really address this issue and the new normal in the years to come. From extreme winters, abnormal fire seasons and flooding well beyond any 200 year standard, Climate Change is bringing a new normal to BC and if we do not recognize this reality and change our systems, mode of thinking and discuss this reality we are in big trouble.

For several years, experts have been linking the sharp rise in Spring temperatures in this Boundary area to Climate Change. Yet even this linkage falls short of discussing the many impacts of climate change all over the world such as increased crime, terrorism, mass migration, electoral manipulation, damage to food sources, disease brought on by rising seas, damage to port infrastructure, mass extinction, the list goes on. We are in short moving towards our own extinction as the dangerous levels of carbon which have been accepted by the Paris Agreement are not going to be met, we are not going to stay with 1.5 or 2ºC. We are on a path to 3.4ºC and accelerating. This does not include the impact of such things as the mass release of methane from the melting of the Arctic, one of many so called "tipping points,"  a gas 85 times worse than the release of carbon. This path would make our planet virtually uninhabitable for most humans and most species.
So what is the solution? We need to discuss the facts and share them with our friends as big media and our polititians seem incapable of diseminating this information or discussing the realities of what we are facing.

Some are already doing this in admirable ways. Among them are transportation planner Eric Doherty, Climate Race cofounder Ben West, Greenpeace's Mike Hudema, and Seth Klein of the B.C. office of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.

Trans Mountain Insanity

Impacts of Tar Sands Expansion on the Paris Agreement

In David Suzuki's article in The Guardian he points out the following:

This pipeline project and consequent scaling up of oilsands extraction also jeopardize Canada’s ability to meet its international Paris Agreement commitments. Expanded oil and gas production that comes with the Trans Mountain project would require the rest of Canada’s economy to reduce emissions by half by 2030 and 85% by 2040 to meet our greenhouse gas reduction targets. This would be very difficult if not impossible.

That’s not the only science-based analysis ignored by the federal government in its assessment of this pipeline’s value to Canada.

Is It Fraud to Lie About an Oil Spill?

Jun 9, 2018, 8:50 PM by Glacier Media

The Kindermorgan pipeline near Kamloops reported a 100-litre spill, but then we find out it was actually 4,800 litres! How is it possible to make decisions when even the mandatory reporting regulations ebb and flow, is it really at the discretion of the company to decide what they are going to say publicly? How can one make any fact-based decisions when the facts are shift like the dunes in a desert? The big question is what other more important facts are not correct?

Leak in Coldwater BC Renders Land Unusable

Even after fixing the pipeline the land is still unusable by its occupants, and they refuse to do more unless a right of way agreement is signed by the landowners. Not only was the land damaged but during the clean up the occupants lost part of their livelihood. The experience has made the local Indian Band question the plans for a new pipeline as it would present a clear and present danger to the aquifer that they are dependant on for their drinking water. It would appear that often these leaks are not resolved and permanent damage to local environments and economies continues unchecked,

Bitumen Sinks in Water And Can Not Be Cleaned Up

In 2010 an Enbridge pipeline carrying bitumen mixed with dilutant burst, flowing 50 million litres of tar sands and toxic dilutants into the environment, causing the evacuation of homes some of which can no longer be lived in. And after five years the bitumen which sank into a 56km stretch of the Kalamazoo River still remains, after the company completed some clean up it was decided it could not be completely cleaned up without destroying the river's ecosystem. So no, it can not be cleaned up and yes it does sink.
In addtion to this international scientific review have also shown that any clean up of bitumen in the environment would be at best only 15% to 20% of what was spilled. 

Did Canada buy an oil pipeline in fear of being sued by China?

Article by Bruce Livesey, 31 May 2018, in The Guardian

1. China's PetroChina bought a 60% interest in two tar sand projects which has an estimated 5 billion barrels of oil, and in 2012 their CNOOC state company bought Nexen the third largest Canadian oil and gas company.
2. Harper in 2014 ratified the Canada-China Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (Fipa). Fipa is used by corporations to challenge public policies, community decisions, native land claims and anything that might prevent the transfer of oil. 
3. If any of these processes interfere with extracting bitumen or oil then Canada can be sued for damages.

New Ship Fuel Regulations Could Sink Tar Sand Expansion

Article by Paul McKay, May 24th, 2018 in The Energy Mix

In Paul's article, he highlights the following developments which will cause significant problems for the ability to market tar sand oils.

1. The United Nations, International Maritime Organization (IMO), has brought in regulations on fuel that can be used by ocean-going vessels. This would restrict the use of Bunker C fuel that which has a high amount of sulphur content. 
2. The new regulation requires a .5% content in ship fuels which represents a 700% reduction.
3. Estimates suggest that 15 of the largest ocean-going vessels currently emit as much sulfur annually as all the cars in the world.
4. A major reduction of 75% in bunker fuel production is already occurring as new refineries are begin reconfigured to meet the new four million barrel market for cleaner fuel.
5. Alberta bitumen has 11 times more sulphur than conventional crude. So the US refinery purchase of diluted bitumen is now slowing to a trickle.
6. The market has already reacted as major oil companies around the world are selling and writing off their losses in the tar sands.
7. These same companies and others are buying up refineries and converting to refine cleaner fuel reducing the number of refineries around the world that could process bitumen.
8. Alberta tar sands bitumen, due to its much more expensive method of refining, cannot match the quality or price of the cleaner fuels coming from other countries.
9. China has initiated an air pollution requirement that will stop the importing fuels with higher sulphur content and the even higher content of bitumen from Alberta.
10. China itself is now exporting oil and petroleum-based products, which could undercut Alberta's tar sands bitumen.
11. There is no documentation that there are any long-term contracts from any Asian countries for the bitumen, a fundament requirement for ensuring the economic viability of the tar sands.
12. It is unlikely that there would be large private investors for the pipeline as pension funds, insurance companies and global banks have already vetoed a tar sands investment.
13. Last year Norway's Statoil, ExxonMobil, Marathon Petroleum, Total S.S., Conoco Philips, Royal Dutch Shell, and Koch Industries sold off 22.5 billion in Alberta bitumen assets to a steep financial loss.

Liberals’ ‘Collective Insanity’ over Trans Mountain Creating New Western Alienation, Say BC Politicians

Proposed joint scientific panel on oil spills called too little, too late.

By Christopher Guly 10 May 2018 | TheTyee.ca

In his article for The Tyee he makes the following points:

1. A proposed joint scientific panel involving the BC to collaborate and monitor spill issues was rejected by Federal Government.
2. There is increasing alienation from BC towards Canada.
3. The proposed panel on spills was called a PR stunt by Climate Change Minister Catherin McKenna
4. The science behind a bitumen spill has not been explored.
5. A leading climate scientist Andrew Weaver, reports that clean up from pipeline and tanker accidents are not supported by rigorous science.
6. The Royal Society of Canada concluded that more research is necessary to understand the impact of a bitumen spill.
7. The National Energy Board has refused to look at the scientific report from the Royal Society of Canada. Instead, they have accepted Kinder Morgan's research.
8. It is likely, to avoid conflicts with the Kinder Morgan research, the Federal Government has muzzled Department of Fisheries scientists, whose research show bitumen spills cannot be cleaned up.
9. Climate scientist Andrew Weaver also confirms there are no examples in the world where bitumen has been successfully cleaned up. In fact, the last cleanup in the US was abandon after years of trying to clean it up.
10. Canada's chief science advisor has refused to look at the science claiming lack of funds.
11. Trudeau's avoidance of the science and promotion of a failing Texas company is sending alienation ripples throughout the country from British Columbia to Quebec.

Kinder Morgan's Record in National Parks

Kinder Morgan's record around spill is not a clear-cut as they would like one to believe, for example in Jasper National Park one of Canada's more precious jewels they have had six breaches of their existing pipeline. Typically it is undetected until some passer-by notices the environmental damage. The company often says there have been no spills but this is just not true until they are pressed for the facts. In 1966 inside the Park a spill released 1.1 million litres of crude oil and less than a decade later a pipeline spontaneously leaked 125,000 litres of crude covering about 200 square feet of the park. The examples go one.

Kinder Morgan Pipeline not OK with First Nations

Contrary to the statements made by Kinder Morgan about First Nations acceptance of their pipeline, which leads the general public to believe they are supportive, First Nations are in court challenging the building of the pipeline. They are also opposed to BC's building of site C dam which is another environmental disaster in the making.

Loop Terminal in Louisiana Will Make the Pipeline Uneconomical

Points taken from Paul McKay's article in Opinion March 7th,  2018

In February 2018 a supertanker pulled into the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port, LOOP, this bi-directional oil port filled the tanker at 100,000 barrels an hour. These tankers which carry over 2 million barrels of oil mean tankers that leave Vancouver would only hold a quarter the amount 550,000 barrels. The refinery in Asia would have to pay for four tankers to ship the same amount of oil from a LOOP ship, at a much more cost.

This to say nothing of the high-quality product they would receive compared to the inferior bitumen product laced with combustibles, 102 times more copper, 21 times more vanadium, 11 times more sulphur, 11 times more nickel, 6 times more nitrogen and 5 times more lead. The bitumen product would also have a much lower ratio of hydrogen to carbon making it less efficient when combusted. 

So not only will the bitumen be more expensive to ship it will be far more expensive to refine. Which means refineries they will not pay the same price for the bitumen. Perhaps this is why Exxon-Mobil, Conoco-Phillips, Royal Dutch Shell, Total S.A. and Statoil have taken billion dollar losses to abandon the bitumen fields.

These are the reasons—hiding in plain sight—why Western Canada bitumen fetches the infamous “discount” price per barrel compared to oil supplies shipped from Texas and the North Sea. The LOOP terminal for VLCCs will magnify that spread, and no mythical Asian refiner, trader, or nation is likely to purchase for long a dirtier product that costs more and arrives on slower, smaller boats.

Canada Proposes Fighting Climate Change by Increasing Output by 40%?

What the Prime Minister of Canada is proposing is a 40% increase in oil sands expansion or 70 to 100 megatonne per day increase in emissions. They call this a "hard cap." What this is equal to is doubling the emissions from all cars, trucks, buses and boats in Ontario. In other words, there is no way Canada can meet their Paris climate agreement and increase the capacity of the oils sands for decades to come. To say nothing of the enormous environmental risk being taken both in the oil sands area, along with the dangerous pipeline route or the massive increase in tanker traffic. Keep in mind one of our major pollution sources is in fact tankers themselves, and this has not yet be addressed.

International tourism accounts for 8 percent of all carbon emissions worldwide

Global Tourism Has a Bigger Share of Carbon Emissions Than Thought
The U.S. has the biggest footprint, both from foreign visitors and Americans travelling abroad
Article by Chelsea Harvey, E&E NewsMay 8, 20

In general, affluence has a major influence on global tourism emissions—as the researchers note, “wealthier people travel more.” The association is so strong, in fact, that for groups making any more than $40,000 per capita, a 10 percent increase in wealth results in a carbon footprint increase of 13 percent.
A transportation expert said the study comports with current estimates of aviation’s contribution to emissions. “Globally, aviation we think is responsible for between 2.5 and a little under 5 percent of anthropogenic climate change effects,” said Dan Rutherford, aviation and marine program director for the International Council on Clean Transportation.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/global-tourism-has-a-bigger-share-of-carbon-emissions-than-thought/

Another extreme heat wave strikes the North Pole

Washing Post Article by Jason Samenow

Temperature difference from normal over the Arctic analyzed by European model on May 7. (WeatherBell.com/)

As the warm air intruded the Arctic, sea ice melted suddenly. The Norway Ice Service tweeted the sea ice area near Svalbard, the small island chain between Norway and the North Pole, fell by about 32,000 square miles (82,000 square kilometers) to the second lowest area on record. The amount of ice lost is enough to cover the entire state of South Carolina.

In four of the past five winters, the North Pole has witnessed dramatic temperatures spikes, which previously were rare. Now, in the lead up to summer, the temperature has again shot up to unusually high levels at the tip of the planet.
Scientists say this warming could hasten the melt of Arctic sea ice, which is already near record low levels.
In just the past few days, the temperature at the North Pole has soared to the melting point of 32 degrees, which is about 30-35 degrees (17-19 Celsius) above normal.

330 MW Sarulla geothermal plant in Indonesia completed with third unit online

http://www.thinkgeoenergy.com/330-mw-sarulla-geothermal-plant-in-indonesia-completed-with-third-unit-online/

Think Geoenergy story reports the following:

The Project is the world’s largest single-contract geothermal power plant and is located in Pahae Jae and Pahae Julu Districts, North Tapanuli Regency, North Sumatra Province, Indonesia. The U$1.7 billion project generates approximately 330MW, enough to power 2.1 million Indonesian households.

Unit 1 of Sarulla Geothermal Power Plant, North Sumatra/ Indonesia (source: Ormat Technologies)

California to require solar panels on most new homes

It's the first state where the renewable energy is mandatory.

There's no question that solar power is entering the mainstream, but California is about to give it a giant boost. The state's Energy Commission is expected to approve new energy standards that would require solar panels on the roofs of nearly all new homes, condos and apartment buildings from 2020 onward. There will be exemptions for homes that either can't fit solar panels or would be blocked by taller buildings or trees, but you'll otherwise have to go green if your property is brand new.

https://www.engadget.com/2018/05/06/california-to-require-solar-panels-on-most-new-homes/?guccounter=1

World’s biggest geothermal power plants

Geothermal electric plants will be our future source of electrical power the flows 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. There are a number of different ways of producing electricity from the earth's heat in these plants dry steam, flash steam and the most modern method binary cycle.
The following is a list of the largest geothermal plants currently in production, more details can be found in the article in the Energy Business Review.

1. The Geyser Geothermal Complex 1,517 MW, California.
2. Larderello Geothermal Complex 769MW, Italy
3. Cerro Pieto Geothermal Power Station 720MW, Mexico
4. Makban Geothermal Complex 4580MW, Philippines
5. Hellisheidi Geothermal Power Plant 303MW (40MW thermal energy), Iceland
6. Tiwi Geothermal Complex 289MW, Philippines
7. Malitbog Geothermal Power Station 232.5MW, Luzon Island
8. Wayang Windu Geothermal Power Plant 227MW Indonesia
9. Darajat Power Station 259MW Indonesia.

The thing to keep in mind is unlike hydroelectricity, which also has significant environmental impacts, geothermal plants are constantly expanding their capacity. Whereas hydro dams have diminished capacity over time and are prone to climate change impacts such as flash floods and drought. 

http://geothermal.energy-business-review.com/news/worlds-biggest-geothermal-power-plants-040518-6140349