Peace and Environment News* June 1995
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Peace and Environment News * June 1995 |
by Linda Chapman
The largest exhibition of renewable energy hardware ever assembled in Canada was on display at Ottawa's Chateau Laurier this past April 10 through 12.
Canada's first Renewable Energy Trade Show and Conference was promoted as a great opportunity to demonstrate to official Ottawa that the industry is real, successful and growing. The fifty-five exhibitors included manufacturers, distributors, law firms and various renewable energy associations.
Ann McLellan, Minister of Natural Resources Canada, officially opened the conference, stating "Renewable energy technologies are making significant progress, and the Government of Canada will work with the renewables industry, academia and other orders of government to strengthen and build upon these advances."
The conference put a cohesive face on an otherwise very diverse industry. Participants represented organizations dealing with micro-hydro, wind energy, landfill gas, photovoltaic systems, biomass combustion, earth energy systems and hydrogen gas created from water electrolysis.
Representatives of Ontario Hydro and Hydro Quebec presented their energy diversification programs, which came as good news because Crown utilities are one of the primary domestic markets for renewable energy technologies. Beginning this year Ontario Hydro starts stage one of its renewable energy technology program, with a $110 million budget for research and development and demonstration programs. Ontario Hydro will look for ways to reduce market barriers and will add a maximum of 125 Megawatts of capacity from a variety of renewable energy technology sources. Of particular note is Ontario Hydro's interest in having solar water heating, photovoltaic and wind equipment available to lease to their customers by the year 2000.
The hottest policy debate is on how to create an environmental free market system that will allow renewable energy technologies to compete with the well-entrenched nonrenewable sources of energy. The bad news is that start-up costs for renewable energy technologies are still high in comparison even though the actual energy costs are extremely low.
The existing marketplace does not recognize or incorporate the social and environmental costs (such as carbon dioxide emissions) of nonrenewable energy sources. An exciting proposal for integrating full cost accounting into the marketplace was put forward by Jay Sheppard, tax lawyer and past director of the Canadian Social Investment Association. Sheppard proposed using the tax system to "reward the good guys rather than punish the bad guys." The fundamental principle is to attach income tax credits to environmentally proactive products and services. A simple technical formula would calculate the "environmental externalities" or environmental, social and health benefits of particular products and services. Mr. Sheppard suggested that the renewable energy technology industry could be one of the biggest beneficiaries of this system. According to him, the full benefits could not be realized until restructuring, privatization and open access to electricity wholesalers is achieved. This is, he said, a worldwide energy trend that Canada will eventually catch up with.
One of the most appreciated groups of speakers came during the plenary session on Native peoples. Five case studies were presented of renewable energy technology corporations who were partnering with First Nation communities. Session chair Senator Willie Adams spoke at length about the excessive costs of power in Northern native communities and the great need for changing over to renewable energy technologies. Over 51 percent of energy generated in the NorthWest Territories is from diesel engines, with energy costs ranging from 30¢ to $1.00 a Kilowatt/hour.
In the most successful energy projects with First Nation communities, the community acted as a partner in the project, and jobs were created for the local community. The case studies ranged from the innovative efforts of the Ouje-Bougoumou Cree First Nation to use sawdust waste from a local sawmill to fuel their district heating biomass furnace, to the 15 Megawatt small hydro project which the Constance Lake First Nation created in partnership with Algonquin Power.
In total, the conference represented a coming of age for a once fledgling industry. To quote Jeff Passmore of Passmore Associates International, conference coordinator, "there are real companies with real hardware and successful projects both in Canada and offshore that can deliver now on a host of federal government commitments such as job creation, tax revenue, CO2 emission reduction, technology innovation, export opportunities and sustainable development."
Linda Chapman is an Ottawa area Architect and Permaculture designer.
Converted July 7, 2000 - Lg
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