Green Heat
Can I use solar water heaters now and are they affordable?
Unlike many other countries, Canada does not have a well-developed manufacturing and distribution network for solar water heating systems or financial incentives that reflect the benefits of solar heating. Although solar water heaters would be more economical than electric or gas waters in many part of Canada, they may not be readily available in all areas. However, an increasing number of municipalities encourage the use of solar water heaters for commercial and residential use, and progress is being made in establishing codes and standards that support the use of solar water heaters.
You can help to ensure that solar water heating is an option in your area by lobbying your municipal government to approve and promote solar applications, and lobbying your provincial and federal governments to
- support the solar water heating industry
- make sure buildings have access to sunlight, and there are no by-law or code restrictions to the use of solar water heating
- ensure the design of new buildings allows for solar to be added at a later date.
Contact a local supplier or refer to the following directories:
I've been hearing a lot about heating my home using geothermal or earth energy. Is this possible? I'd sure like to do it!
The earth or underground water courses retain heat from the sun throughout the year, and a heat pump can be used to upgrade this heat to a temperature usable for home or water heating. These are usually called ground source heat pumps or geo-exchange systems. These systems are available in most parts of Canada and can also be used for cooling (air conditioning) by using the earth or water sources as a sink for heat removed from the house. Earth energy systems are not cheap and are unlikely to be cost effective for smaller homes or those homes that have reduced their heating and cooling load significantly using energy efficiency measures.
Some provinces such as Manitoba provide financial incentives for earth energy systems.
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Green Power
Solar electricity sounds great. When will it be available? And at what cost?
Solar electricity systems that use roof-mounted PV panels and can be connected through a building's grid connection are available in most provinces. Many provinces allow net metering that means all PV power produced can be subtracted from the power used. Some local authorities are still unfamiliar with PV systems so you may have to be patient and persistent.
The cost of solar PV, while coming down in price, is still high, making it unrealistic for most consumers and businesses. However, solar electricity is an excellent match with the summer peak in demand so the Government of Ontario is offering 42 cents a kWh for electricity produced with solar energy. On a new house, where the cost of a solar PV system can be included in the mortgage, solar now makes economic sense in Ontario. Look for developers offering solar electricity as an option or net-zero energy homes in which the energy used during the year is equal to the energy produced by the solar system. These homes are also eligible for reduced mortgage insurance through Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.
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Can I use wind energy now and is it affordable?
Small-scale wind electric systems are not usually cost competitive with provincial electricity rates. Ontario has recently passed legislation that pays premium prices for small-scale wind and solar, but most provinces do not have such legislation.
Medium-scale wind energy systems can reduce costs for large farms, businesses and remote communities. Individuals and organizations can purchase wind energy from the grid either from their electricity retailers or from companies that monitor and sell wind energy that is put on the grid.
To encourage the continued growth of wind energy on the Canadian grid it is important to lobby the provincial and federal governments to continue to allow the industry to have equal access to the power grids that traditional sources receive.
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Is there a limit as to how much renewable energy can be integrated into the grid?
The current electricity grid was designed to distribute power from large centralized power plants to many homes, businesses, farms and industries spread over great distances. It consists of base load plants that run all the time and a number of plants that can be turned on and off depending on demand. It has grown to be a huge interconnected system but was never designed to have power users feeding power into it or users managing their own power consumption and efficiency. It is therefore very inflexible and cannot absorb more than 20% of its power from local intermittent sources like solar and wind.
However, research indicates that solar and wind energy match peak demands very well. When combined with hydro electric and biomass generators, power storage and user energy demand management, much higher levels of renewable power can be achieved. Ultimately a "smart grid" will replace our current behemoths - a grid based on treating every power user as a potential supplier with sophisticated software to manage a reliable and renewable based power system. [MORE]
RE in General
How can communities benefit from large-scale renewable energy systems?
Communities in Germany and Denmark own and operate their own wind farms and sell to the grid and distribute the benefits to the community. Contact the Ontario Sustainable Energy Association to find out how your community might do this in Canada. [MORE]
What about the growing demand for energy in developing countries? Won't that be difficult to meet with renewable energy?
Yes, but the world's population is stabilizing and will peak in the second half of this century. So there will be no more moving target. If we meet the Millennium Development Goals and set targets for energy efficiency and renewable energy, renewable energy can be effective. Canada can play an important role here by working with international agencies to increase the access to clean and renewable energy sources in developing countries. [MORE]
Energy Efficiency
What about the role of energy efficiency?
The most cost effective and environmentally beneficial steps you can take toward sustainable energy is to improve the energy efficiency of your home and car. This can both save you money and reduce consumption of resources. Once you have maximized your energy efficiency, it will then be easier and less expensive to meet a larger portion of your energy needs with renewable energy.
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