Home › Forums › CCEM Forum › CCEM 103 Question 2
- This topic has 10 replies, 6 voices, and was last updated 9 years, 6 months ago by Jen Grebeldinger.
-
AuthorPosts
-
-
June 18, 2015 at 3:25 pm #1219Carly JohanssonModerator
Are you aware (or can you easily find via internet) any provincial or territorial policies on renewable energy that include consideration of local economic benefits?
-
June 25, 2015 at 10:04 am #1224Carly JohanssonModerator
The BC Government has the “BC Energy Plan” that touches on Renewable energy and mentions local economic involvement – no specifically anything about economic benefits or any concrete details other than how BC Hydro will work with local communities on CEP’s and how there will be some funding available for local training programs. This was easy to find – I will continue looking.
-
June 29, 2015 at 10:11 am #1225Jen GrebeldingerKeymaster
There continues to be way to much of a focus on the local economic benefits of perpetuating the dinosauric fossil fuel extraction/refining/production/selling industry …
As for renewable energy, in the NWT, there is a much greater focus on local economic benefits identified in the Government of the NWT’s Biomass Energy Strategy (both the current & initial versions) than in the more recently drafted & finalized Solar Energy Strategy …
GNWT Biomass Energy Strategy
http://www.nwtclimatechange.ca/sites/default/files/Biomass_Energy_Strategy_2012-2015_1.pdf – see Actions 6 – 9
http://www.nwtclimatechange.ca/sites/default/files/128-NWTBiomassStrategy_web.pdf – see Actions #8 & 9Solar Energy Strategy
http://www.nwtclimatechange.ca/sites/default/files/Solar_Energy_Strategy_2012-2017_0.pdfPerhaps the next version of the Solar Energy Strategy will have a greater local economic benefits focus … I’ll/we’ll have to work on this through the Arctic Energy Alliance’s channels with the GNWT 🙂
-
June 29, 2015 at 11:51 am #1227Jen GrebeldingerKeymaster
p.s. there are also various references to local economic benefits in the GNWT’s Energy Action Plan (2013)
http://www.mrif.gouv.qc.ca/PDF/actualites/nwt_energy_action_plan_december2013.pdf -
July 2, 2015 at 2:17 pm #1228Carly JohanssonModerator
My response would broadly follow Teresa’s. Most policies, including those of Yukon, focus primarily on conventional technologies and ignore the potential for local economic benefits. A Yukon exception is our draft biomass strategy: http://www.energy.gov.yk.ca/pdf/Biomass_Energy_Strategy.pdf. The strategy explicitly links local economic development as one of the potential implementation objectives.
-
July 9, 2015 at 1:26 pm #1233Carly JohanssonModerator
Ryan
When is the public consultation process close for this strategy and when will it become reality? This seems to be a good step forward.
In BC it seems to me that with the every present Site C Dam getting more and more approvals that there is little push for renewable energy policies. -
July 20, 2015 at 7:45 am #1241Jen GrebeldingerKeymaster
The Province’s Green Energy Plan provides a broad vision and ‘Blueprint’ for diversifying the Province’s energy production. Alot of emphasis is placed on economic debelopment opportunity through (for example) targeted partnships with First Nations and new opportunities to accept electricity from small scale energy providers.
-
July 22, 2015 at 6:52 am #1268Jen GrebeldingerKeymaster
Teresa. Is there any plans to update the Biomass strategy to your knowledge. I noticed many of the community actions are similar to what Nanaimo has done with its Burn it Smart and Woodstove Changeout Program (www.nanaimo.ca/goto/burnitsmart). I’m curious to know how the public education on clearer buring has worked out. In an urban environment air quality issues from wood smoke has been an ongoing concern for many, but wood remains an affordable heating source for lower income households and switching to cleaner energy is not as stright forward for some. As well, a wood fire is something many just enjoy having because of how it makes them feel in their home.
-
July 24, 2015 at 9:03 am #1271Jen GrebeldingerKeymaster
Rob,
I am not sure when the NWT Biomass Energy Strategy 2012-2015 will be updated again, but it would seem that since it is 2015, an update would be required in the near future. The air quality concerns you’ve identified don’t seem to be as widespread for the majority of the small, remote communities of the NWT. This would be more of a concern in Yellowknife & perhaps Hay River or Inuvik.
The Energy Efficiency Incentive Program that the Arctic Energy Alliance administers on behalf of the GNWT, offers rebates of 1/3 the purchase price up to $700 for EPA/ULC certified wood & pellet stoves: http://aea.nt.ca/files/download/3a82c8a538f3997 or http://aea.nt.ca/programs/energy-efficiency-incentive-program
So, a greater number of cleaner burning wood heating appliances are in use as a result of the rebates that folks are tapping into.
-
August 7, 2015 at 9:10 am #1276Jen GrebeldingerKeymaster
If you consider the potential of renewable energy to reduce air pollution, than the study on the economic costs of air pollution “No Breathing Room” can suggest tremendous savings for communities where there are major polluters. I’m thinking of the ongoing toxin issues in Northern Alberta from the bitumen extraction infrastructure, and communities next to coal fired generators in particular.
I’d love to see more work in the area of local economic benefit. The case studies are compelling. It’s always great to read those. Though the SunMine project in Kimberly has less than compelling payback from the first one, things should improve tremendously for expansion, and provide much needed continuity of benefit over time.
-
August 7, 2015 at 9:16 am #1277Jen GrebeldingerKeymaster
I’m glad to see discussion of cleaner burning wood heat, as wood burning is a well established energy economy in rural communities, especially ones not serviced by a natural gas utility. Subsidies for cleaner burning wood heaters would be especially helpful, along with a much needed education campaign on how to burn cleanly. As I mentioned in my last post, air pollution has costs, but without education people’s business as usual wood burning practices are not noticed as a problem.
-
-
AuthorPosts
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.