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Ontario's electricity system has not yet passed gas

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Ontario’s electricity system includes generators fueled by natural gas. This is suddenly a hot topic as a campaign lobbying councils to say no to this type of generation moves through municipalities. The “no gas” lobbying appeals to a desire to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, exploiting predictions of increased use of natural gas in generating electricity in the province. This article will explore what entities have been the key drivers of emissions in Ontario’s electricity system, the credibility of the body being cited predicting increased generation fueled by natural gas and, if all goes well, convince the reader they are not willing to decrease global carbon emissions at any cost. Background on the IESO’s pretend market My previous post reconstructed a method to estimate losses on electricity exports out of Ontario. The measure does not indicate Ontario would be better off if it didn’t export its excess, but that Ontario would be better off with data discipline and consistent me
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Hurting Michigan

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Parker Gallant has called for the Ontario government to "shutdown the intertie line with Michigan" - in an article that notes some of my work. I feel I should offer some support as Michigan is being a lousy neighbour and it would feel therapeutic, if nothing else, to respond. I'll try to stick to data. The system operator in Ontario (IESO) data indicates the Michigan intertie is the most lucrative for exports - but that's not saying much: exports at that intertie were bought in Ontario for an average of just 1.2 cents/kWh ($12/MWh) in 2020 - but were in such high demand another 0.9 cents/kWh of congestion rent was paid. Over the past 5 years congestion rents comprise 46% of the revenue on the Michigan intertie. The IESO's insiders' committees are considering how much of  this revenue to share with the exporters instead allowing it to solely benefit internal Ontario consumers. Action #1: hell no. Issue a ministerial directive that congestion rents will only b
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Thee to WE: the foundations of Canada’s Green Stimulus – part 2

The following is the second section of a work I’ve been preparing for my main site . As rumours of the federal government proceeding with the externally-developed policy framework I have been researching, and because of the length the work has grown to, I decided to post the work in parts here as sections are completed.  ( Part 1 ) The May 19th announcement of the Task Force for a Resilient Recovery (TFRR) ended with, “The work of the Task force will conclude in July with the release of a final report,” but by August only a “ Preliminary Report ” had been shared, and that document is more of a mind mapping exercise than a reporting one. The mapping listed, as Funders, the Ivey, McConnell, Schad and Echo Foundations. The appearance of Ivey wasn’t unexpected as the task force included Bruce Lourie, who is the President of the Ivey Foundation and a key player in previous “green” campaigns including ending coal-fired electricity generation in Ontario and the Green Energy Act. The Ivey Foun
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Thee to WE: the foundations of Canada's Green Stimulus - part 1

The following is the beginning of a work I've been preparing for my main site . As rumours of the federal government proceeding with the externally-developed policy framework I have been researching, and because of the length the work has grown to, I've decided to post the work in parts here as sections are completed.   2020 is throwing a lot at us.  The pandemic is the feature event for most, but there’s no shortage of other issues long discussed on my blog re-emerging. I started writing in 2010, not long after the passage of the Green Energy Act (GEA) in my province of Ontario. The GEA was the cornerstone of a "building back better" recovery plan the last large economic downturn, and should therefore be a warning signal this crisis around. And yet... today many of the same people that lobbied for that failed experiment provincially have regrouped to push for a “resilient recovery” policy portfolio at the federal level. These weren’t good policies in 2010, and they
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The Case for Near-term Commercial Demonstration of the Integral Fast Reactor

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This is a 2012 post from Barry Brook's Brave New Climate , which was a tremendous blog but one that is no longer maintained - and was left with a presentation scheme that is illegible. I’m currently in Dubai at the  2012 World Energy Forum , as part of a delegation from the  Science Council for Global Initiatives . Tomorrow (24 Oct) we will run symposium on “New Nuclear”, which will be chaired by Tom Blees and feature talks from Dr Eric Loewen (GE), Dr Alexander Bychkov (IAEA), Dr Evgeny Velikhov (Kurchatov Institute) and me (Dr Barry Brook, University of Adelaide). I will also chair a session later in the afternoon on “Vision for a Sustainable Future”, just before the closing address. Tom and Nicole Blees of SCGI stand in front of the World Trade Centre in Dubai, during the World Energy Forum, Oct 2012. The sign behind them makes for some interesting reading… In preparation for this meeting and as a result of a focussed conference at University of California Berkeley in early Oct
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Rants about Ontario’s electricity system

"I personally hope those of you who read this will forgive my rants and start ranting with me and the others who do the same!" I particularly enjoyed Parker's first point, and the last two sections.
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different perspectives: The Ontario Energy Association, and me

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I saw a tweet the other day that seemed like the Ontario Energy Industry would be addressing an issue of interest to me: #ELECTRICITY RATES: WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? Join us as Vince Brescia presents findings by the #OEA & @IFSD_IFPD on how to reduce rates by 12%. This research will be useful for Ontarians to consider as we grapple with this challenge ahead. More info: https://t.co/G9wNyYL0UI pic.twitter.com/PqpmWR08aK — Ontario Energy Association (OEA) (@energyontario) April 23, 2020 Turns out it was a lot less interesting than I thought. My quick scan of the OEA's "Help those who need help" paper finds little I agree with presented from a perspective that is foreign to me - and yet I agree with the action option they steer people to agree with: OPTION 3: PHASE OUT ELECTRICITY COST REFINANCING SUBSIDIES This option is the lowest cost option for provincial taxpayers. It would see bills remain stable, increasing by about 1.5% more than inflation each year until s
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