Choosing Our Future
A coalition with a vision to dynamically transform the way Vancouver Islanders live, work and play in their communities. We envision Vancouver Island being a safe, progressive, environmentally sensitive, energy self sufficient and life‐sustaining place for all its inhabitants.
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Miscellaneous Energy Programs
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- Japanese Breakthrough Makes Wind Power Cheaper Than Nuclear -
19th January 2012 - By Karl Burkart - mnn.com/green-tech
The International Clean Energy Analysis (ICEA) gateway estimates that the U.S. possesses 2.2 million km2 of high wind potential (Class 3-7 winds) — about 850,000 square miles of land that could yield high levels of wind energy. This makes the U.S. something of a Saudi Arabia for wind energy, ranked third in the world for total wind energy...Read More
- Natural Gas Resources - Costs of exploration include water resource depletion and toxic waste! Early last year, 2011, deep in the forests of northern British Columbia, workers for Apache Corp. performed what the company proclaimed was the biggest hydraulic fracturing operation ever.
- Geothermal -
- Nuclear Generation -
The Truth About Nuclear Energy - Gwyneth Cravens
Click here for a 90 minute video on her research on all the pros and cons.
Small Power Applications -
January 23, 2012; Hyperion Power Generation Inc. welcomes the release of the Department of Energy's Draft Funding Opportunity Announcement for Small Modular Reactors.
Their HPM produces 25 MW of electricity to power remote mining or oil and gas operations, large government complexes, or remote and island communities. It will provide safe and reliable power that is available 24/7, emitting no greenhouse gasses, and operate for 10 years without refueling. Read More
A useful update (December 6, 2011) - 18 pages including excellent comparative data of all known current options.
These will ultimately be the answer for opening up "green" power for residential or industrial purposes in remote areas from Gold River, BC, to Canadian Arctic communities.
Small Community or Industrial Generators - Hyperion
The Future of Fission and Fusion Energy Programs
While this country is embroiled in the debate over what can and should be done to offset Climate Change, we should include in that debate a deliberate effort to develop and deploy an energy technology that will not only help in the fight against carbon emissions, but very importantly also (1) reduce reliance on foreign sources of energy, (2) reduce payments to regimes that support terrorism, and (3) increase U.S. national energy security.
Clean, emission-free nuclear power is a tried and true power source can be a critical enabler to our armed services as they execute their mission. (Read more about this and its appliction for sustainability of energy needs at home too)
- Fuel Cell Programs -
- Fuel Cells for Automotive Purposes
Ballard Research of BC was prominent in the development of prototypes for automobiles and some commercial vehicles, including transit buses; however, that initiative has been delayed by a variety of factors, including big car companies and the oil industry. Now it seems that its technology alone may be a limiting factor.
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Fuel Cells for Industrial or Home Purposes - "Bloom Boxes"
- Bio Fuel Options -
Biggest Question - Is it Sustainable? Perhaps Algae Farms will be!
E.U. Tries to Head Off Future Natural-Gas Shortages
By JAMES KANTER
Published: March 4, 2010 - Biofuel Harmful say scientists.
- Lighting Systems
SCIENCE /
ENVIRONMENT | May 30, 2009
Green Promise Seen in Switch to LED Lighting
By ELISABETH ROSENTHAL and FELICITY
BARRINGER
Light emitting diodes could decrease carbon
dioxide emissions by up to 50 percent in just over 20 years.
- Geothermal Options - there are many from private home heat pumps to deep rock water injection and steam returns with wide area distributive electrical production potential. e.g.:
- Smart Grid Plans and Operations -
New clean & green energy technologies--coming to Collwood, BC
BC Hydro and Smart Grid Technology - Good news!
Smart Meter Program Updates:
Vancouver Sun - 17 June 10 Vancouver Sun - 18 June 10 BC Hydro's Smart Plan - 23 Dec 2010
Energy Poll Option
Having read all that has preceded this point in your browsing of Energy Needs and Options,
please click here to return to the Energy Poll questions, or
click here for a carbon offset calculator, or
click here for an emmissions calculator;
where you will find the following, for example:
US EPA References and Calculations
To determine annual GHG emissions per passenger vehicle, the following methodology was used: vehicle miles traveled (VMT) was divided by average gas mileage to determine gallons of gasoline consumed per vehicle per year. Gallons of gasoline consumed was multiplied by carbon dioxide per gallon of gasoline to determine carbon dioxide emitted per vehicle per year. Carbon dioxide emissions were then divided by the ratio of carbon dioxide emissions to total vehicle greenhouse gas emissions to account for vehicle methane and nitrous oxide emissions.
Calculation
Note: Due to rounding, performing the calculations given in the equations below may not return the exact results shown.
8.81*10-3 metric tons CO2/gallon gasoline * 11,856 VMT car/truck average * 1/19.7 miles per gallon car/truck average * 1 CO2, CH4, and N2O/0.971 CO2 = 5.46 metric tons CO2E /vehicle/year
Additional Pollution and GHG guidance will be found for:
3 graphs - Air Pollution & GHGs from different forms of commuting
1. Smog-forming pollution (NO2 and VOCs)
2. Greenhouse gas emissions
3. Particulate Matter (PM 2.5) emissions
Click here for the BC Air Quality Index for other categories
