Syntaris Power

B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell gave California legislators a vote of encouragement Thursday in a rare appearance before the state’s assembly…The premier’s remarks, not surprisingly, are diplomatic — but the subtext here is that the premier is voicing support for the assembly’s efforts to tackle greenhouse-gas emissions. Assembly Bill 32, which would commit California to participating with B.C. and several other states and provinces in the Western Climate Initiative, is potentially threatened by a forthcoming state-wide referendum known as Proposition 23

…The premier’s remarks also signalled B.C.’s interest in selling premium-priced renewable energy to California. At present, Assembly Bill 32 disqualifies hydroelectricity from facilities with a electricity generating capacity in excess of 30 megawatts per hour.

That condition puts a substantial limit on B.C.’s ability to expand green power production for export and the premier is hoping to convince the assembly to qualify electricity from larger facilities.

It’s worth noting that in a recent meeting with The Sun’s editorial board, Energy Minister Bill Bennett, BC Hydro president and CEO Dave Cobb said that the 30-megawatt limit was more or less pulled out of the air by California legislators and didn’t take into consideration the green power opportunities that other jurisdictions could present to the state.

Link to full article

The B.C. Citizens for Green Energy (BCCGE) has claimed that lumping the U.S.-generated electricity the province is entitled to under the Columbia River Treaty and calling it an export is “misleading and even somewhat disingenuous.”

BCCGE spokesperson David Field said in a release Thursday morning, “You can’t really consider electricity generated in the U.S.A. under the Columbia River Treaty to be an electricity export from B.C.”

The BCCGE, which advocates for more independent power production in B.C. and less energy importation, said that revenue generated by BC Hydro subsidiary Powerex from B.C.’s Columbia River entitlement is one reason electricity rates in B.C. are lower than many other jurisdictions in North America.

Link to full article

Shift to green providing economic stimulus to Canada’s provinces

Canada is the ninth most attractive location in which to invest in renewable energy projects, according to Ernst & Young’s latest Renewable energy country attractiveness indices.

Canada retained ninth position out of 27 countries analyzed for their attractiveness for renewable energy infrastructure investment - increasing the score gap over Portugal and Ireland, both ranked tenth - driven by the stability and resilience of the Canadian financial system during the ongoing capital market challenges around the globe.

“Canada is holding firm while some others have slipped in an uncertain economic and regulatory environment,” said Stephen Lewis, leader of Ernst & Young’s Renewable Energy Advisory practice in Canada. “We’re seeing some significant activity that is increasing the share of renewables in Canada’s energy mix, but if we want to be seen as a market leader, more work will be required from all stakeholders in the industry.”

Link to full article

More fresh electricity capacity was added to the electricity grids of both the United States and Europe last year from wind turbines, solar panels and other renewable sources than from conventional power plants run on fossil fuels and nuclear energy.

It was the second year in a row that renewable energy beat its conventional competitors.

The findings are being released Thursday in reports jointly issued by the United Nations Environment Program and Paris-based Renewable Energy Policy Network, which said green energy has “reached a clear tipping point” in becoming the dominant type of new electricity supply.

Link to full article