HomeMy WebLinkAboutLakeshore Advance, 2013-09-04, Page 2120 Lakeshore Advance • Wednesday, September 4, 2013
ADVERTISEMENT
• •
•
,„,
•
.-::;-;‹-_,..:-r
nity News
Gord Potts
Director Business Development
and Project Manager
Grand Bend Wind Farm for
Northland Power Inc.
Since the 2003
blackouts,
Ontario has
invested heavily
in upgrading
electricity
infrastructure
Ontario's evolving
energy grid
Ten Years after the Blackout
Within seconds on August 14, 2003, power failures spanned across
24,086 square kilometers, from Chicago to New York, and Boston to
Toronto. In less than one minute, more than 5o million people lost
power. More than ioo power plants, including 22 nuclear plants and
300 transmission lines, shut down in the outage.
Ten years later, our energy system has undergone significant renew-
al, with more work underway. The province is currently undertaking
a formal review of Ontario's Long Term Energy Plan and is consulting
with stakeholders from across the province through September. The
government's goals are to "make our air cleaner, build a modern en-
ergy system we can rely on, and help Ontario families and businesses
manage their electricity bills'. Renewable energy sources such as
wind will be an important component of this plan.
Our grid today
Since the 2003 blackouts, Ontario has invested heavily in upgrad-
ing electricity infrastructure, building new transmission lines and
upgrading old lines, said Energy Minister Bob Chiarelli, who was
Ottawa's mayor when the city went dark.'
One of the most important Lessons policy makers, energy providers
and homeowners in the United States and Canada learned after the
blackout was the necessity of maintaining and diversifying our en-
ergy system. Part of these efforts include phasing out coal plants
and looking beyond nuclear power to renewable sources such as
solar and wind, which helps us to create much-needed power with
less environmental impact than traditional sources, while creat-
ing jobs and contributing to the economy. In the United Sates, for
example, "wind energy is now the fastest growing source of power
in the United States - representing 43% of all new U.S. electric
generation capacity in 2012 and $25 billion in new investment,"
according to U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz.'
s http://news.ontario.ca/mei/en/zos3/i/ontario-kicks-off.long-term-energy-plan-
review.html
2 http://www. ottawacitiaen.com/technology/years+after+Regulation%.stepped.util
ities+electricity+grids/8784561/story.html
3 http://www. huffingtonpost.ca/cuss-blinch/renewable-energy_b 3732495•html
4 https://www.ontariocanada.com/ontcan/smedt/en/cleantech_wind _en.jsp
Intelligent energy for a greener planet
http: //grandbend.northlandpower,ca
by Gord Potts
email: grandbend@northlandpower.ca
Powering growth
Here at home, wind energy is also contributing to the economy
and creating jobs As a result of Ontario's Green Energy Act, the
installed renewable energy in Ontario represents more than $5
billion of investment and over 7,000 direct and indirect temporary
and permanent jobs'. In some cases, there is actually a shortage of
skilled labour, and more jobs than applicants. Windsor -based wind
tower manufacturer CS Wind explains that their organization has
rapidly grown since its grand opening in December 2011, targeting
500 workers at its facility before the end of this year. However,
they have had to look as far as Toronto to fill its positions because
local recruitment is still difficult.'
Ontario is at the forefront of wind energy in Canada, with more than
1,50o MW of wind generation capacity currently connected to the
province's power grid6, and several other wind farms in development
or construction. But beyond powering our homes and businesses, wind
energy is also being used to support our robust natural resources sector.
For example, Stephen Harper recently announced a project that would
harness wind energy to help power a massive nickel mining operation in
Quebec's Nunavik region. Today, remote communities and industry such
as Xtrata Nickel Inc.'s Raglan Mine are dependent on diesel -based energy
generation. The proposed system would generate energy from wind and
store surplus wind energy through hydrogen, providing a stable and
sustainable source of energy at Raglan Mine. If all goes according to plan,
a clean energy project could be operating at the mine by March 2016.
"Canadians...expect that Canadian resources will be developed with
future generations in mind...in ways that make sensible use of energy
and respect the environment,"Mr. Harper said.'
Ten years after the blackout, there have been a number of critical
improvements to the power grid. The integration of renewable power
sources, such as wind, is all part of the plan to ensure our electricity
system is effective, efficient, and affordable for many decades to come.
5 http://blogs.windsorsta►.com/1013/o8/»/cs-wind-bursting-at-seams-but-where-
are-wi ndsor-welder s/
6 http://www.ieso.ca/imoweb/siteshared/windtracker.asp
7http://www. theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/h.upe -.tnnounces.wind•energy-
project-for-nanavik-mine/articks3932o38/
Northland Power is an Ontario -based company with over 25 years experience developing,
owning and operating facilities that produce and sell clean and green energy
NORTHLAND
POWER