Connect with us
[the_ad id="89560"]

Energy

You need to know – Climate Change and the Future of Energy

Published

2 minute read

Todayville hunts for information that cuts through politics and ideologies.  We’re a lot more interested in sharing in depth views than we are about screaming (and misleading) headlines. Here’s an excellent example.  This video podcast interview is an absolute must-see for all those Canadians who want to know the truth about the future of energy production.   Turns out carbon based energy production isn’t as bad as we thought, and some of the renewables aren’t nearly as good as we thought.  No matter which side of this debate you’re on you need to know what Michael Shellenberger is saying.

From Forbes.com (Michael Shellenberger is a regular contributor of articles on energy.)  “Michael Shellenberger is a Time Magazine “Hero of the Environment,” Green Book Award Winner, and author of Apocalypse Never: Why Environmental Alarmism Hurts Us All (Harper Collins, June 30, 2020). He is a frequent contributor to The New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Scientific American, and other publications. His TED talks have been viewed over five million times.”

This video podcast is the second edition of a new offering from Robert Bryce called the Power Hungry Podcast. The Power Hungry podcast spotlights energy, power, innovation, and politics. Author and journalist Robert Bryce talks with top thinkers, writers, and influencers — as well as regular citizens.

In the second edition of the Power Hungry podcast, Robert Bryce talks with Michael Shellenberger about his new book, Apocalypse Never: Why Environmental Alarmism Hurts Us All. Michael is one of the most famous environmentalists in America as well as a former candidate for governor of California. He and Robert discuss a myriad of topics including liberation theology, the roots of apocalyptic environmentalism, and why nuclear reactors, not wind turbines and solar panels, are the only viable path forward if we are going to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and preserve natural areas for people and wildlife.

Here’s one of the comments from a viewer of this video.

“I am unacceptably right wing, but I agree with everything this guy is saying about renewables, nuclear, & energy policy in general.”

After 15 years as a TV reporter with Global and CBC and as news director of RDTV in Red Deer, Duane set out on his own 2008 as a visual storyteller. During this period, he became fascinated with a burgeoning online world and how it could better serve local communities. This fascination led to Todayville, launched in 2016.

Follow Author

More from this author

Energy

Most Canadians support Saskatchewan’s refusal to collect Trudeau’s carbon tax: poll

Published on

From LifeSiteNews

By  Clare Marie Merkowsky

Since January 1, the Canadian province has not been collecting the carbon tax on home heating despite threats from the Trudeau government.

A majority of Canadian believe that Saskatchewan is correct in not collecting Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s carbon tax on home heating.

According to a March 25 poll by Angus Reid, most Canadians support Saskatchewan’s refusal to collect the carbon tax on home heating, ranging from 41% supporting the move in Quebec to 71% in Alberta.

“A majority of Canadians (not just SK residents) say our government is doing the right thing by not collecting and remitting the Trudeau-NDP carbon tax on home heating,” Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe celebrated on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Saskatchewan stopped collecting the carbon tax on home heating in January after the Trudeau government gave a carbon tax exemption on home heating oil, a break that almost exclusively benefits the Liberal voting Atlantic provinces.

According to the poll, 56% of Canadians held that cost of living concerns should trump “climate change” concerns when making economic policies. Sixty-eight percent also believe that the tax is ineffective at reducing Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions.

Forty percent of Canadians revealed that the carbon tax has made their life “a lot” more expensive, and 26% said it has only increased their cost of living by “a little.”

While Canadians revealed that they had received carbon tax rebates, 45% declared that they believe they pay more in taxes than receive in rebates.

Indeed, for most Canadians, this is true, as the Parliamentary Budget Officer revealed that the government rebates are insufficient to cover the rising costs of fuel under Trudeau’s carbon tax, leaving Canadians to pay the balance.

Despite the popularity and seeming fairness of Moe’s decision, Trudeau’s Liberal government has refused to rule out jail time for Moe if he refuses to collect the carbon tax on home heating.

Meanwhile, Trudeau has refused to pause the carbon tax hike scheduled for April 1, despite seven out of 10 provincial premiers and 70% of Canadians pleading with him to halt his plan.

Trudeau’s carbon tax, framed as a way to reduce carbon emissions, has cost Canadian households hundreds of dollars annually despite rebates.

The increased costs are only expected to rise, as a recent report revealed that a carbon tax of more than $350 per tonne is needed to reach Trudeau’s net-zero goals by 2050.

Currently, Canadians living in provinces under the federal carbon pricing scheme pay $65 per tonne, but the Trudeau government has a goal of $170 per tonne by 2030.

However, despite appeals from politicians and Canadians alike, Trudeau remains determined to increase the carbon tax regardless of its effects on Canadians’ lives.

The Trudeau government’s current environmental goals – which are in lockstep with the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development – include phasing out coal-fired power plants, reducing fertilizer usage, and curbing natural gas use over the coming decades.

The reduction and eventual elimination of so-called “fossil fuels” and a transition to unreliable “green” energy has also been pushed by the World Economic Forum, the globalist group behind the socialist “Great Reset” agenda in which Trudeau and some of his cabinet are involved.

Continue Reading

Canadian Energy Centre

Canadian renewable propane could be a fuel of the future

Published on

From the Canadian Energy Centre

By Deborah Jaremko

‘We want to make sure we reduce emissions while keeping in mind affordability and reliability’

Four years ago, Craig Timmermans’ two Ontario radio stations became Canada’s first to go on the air from off the grid 

Faced with an $80,000 connection fee and ongoing electricity delivery costs, Timmermans opted for another solution: solar and propane.  

“I did our power calculation: five staff, hot water tank, heating system, etc., right down to a coffee maker…then we need a heating source, so it made sense to go with propane,” he said. 

“When I looked at all the different heating systems, I found that propane is hands down the most efficient.”  

Now Timmermans is building a new home that will run exclusively on propane. He says he wanted propane appliances due to their efficiency. 

Ontario radio operators KT and Craig Timmermans power their off-grid business with propane and solar. Photo supplied to the Canadian Energy Centre

“A propane cooking stove is the best cooking appliance…The heat is continuous, it’s instant. It just works so well.” 

Lower environmental footprint 

Propane serves many purposes in Canada, from supporting mining and oil and gas operations to fueling heating, cooling, cooking and power in remote, off-grid communities. 

In these communities, propane can replace diesel with a lower environmental footprint. Propane’s carbon intensity is estimated at 72 grams of CO2 equivalent per megajoule, compared to 100 grams for diesel.  

That could be slashed by more than half with a move to renewable propane, according to the Canadian Propane Association (CPA). The CPA has commissioned a new report that looks at potential pathways to producing renewable propane in Canada.  

Propane storage tank. Getty Images photo

Pairing with heat pumps and hybrid energy systems 

The report serves as the foundation of the CPA’s roadmap for scaling up renewable propane production in Canada.  

The CPA says the fuel is ideal for pairing with electric heat pumps to provide back-up heat in low temperatures, especially in remote regions that are not near natural gas grids.  

It’s also promising for hybrid systems where solar or wind provides baseload energy and renewable propane provides support when renewables are not available. 

Part of propane’s appeal – renewable or otherwise – is that it’s easily liquefied and stored in pressurized cylinders, making it a versatile energy source used almost anywhere, the CPA says. 

“We want to make sure we reduce emissions while keeping in mind affordability and reliability as key pillars in any energy transformation,” said CEO Shannon Watt. 

“Propane goes where other fuels can’t go.” 

Producing renewable propane 

Today, most propane produced in Canada comes as a byproduct from natural gas processing.  

Among other sources, renewable propane can be co-produced with renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel, made primarily from plant and vegetable oils, animal fats or used cooking oil. 

Cost is the barrier to renewable propane production – about double what it takes to produce conventional propane, the CPA says.  

The United States is offering incentives for renewable propane that are not available in Canada.  

Through the Inflation Reduction Act, Renewable Fuel Standard and Low Carbon Fuel Standard, renewable propane producers can receive C$20 per gigajoule (or more than C$30 per GJ in California).  

Through Canada’s Clean Fuel Regulations, the incentive is just over C$5 per GJ, or about C$10 per GJ in British Columbia.  

“In order to attract investment the same way as the U.S. under the Inflation Reduction Act, we need to have competing measures in place,” Watt said.  

“We’ve got the technology and we’ve got the feedstocks. We’ve got a lot of those big puzzle pieces that we need. Now we need the dollars to flow.” 

The Ridley Island Export Terminal in Prince Rupert, B.C. ships Canadian propane to overseas markets. Photo courtesy AltaGas

Exporting renewable propane to the world 

A large-scale renewable propane industry wouldn’t just benefit Canadians, she said.  

That’s because global demand for propane is growing.  

Market research firm IMARC Group projects world propane use will rise to nearly 250 million tonnes by 2032, more than one-third higher than demand last year.  

The transition to cleaner energy sources is a major factor propelling growth, analysts said. 

Until recently, Canada’s only propane exports went to the United States. That changed with the startup of two export terminals at Prince Rupert, B.C.  

Since 2017, Canada’s propane exports outside the U.S. have grown substantially, reaching 42 per cent of total propane exports in 2023, according to the Canada Energy Regulator. 

“We export more and more propane to non-U.S. locations,” Watt said.  

“Now, roughly 50 per cent of Canadian propane is shipped to South Korea, Japan and Mexico, displacing higher emission intensity sources, namely coal and timber.” 

Exporting renewable propane would take the benefits a step further, she said.  

“That carries the conversation on about reducing global emissions and not just what’s happening in our own backyard.” 

Continue Reading

Trending

X