Alternatives

Here are samples of newer technologies developed to have a smaller footprint, are environmentally friendly and more efficient

“Hydro One could upgrade its transmission system to allow us to import an additional 2,000 megawatts of peak Quebec water power at a cost of only approximately $80 million. Quebec could provide us with twice as much peak power as the TC Energy project at a capital cost that is 98.14% lower. According to TC Energy, the PSP is the ‘most proven, economical’ way to provide us with 1,000 megawatts of peak power to help phase-out Ontario’s gas-fired power plants. This is simply not true.” – Jack Gibbons, Chair, Ontario Clean Air Alliance.
Ontario Gas Report (PDF). Source – cleanairalliance.org

Energy Storage Technologies by Mike McTaggart – An overview of options for storing electricity.

MP Alex Ruff presents petition to House of Commons (YouTube video)

An Uncertain future for Big Dam Projects by Jacques Leslie

Fusion Energy Breakthrough

Tackling climate change

Kim Budil, director of the Lawrence Livermore lab, said there are “very significant hurdles” to commercial use of fusion technology, but advances in recent years mean the technology is likely to be widely used in “a few decades” rather than 50 or 60 years, as previously expected.

“It’s almost like it’s a starting gun going off,” said professor Dennis Whyte, director of the Plasma Science and Fusion Center at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a leader in fusion research. “We should be pushing towards making fusion energy systems available to tackle climate change and energy security.”

Fusion works by pressing hydrogen atoms into each other with such force that they combine into helium, releasing enormous amounts of energy and heat. Unlike other nuclear reactions, it doesn’t create radioactive waste.

Oneida Battery Storage

A 250 MW/IOOO MWh battery storage system will be located in Haldimand County, 17 km from Six Nations boundaries. Batteries installed on a 10-acre plot of land will be fed or charged with surplus electricity from the Ontario power grid during off-peak periods to return it to consumers during the day when electricity rates are high. Read more

Ontario’s Minister of Energy has given the green light for the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) to proceed with drafting a 10-year contract for the Six Nations of the Grand River Development Corporation and Toronto-based energy storage company NRStor Incorporated. While Indigenous communities are often included in projects only as the recipients of impact benefit agreements, the OES Project would see the Six Nations of the Grand River Development Corporation, a group that manages Six Nations’ economic interests in renewable energy projects, as an equal partner. Read more

Marmora Closed-Loop Pump Storage

The proposed Marmora Pumped Storage Project is looking to convert Marmora’s former open-pit iron ore mine into a 400-MW clean energy asset – a first-of-its-kind project for Canada.

Located halfway between Toronto and Ottawa, the inactive site has the potential to become a source of clean energy that not only creates the electricity we need, but serves as an economic engine supporting skills training, tourism and the local business community.

Did you know? The mine pit, which reaches a depth of more than 200 metres below ground level, was created for mining operations in the mid-20^th century. Since mining operations ceased in the late 1970s, the pit has filled with a combination of rain and ground water. The proposed Marmora Project would recirculate this water between two reservoirs to generate electricity using a closed-loop design. This approach avoids drawing water from nearby waterways and lakes, eliminating impacts to fisheries and waterway levels.

Gravity Hydroelectric Pumped Storage (28 min)

Short video presentation illustrating how Gravity Hydroelectric Pumped Storage Facility works.

Hydroelectric Pumped Storage … Explained (1:58 min)

Pumped storage power plants have existed for 100 years – now they are experiencing a revolution. A company from Bavaria will soon store energy in gigantic concrete pistons, which are stuck in a cylinder filled with water. At the Energy Storage Europe – the leading exhibition for energy storage systems of the future we took a closer look.

Tesla’s 52 MWh Battery (55 min)

To achieve a sustainable energy future the world needs reliable, renewable energy around the clock. The island of Kauai has an abundance of solar energy but it can only be used when the sun is shining. Kauai burns millions of gallons of fossil fuels annually to produce energy at night. Until now. Tesla’s 52 MWh Tesla Powerpack and 13 MW solar farm will store solar energy produced during the day and deliver it to the grid during the evening hours to reduce the amount of fossil fuels needed to meet energy demand. This dispatchable solar project represents the first time a utility contracted for a system of this scale that stores and delivers solar energy after sunset.

Storing energy in concrete blocks (1:45 min)

A concrete “battery” could be the future of energy storage. Energy Vault, a Swiss startup, has created a way to store electricity in concrete blocks. The technology helps use solar power when sun doesn’t shine and wind power when the wind doesn’t blow. It’s a low-tech alternative to lithium-ion batteries.
There’s been a lot of progress in renewable energy with solar and wind power, but renewable energy storage remains a challenge. Energy Vault’s idea is similar to hydroelectric power, but instead of using water and dams, it uses concrete blocks and cranes. The low-cost, low-tech solution is proof that some of the answers to our energy-storage problems may be hiding in plain sight.