Archive for the ‘Energy’ Category
In the past several years in Canada, the utilization of renewable energy has become a priority, especially in the forms of solar power and wind power. Another form of renewable energy in which Canada is beginning to see potential is that of wave and tidal power. Though much of the country’s focus has been on the aforementioned solar and wind industries, Canada’s eastern and western coasts make wave and tidal power a natural choice as the next energy on which to focus.
Much renewable energy is harnessed for the production of electricity to power homes and offices. While biofuels, wind, and solar energy are making strides in Canada, wave and tidal power has not received the same amount of attention. This may soon change due to the amount of ocean available on both coasts and to the north. In fact, these coasts are capable of producing a quarter of Canada’s annual electricity consumption through wave and tidal power. And because the waves and tides are a consistent natural force, wave-powered energy production is more dependable than that provided by the intermittent sun and wind.
The perception that Canada is lagging in the wave and tidal power department is partially due to its overshadowing accomplishments in solar and wind power. In actuality, Canada trails only the United States and United Kingdom in wave power development. Natural Resources Canada is helping future wave and tidal projects by creating an atlas that points to useful locations in which to construct wave and tidal power plants.
Nunavut is one such location. Meaning “our land” in Inuktitut, it became independent of the Northwest Territories in April of 1999 and comprises a large portion of northern Canada. Consisting of just over 29,000 residents spread over a region the size of Western Europe, it is an ideal location upon which to set up onshore wave and tidal power systems. Because the residents that live along Nunavut’s water do not use the shores for recreation, the concrete and steel structures of a wave powered turbine would not interfere with swimmers or boaters. Furthermore, in the waters of Nunavut and Canada’s eastern and western coasts, there are plenty of available oceans for offshore wave and tidal power systems.
Riding the waves in order to create the pressure needed to move electricity-producing turbines, the bobbers and hoses of a wave power system require no power besides the renewable energy of the earth’s waves to operate. Canada has more than enough shoreline to me use of wave and tidal power technology.
There is a growing concern these days for the environment, and several countries have taken the initiative to promote the use of renewable energy to lessen humanity’s impact on the planet. Canada is one such country taking the lead in green technologies, and using biofuels is one of the steps they have taken in becoming one of the world’s leaders in the consumption of environmentally friendly fuels.
Biofuels are simply liquid fuels manufactured from plant and animal materials. Because this matter is biodegradable, it is not only capable of powering vehicles and heating homes, but the waste is then absorbed once again into the earth, nurturing new life able to provide future renewable energy sources.
Bioethanol, commonly referred to as just ethanol, is the most common biofuel currently in production. Canada’s federal government has taken note of ethanol’s potential as an alternative renewable energy and created a plan requiring gasoline to contain 5% ethanol by the end of this year. The plan would also require diesel fuels to contain at least 2% ethanol by the end of 2012. As a matter of fact, the provincial government of Manitoba has taken a leadership role in the biodiesel industry by creating mandates requiring similar percentages as those devised by the federal government that will go into effect in 2010. This precedes the federal mandate by two years. Manitoba is known for its prairie lands, the crops that grow there, and the animals that graze upon these crops. The amount of plant and animal materials available for the production of biofuels is great. Manitoba has inspired the provincial government of British Columbia to adopt similar strategies.
The corporation of Raven Biofuels Limited was established to research and develop technologies conducive to efficient and prolific use of biofuels throughout Canada, and they have identified British Columbia as a starting point. Joining Raven Biofuels International Corporation (RBIC), their goal is to pay RBIC a fee providing them exclusive rights to biofuel development in Canada. Their intent is to build the first commercial biorefinery and place it in Kamloops, British Columbia. Though it may seem as though a monopoly or trust would emerge from this partnership, the goal is to set an example and to provide guidance to other potential commercial endeavors. Municipalities have partnered with British Columbia’s provincial government to create the BC Bioenergy Strategy, which has already garnered $25 million to fund a Biofuel energy Network focused on furthering biofuel technology not just in British Columbia, but throughout Canada.
As a renewable energy source, the sun’s infinite supply of rays is second to none. Solar cells are designed to capture solar energy and transform it into other forms of power such as electricity. Like so many other forms of alternative energy, Canada is taking strides to claim a perch near the top in the solar cell industry.
Solar cells operate via the photovoltaic effect. Voltage is created when electrons are transferred from one material to another. When this transfer occurs, voltage is built up between two electrodes. As photons in sunlight strike solar cells, materials such as silicon absorb them and electrons are freed from the material. This flow of electrons creates electricity. Solar cells perform this task specifically using the sun’s radiation. They are grouped together to form the familiar solar panels seen on rooftops and solar farms worldwide.
Due to its abundance of high pressure systems, Canada possesses a good number of sunny days by which to produce electricity via solar cells. Research and development in the country is funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. Additionally, a number of national photovoltaic energy companies have invested in the development of these types of power systems in order to position themselves as a viable force worldwide using this renewable energy. This has been done in conjunction with climate change programs set up by the federal government.
Universities have especially taken the lead in forging the development of solar cells in Canada. The University of Alberta has teamed with the National Research Council’s Institute for Nanotechnology to focus on the improvement of plastic solar cell efficiency. Known for its open prairie, Alberta is already noted for its wind power capabilities and is now ready to obtain power from the open sky as well. Silicon, which is the most common element in solar cells, is in short supply and as result is rather expensive. Scientists in Alberta have aimed their attention toward optimizing the output of plastic solar cells to ease cost and increase production. Layers of materials make up the construction of a plastic solar cell in a fashion similar to a sandwich. Scientists at The University of Alberta have already noticed as much as a 30% increase in efficiency over conventional silicon cells in only one layer of the “sandwich”.
As Canada continues to make strides in the renewable energy industry of solar cells, the country will continue to seek cheaper and more efficient methods of turning the sun’s rays into usable power.
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