this post was submitted on 02 Jul 2024
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While Canada lags behind in solar adoption, many places including Germany, China, Japan and even the United States are moving quickly.

In fact, on certain days, some places are generating so much energy, the price to purchase it is dropping below zero, prompting concerns about storage capacity for the abundant power source.

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[–] Poutinetown@lemmy.ca 25 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (5 children)

I don't think it's fair to look at Canada as a monolith. Quebec is generating most of its energy from hydro, whereas Ontario relies on a well established nuclear energy infrastructure. Provinces that need to change are Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Alberta.

Edit: Manitoba actually relies on hydro for 97% of their usage. So correction: only Alberta and Saskatchewan!

[–] Kecessa@sh.itjust.works 5 points 2 years ago (2 children)

In Alberta you can't refuse to let someone exploit oil resources found on your property but you can't willingly let someone develop solar energy on your property.

Solar farms are financed by giant companies (with the biggest one being financed by Amazon) as a way to greenwash their emission numbers even though the electricity being produced isn't used to power their own infrastructure.

[–] calcopiritus@lemmy.world 3 points 2 years ago (1 children)

I don't think "our operations run on green energy" matters that much. Energy is energy, if you give other people green energy, you are still reducing emissions. You are just reducing other people's instead of your own, but global warming is a global issue.

[–] Kecessa@sh.itjust.works 0 points 2 years ago

It matters if it means companies don't actually do anything to improve their emissions and just finance production instead. All that solar energy could have been produced by a crown corporation so the state would reap the profits and it would have forced Amazon to actually improve.

[–] n2burns@lemmy.ca 1 points 2 years ago

In Alberta you can’t refuse to let someone exploit oil resources found on your property

TBF, I'm pretty sure that's how it works throughout the country. The title on my home in Ontario has easements for potential minerals/resources as well.

[–] ray@sh.itjust.works 2 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Manitoba doesn't belong on that list. Manitoba's electricity comes from 100% renewable sources (~97% hydro, ~3% wind, and 0% fossil fuels).

[–] Poutinetown@lemmy.ca 2 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Yeah I forgot Manitoba was mostly relying on hydro!

[–] kent_eh@lemmy.ca 1 points 2 years ago

And is exporting a percentage of that hydro to other jurisdictions as well.

[–] phoenixz@lemmy.ca 1 points 2 years ago

Isn't Alberta just an oil interests runaway province that at this point is a damn near failed state? Every rule.coming out of that place is "how can we make it even better for our oil overlords"

[–] ipkpjersi@lemmy.ml 7 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

They also have a lower cost of living, legalized sex work, lower crime rates including lower car theft rates and lower violent crime rates, and way better public transportation.

[–] CeeBee@lemmy.world 3 points 2 years ago (1 children)

However, unless Germany, Canada has a stellar nuclear energy industry.

Our CANDU reactors are amongst the best and the safest in the world.

[–] Shou@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago (2 children)

Germany has been dismantling nuclear power plants.

[–] chonglibloodsport@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago

And building liquified natural gas terminals to receive shipments in the US after getting caught with their pants down by Putin. I’m pretty sure Putin’s propaganda machine had a lot to do with Germany’s pullback from nuclear.

[–] CeeBee@lemmy.world 1 points 2 years ago

I meant to say "unlike Germany". I'll fix it

[–] nyan@lemmy.cafe 3 points 2 years ago

So what? It isn't as though solar is the only clean energy option out there (and the externalities from the production and disposal of solar panels make it not as environmentally friendly as it looks at first glance, although obviously still better than fossil fuels). Wind, hydro, nuclear, and even tidal may be more appropriate for our much larger, much colder, much less dense, more northerly country. We already have a lot of hydro and (in Ontario) a lot of nuclear, and both seem to serve our needs well.

What we really need to do is shift Alberta's economy away from fossil fuels. That would do a lot more good than a Netherlands-sized installation of solar panels.

[–] theacharnian@lemmy.ca 0 points 2 years ago (1 children)

I haven't read the article but.... :)

Generally the big problem we still have to solve with reviewables is storage.

I think that one advantage that the NL has with renewables is that they don't have the storage problem, because they can always reroute to more pumping water out the polders.