Category Archives: Renewable Energy

Revisiting activist myths about the Trans Mountain Pipeline – or Why Climate leaders may sometimes need to build pipelines

Posted on August 18, 2020 by Blair

Activists are trying to get the Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion Project (TMX) back in the news. On my social media feed I first saw Dr. Tim Takaro hanging in a tree then watched him as he was replaced by YouTuber … Continue reading →

Posted in Canadian Politics, Pipelines, Renewable Energy, Trans Mountain, Uncategorized | 12 Comments

Alberta’s Renewable Energy Conundrum in Charts and Numbers – Why Capacity Factors Matter

Posted on January 2, 2020 by Blair

Over the holidays I have read a lot of commentary on Alberta’s energy future. I keep seeing individuals demanding that Alberta concentrate on wind and solar for its energy future. The people making these statements are mostly activists and journalists, … Continue reading →

Posted in Environmentalism and Ecomodernism, Fossil Fuel Free Future, Renewable Energy, Uncategorized | 22 Comments

The Green Party’s “Mission Possible” a cool name for a policy proposal that is not ready for prime time.

Posted on July 17, 2019 by Blair

On May 16th Elizabeth May unveiled the Green Party’s Mission Possible, their 20-step “Green Climate Action Plan“. While I have to admit “Mission Possible” is a very cool name, the plan repeats what we saw with their Canadian “Green New … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate Change, Climate Change Politics, Renewable Energy, Site C, Uncategorized | 14 Comments

More bad epidemiology about BC LNG from the MDs at CAPE

Posted on April 4, 2019 by Blair

I have written a lot about the BC liquid natural gas (LNG) export industry. I have done so because my examination of the climate math says BC LNG will help reduce global greenhouse gas emissions and will help in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Renewable Energy, Uncategorized | 5 Comments

On the “shocking” revelations in the BC Hydro IPP review and the reality that the fight against climate change is not going to be cheap

Posted on February 13, 2019 by Blair

This week A Review of BC Hydro’s Purchase of Power from Independent Power Producers came out and to no one’s surprise it revealed that BC Hydro is paying too much for all that intermittent, low-carbon power purchased under the 2007 … Continue reading →

Posted in Canadian Politics, Climate Change, Climate Change Politics, Fossil Fuel Free Future, Renewable Energy | 10 Comments

Environmental Absolutists are going BANANAs and it will hurt, not help, the environment

Posted on January 24, 2019 by Blair

Anyone who follows the energy beat knows that the latest chant from the environmental absolutist world is “No new fossil fuel infrastructure” (NNFFI). The slogan has been attributed by most sources to Bill McKibben of 350.org. Around here you hear … Continue reading →

Posted in Fossil Fuel Free Future, Pipelines, Risk, Uncategorized | 6 Comments

About that questionable IMF survey claiming $5.3 trillion in “subsidies” for fossil fuels

Posted on December 28, 2018 by Blair

During the break I thought it would be nice to catch up on some blogging. The first topic I want to cover is that questionable International Monetary Fund (IMF) “subsidy” survey we constantly see quoted by anti-pipeline and climate change … Continue reading →

Posted in Canadian Politics, Climate Change, Climate Change Politics, Fossil Fuel Free Future, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 24 Comments

Let’s face it hypocrisy matters in the pipeline and climate change debates

Posted on December 26, 2018 by Blair

As someone deeply interested in the pipeline and climate change debates I encounter the topic of hypocrisy every day. The discussion usually starts with a pipeline supporter pointing out that pipeline opponents who rely on fossil fuels are hypocrites. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate Change, Climate Change Politics, Pipelines, Renewable Energy, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 11 Comments

Revisiting 100% Wind, Water and Sunlight for Canada – an ill-advised approach to fight climate change

Posted on November 27, 2018 by Blair

Dr. Marc Z. Jacobson, the lead scientist of the 100% Wind, Water and Sunlight (100% WWS) movement, was in Vancouver last week for a presentation. Dr. Jacobson is a proponent of relying solely on wind, water and sunlight to meet … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate Change, Climate Change Politics, Fossil Fuel Free Future, Leap Manifesto, Renewable Energy, Uncategorized | 17 Comments

Yet another carbon bubble paper that misses the mark

Posted on June 5, 2018 by Blair

One of the interesting features of the climate change debate is that many of the highest profile academics in the field are European and many of the papers have what, to outsiders such as myself, might appear to be unconscious … Continue reading →

Posted in Canadian Politics, Pipelines, Renewable Energy, Trans Mountain, Uncategorized | 9 Comments