Green Projects

The UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen last week emphasized the importance that much of the world places on carbon emission reduction. The reaction to the conference in the media and in the form of protests around the conference indicates that much of the world has placed a high priority on halting or reversing current trends in carbon emissions and global warming. Leaders who were seen as weak or non-cooperative in this effort were castigated at home and abroad. Some of the leaders at the conference expressed frustration with the conservative approach of the conference towards establishing goals that would reverse the global warming trend. Leaders of small nations that were in danger of the "Atlantis experience" could be excused if they allowed desperation to tinge their comments.

One positive result of this conference was to give a boost to green projects. In an editorial in the business section of Sunday’s Toronto Star newspaper (December 20, 2009) columnist David Olive recommends that investment be made in green projects to take advantage of the considerable pool of skilled labour idled by the current recession. Raw material costs are also low, according to David Olive, and this would be the ideal time to take advantage of both these circumstances to drive the green projects that will reduce our carbon footprint. These projects would boost the economy as well as halt global warming and the economy has never been more in need of help.

The article quotes a Toronto architect, Jack Diamond: "You can pretty much forget about being a leading designer or developer without building advanced energy conservation into your proposed project”. Although Diamond is Toronto based, he also has a world wide reputation having designed public buildings in Newcastle, Jerusalem, and St. Petersburg Russia. Projects that incorporate energy conservation aren’t just prevalent in the construction sector. Hybrid and plug-in vehicles are increasingly popular with fleet operators such as Canada Post and FedEx. Olive also foresees increased investment in Green Projects, especially in the alternative-energy sector. An example of such a project is the Boulder Colorado, USA project that will install "smart meters” in 35,000 homes, turning Boulder into the first North American "smart grid city”. Smart meters are specially designed hydro meters that communicate real time usage information to the utility supplying the electricity. Placing all their consumers on smart meters allows a utility to create a smart grid that will allow them to better manage supply and demand and reduce the spikes that produce brown-outs and black-outs. How will this help reduce energy consumption? Well it is estimated that black-outs and brown-outs cost the economy $120 BN USD per year.

Energy storage is another potential source of investment and projects. Currently energy must be used as it is generated which is wasteful. Storing electricity would allow utilities to inventory hydro until it is needed. Combining a smart grid with hydro storage would place utility companies in the driver’s seat for the management of supply and demand. A similar challenge was overcome to make electric cars practical; the electricity is stored in batteries and drawn from the batteries to run the car. The smart grid would also support capturing the energy produced by alternate energy sources such as wind power and solar power. The grid system would get the energy from where it is produced to where it is needed.

The difference in geographical location between where alternate energy tends to be available and where hydro is needed will drive a need for projects which implement energy transfer systems. Wind power tends to be harnessed in the Great Plains and Prairies of North America whereas energy consumption is concentrated in densely populated areas. These areas also tend to be where manufacturing and other heavy users of electricity are concentrated. The problem lies in transferring the energy from the Great Plains and Prairies to the urban centres where it will be consumed. Famous American entrepreneur T. Boone Pickens is a convert to alternate energy and he claims that Nevada’s solar-power alone would be enough to supply America’s electricity needs. The challenge: getting the electricity from Nevada to the rest of the country without the line losses which currently make that kind of transfer impossible.